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Software architect salary
Average software architect salary
$114,406
Average Software Architect Salary Overview
A Software Architect earns an average annual salary of $114,406, with hourly wages around $55. Salaries vary based on experience, education, and the specific industry. For instance, professionals in tech hubs like San Francisco and New York typically command higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for expertise. Understanding these factors is essential for job seekers aiming to maximize their earning potential.
Salary by State
In the United States, states like California, New York, and Washington offer some of the highest salaries for Software Architects. For example, California leads with an average wage exceeding $130,000. In contrast, states with lower living costs may offer salaries around $90,000, which still provides a competitive edge.
Impact of Experience
Entry-level Software Architects typically start at around $85,000, while those with several years of experience can earn upwards of $150,000. Specialized skills in cloud computing or cybersecurity can further enhance salary prospects. Additionally, industries such as finance and healthcare often provide premium compensation for Software Architects due to the critical nature of software in their operations.
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Where can a Software Architect earn more?
Software architect salary estimates from across the web
Average software architect salary by state
The average software architect salary in California, Washington, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average software architect salary states are North Dakota, Kansas, and South Dakota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for software architects
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $119,790 | $57.59 |
| 2 | Oregon | $118,605 | $57.02 |
| 3 | California | $128,013 | $61.54 |
| 4 | Arizona | $116,074 | $55.80 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $115,528 | $55.54 |
| 6 | Utah | $106,266 | $51.09 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $104,924 | $50.44 |
| 8 | Idaho | $106,652 | $51.27 |
| 9 | Nevada | $111,287 | $53.50 |
| 10 | Vermont | $104,989 | $50.48 |
| 11 | Delaware | $105,949 | $50.94 |
| 12 | Alaska | $112,762 | $54.21 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $106,199 | $51.06 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $104,161 | $50.08 |
| 15 | Texas | $102,211 | $49.14 |
| 16 | New York | $106,477 | $51.19 |
| 17 | Colorado | $102,225 | $49.15 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $105,451 | $50.70 |
| 19 | New Mexico | $105,671 | $50.80 |
| 20 | Virginia | $101,421 | $48.76 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $95,010 | $45.68 |
| 22 | Maryland | $104,096 | $50.05 |
| 23 | Illinois | $98,904 | $47.55 |
| 24 | Connecticut | $100,091 | $48.12 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $97,045 | $46.66 |
| 26 | New Jersey | $101,270 | $48.69 |
| 27 | Ohio | $95,394 | $45.86 |
| 28 | Michigan | $94,960 | $45.65 |
| 29 | Nebraska | $97,197 | $46.73 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $95,670 | $46.00 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $94,610 | $45.49 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | $97,546 | $46.90 |
| 33 | Indiana | $91,295 | $43.89 |
| 34 | Georgia | $90,389 | $43.46 |
| 35 | Alabama | $90,319 | $43.42 |
| 36 | Maine | $90,776 | $43.64 |
| 37 | Montana | $87,553 | $42.09 |
| 38 | Missouri | $90,420 | $43.47 |
| 39 | Arkansas | $84,337 | $40.55 |
| 40 | North Dakota | $84,016 | $40.39 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $86,875 | $41.77 |
| 42 | West Virginia | $84,422 | $40.59 |
| 43 | Iowa | $85,974 | $41.33 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $84,622 | $40.68 |
| 45 | Florida | $84,472 | $40.61 |
| 46 | Kansas | $83,633 | $40.21 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $82,968 | $39.89 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $82,287 | $39.56 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $84,883 | $40.81 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $82,731 | $39.77 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $80,593 | $38.75 |
Highest paying cities for software architects
The highest-paying cities for software architects are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Phoenix, AZ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $138,001 | $66.35 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $120,474 | $57.92 |
| 3 | Phoenix, AZ | $116,350 | $55.94 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $115,633 | $55.59 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $106,640 | $51.27 |
| 6 | Washington, DC | $105,543 | $50.74 |
| 7 | Philadelphia, PA | $104,884 | $50.42 |
| 8 | Austin, TX | $102,540 | $49.30 |
| 9 | Denver, CO | $102,077 | $49.08 |
| 10 | Jersey City, NJ | $101,498 | $48.80 |
| 11 | Richmond, VA | $101,134 | $48.62 |
| 12 | Chicago, IL | $99,066 | $47.63 |
| 13 | Durham, NC | $97,954 | $47.09 |
| 14 | Washington, MI | $95,439 | $45.88 |
| 15 | Columbus, OH | $94,820 | $45.59 |
| 16 | Alpharetta, GA | $91,271 | $43.88 |
| 17 | Saint Louis, MO | $90,733 | $43.62 |
| 18 | Jacksonville, FL | $86,706 | $41.69 |
| 19 | Bentonville, AR | $84,460 | $40.61 |
| 20 | Franklin, TN | $82,464 | $39.65 |
Software architect salary details
A software architect's salary ranges from $82,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $158,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a software architect's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $158,000 | $13,167 | $76 |
| 75th Percentile | $136,000 | $11,333 | $65 |
| Average | $114,406 | $9,534 | $55 |
| 25th Percentile | $96,000 | $8,000 | $46 |
| 10th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
Highest paying software architect jobs
The highest paying types of software architects are software engineering manager, principal software engineer, and software engineer lead.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architect And Developer | $110,970 | $9,248 | $53.35 | 316,181 |
| Principal Software Engineer | $134,230 | $11,186 | $64.53 | 345,893 |
| Lead Software Developer | $115,072 | $9,589 | $55.32 | 309,029 |
| Software Engineer-Consultant | $113,987 | $9,499 | $54.80 | 317,033 |
| Software Engineering Manager | $140,929 | $11,744 | $67.75 | 262,296 |
| Software Engineer Lead | $125,565 | $10,464 | $60.37 | 342,462 |
Top companies hiring software architects now:
Which companies pay software architects the most?
