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The position of a Senior Applications Engineer is integral to the tech industry, responsible for developing and maintaining software applications. As of October 2025, the average salary for this role is $107,989, translating to approximately $52 per hour. Salaries can vary widely based on factors such as location, experience, and the specific industry.
Senior Applications Engineers can earn more in states like California, New York, and Washington, where the demand for skilled engineers is high. For instance, California offers competitive salaries due to its robust tech industry. Understanding regional salary differences can guide job seekers in making informed decisions about where to apply.
Industries such as software development, finance, and healthcare also offer lucrative positions for Senior Applications Engineers. By focusing on sectors with high growth potential, professionals can maximize their earning potential. Continuously updating skills and certifications can further enhance job prospects and salary expectations.
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The highest-paying states for senior applications engineers are California, Washington, and Oregon. The lowest average senior applications engineer salary states are South Carolina, Indiana, and Kansas.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $123,411 | $59.33 |
| 2 | California | $126,846 | $60.98 |
| 3 | Oregon | $116,748 | $56.13 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $110,908 | $53.32 |
| 5 | New Mexico | $111,763 | $53.73 |
| 6 | West Virginia | $114,544 | $55.07 |
| 7 | Texas | $106,645 | $51.27 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $113,694 | $54.66 |
| 9 | Arizona | $104,927 | $50.45 |
| 10 | New York | $110,017 | $52.89 |
| 11 | Alaska | $112,322 | $54.00 |
| 12 | Idaho | $104,348 | $50.17 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $107,631 | $51.75 |
| 14 | Maine | $107,592 | $51.73 |
| 15 | Virginia | $105,372 | $50.66 |
| 16 | Maryland | $106,677 | $51.29 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $107,229 | $51.55 |
| 18 | Nevada | $102,696 | $49.37 |
| 19 | Louisiana | $106,298 | $51.10 |
| 20 | Florida | $105,550 | $50.75 |
| 21 | Georgia | $103,285 | $49.66 |
| 22 | Illinois | $103,330 | $49.68 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $103,539 | $49.78 |
| 24 | Vermont | $101,307 | $48.71 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $101,432 | $48.77 |
| 26 | Colorado | $102,293 | $49.18 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $101,972 | $49.02 |
| 28 | Utah | $97,639 | $46.94 |
| 29 | New Hampshire | $98,943 | $47.57 |
| 30 | Hawaii | $107,771 | $51.81 |
| 31 | Michigan | $97,540 | $46.89 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $99,683 | $47.92 |
| 33 | Rhode Island | $97,758 | $47.00 |
| 34 | Delaware | $97,686 | $46.96 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $94,865 | $45.61 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $95,244 | $45.79 |
| 37 | Ohio | $95,169 | $45.75 |
| 38 | Alabama | $93,682 | $45.04 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $97,537 | $46.89 |
| 40 | Missouri | $97,601 | $46.92 |
| 41 | Montana | $93,083 | $44.75 |
| 42 | Wyoming | $88,591 | $42.59 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $90,538 | $43.53 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | $93,570 | $44.99 |
| 45 | Indiana | $87,124 | $41.89 |
| 46 | Iowa | $89,433 | $43.00 |
| 47 | Kansas | $86,646 | $41.66 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $87,957 | $42.29 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $85,699 | $41.20 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $85,825 | $41.26 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $81,155 | $39.02 |
The highest-paying cities for senior applications engineers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Hillsboro, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $136,326 | $65.54 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $123,985 | $59.61 |
| 3 | Hillsboro, OR | $117,132 | $56.31 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $110,918 | $53.33 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $110,153 | $52.96 |
| 6 | Portland, ME | $107,883 | $51.87 |
| 7 | Austin, TX | $107,017 | $51.45 |
| 8 | Tampa, FL | $106,252 | $51.08 |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | $104,957 | $50.46 |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | $103,441 | $49.73 |
| 11 | Atlanta, GA | $103,132 | $49.58 |
| 12 | Philadelphia, PA | $102,388 | $49.23 |
| 13 | Denver, CO | $102,252 | $49.16 |
| 14 | Plymouth, MN | $101,481 | $48.79 |
| 15 | Burlington, VT | $101,109 | $48.61 |