Software architect salaries at Aspiration and PayPal are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average software architect salary at companies like Microsoft and Apple are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aspiration | $181,606 | $87.31 |
| 2 | PayPal | $176,375 | $84.80 |
| 3 | Microsoft | $173,432 | $83.38 |
| 4 | Apple | $173,113 | $83.23 |
| 5 | Credit Karma | $172,367 | $82.87 |
| 6 | Zoox | $170,121 | $81.79 |
| 7 | Sprinklr | $168,674 | $81.09 |
| 8 | NVIDIA | $167,617 | $80.59 |
| 9 | StumbleUpon | $167,585 | $80.57 |
| 10 | Pure Storage | $166,678 | $80.13 |
| 11 | The Walt Disney Company | $165,543 | $79.59 |
| 12 | Guild Education | $164,319 | $79.00 |
| 13 | Angie's List | $164,297 | $78.99 |
| 14 | Polyvore | $163,419 | $78.57 |
| 15 | Twilio | $161,497 | $77.64 |
| 16 | ServiceSource | $161,462 | $77.63 |
| 17 | Amazon | $160,597 | $77.21 |
| 18 | Okta | $160,428 | $77.13 |
| 19 | VMware | $160,309 | $77.07 |
| 20 | Brocade Services Corporation | $160,013 | $76.93 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Software Architect salary by industry
The average software architect salary varies across industries:
- The average software architect salary in the health care industry is $119,142, the highest of any industry.
- The average software architect salary in the finance industry is $118,957.
- Software architects in the finance industry earn an average salary of $102,126, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for software architects
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Care | $119,142 | $57.28 |
| 2 | Automotive | $118,957 | $57.19 |
| 3 | Real Estate | $118,478 | $56.96 |
| 4 | Technology | $106,767 | $51.33 |
| 5 | Finance | $102,126 | $49.10 |
High paying software architect jobs
Software architect salary trends
The average software architect salary has risen by $21,239 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average software architect earned $93,167 annually, but today, they earn $114,406 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for software architects over the last decade.
Compare software architect salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average software architect salary over time
Compare software architect salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Software architect salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $114,000 | $55.00 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $111,000 | $53.19 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $108,000 | $51.99 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $106,000 | $51.07 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $104,000 | $50.21 | +1.8% |
Recently added software architect salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeppesen | Software Architect | Everett, WA | 06/30/2025 | $167,450 |
| Jeppesen | F-15 International Software Architect-Vehicle Simulation | Hazelwood, MO | 06/30/2025 | $161,500 |
| Booz Allen Hamilton | Software Architect | Chantilly, VA | 06/28/2025 | $86,800 |
| Energage | Software Architect | Atlanta, GA | 06/28/2025 | $145,000 |
| Boeing | F-15 International Software Architect-Vehicle Simulation | Hazelwood, MO | 06/27/2025 | $161,500 |
| Datagrid Ai | Software Architect, Agent Evaluation & Core Framework | San Francisco, CA | 06/27/2025 | $200,000 |
| Dexian | Software Architect | Greenwood Village, CO | 06/27/2025 | $177,395 |
| Actalent | Software Architect | Houston, TX | 06/27/2025 | $180,000 |
| Honeywell | Principal Software Architect | Lincolnshire, IL | 06/26/2025 | $157,000 |
| Microsoft Corporation | Principal Software Architect | Redmond, WA | 06/26/2025 | $180,400 |
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