| 16 | Wilmington, DE | $97,730 | $46.99 |
| 17 | Saint Louis, MO | $97,651 | $46.95 |
| 18 | Troy, MI | $97,641 | $46.94 |
| 19 | Wilmington, NC | $95,376 | $45.85 |
| 20 | Troy, OH | $94,499 | $45.43 |
A senior applications engineer's salary ranges from $84,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $138,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $138,000 | $11,500 | $66 |
| 75th Percentile | $123,000 | $10,250 | $59 |
| Average | $107,989 | $8,999 | $52 |
| 25th Percentile | $94,000 | $7,833 | $45 |
| 10th Percentile | $84,000 | $7,000 | $40 |
The highest paying types of senior applications engineers are principal software engineer, principal engineer, and software engineer lead.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer-Consultant | $113,987 | $9,499 | $54.80 | 317,033 |
| Principal Software Engineer | $134,230 | $11,186 | $64.53 | 345,893 |
| Software Engineer Lead | $125,565 | $10,464 | $60.37 | 342,462 |
| Software Engineer | $100,260 | $8,355 | $48.20 | 339,938 |
| Team Lead Engineer | $114,867 | $9,572 | $55.22 | 235,155 |
| Lead Engineer | $84,927 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 301,777 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for senior applications engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring senior applications engineers now:
Senior applications engineer salaries at Netflix and Flexport are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior applications engineer salary at companies like CrowdStrike and Marin Software are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netflix | $164,440 | $79.06 |
| 2 | Flexport | $155,783 | $74.90 |
| 3 | CrowdStrike | $154,747 | $74.40 |
| 4 | Marin Software | $152,610 | $73.37 |
| 5 | Coinbase | $152,196 | $73.17 |
| 6 | MongoDB | $147,313 | $70.82 |
| 7 | Algolia | $145,997 | $70.19 |
| 8 | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC | $145,326 | $69.87 |
| 9 | Match Group | $145,243 | $69.83 |
| 10 | Atlassian | $144,833 | $69.63 |
| 11 | Apple | $143,849 | $69.16 |
| 12 | First Republic Bank | $142,365 | $68.44 |
| 13 | Sony Interactive Entertainment America | $141,569 | $68.06 |
| 14 | NVIDIA | $139,902 | $67.26 |
| 15 | PlayStation | $137,944 | $66.32 |
| 16 | A+E Networks | $137,530 | $66.12 |
| 17 | The Walt Disney Company | $137,514 | $66.11 |
| 18 | Hulu | $136,674 | $65.71 |
| 19 | Amazon | $136,061 | $65.41 |
| 20 | Walmart | $135,964 | $65.37 |
The average senior applications engineer salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Insurance | $111,125 | $53.43 |
| 2 | Technology | $106,449 | $51.18 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $104,882 | $50.42 |
| 4 | Health Care | $103,456 | $49.74 |
The average senior applications engineer salary has risen by $13,091 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior applications engineer earned $94,898 annually, but today, they earn $107,989 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for senior applications engineers over the last decade.
Compare senior applications engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare senior applications engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $108,000 | $51.92 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $106,000 | $50.92 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $105,000 | $50.31 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $103,000 | $49.45 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $101,000 | $48.48 | +0.7% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discover Financial Services | Senior Associate Application Engineer (Multiple Openings)-IHM | Riverwoods, IL | 06/30/2025 | $85,363 |
| Intel | Senior Foundry Applications Engineer (Analog Design) | Phoenix, AZ | 06/30/2025 | $161,230 |
| Jeppesen | Senior Application Deployment Engineer | Austin, TX | 06/30/2025 | $120,700 |
| Nextracker | SR Applications Engineer | San Rafael, CA | 06/30/2025 | $115,000 |
| Ntrs | SR Application Security Engineer | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2025 | $114,500 |
| Lennox International | SR. Application Engineer (Refrigeration) | Stone Mountain, GA | 06/29/2025 | $93,000 |
| Federal Home Loan Bank Indianapolis | Senior Application Security Engineer-Hybrid | Indianapolis, IN | 06/29/2025 | $127,000 |
| Anduril Industries | Senior Enterprise Applications Engineer, Identity and Access Management | Costa Mesa, CA | 06/29/2025 | $150,000 |
| Amplitude | Senior Application Security Engineer (Graphql Focus) | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $161,000 |
| Buildops | Senior Application Engineer | Los Angeles, CA | 06/29/2025 | $135,000 |
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