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Software director salary
Average software director salary
$150,380
Understanding Software Director Salaries
The role of a Software Director is critical in leading software teams and projects, and the compensation reflects the responsibilities involved. As of October 2025, the average salary is $150,380 annually, translating to about $72 per hour. This figure can differ based on geographic location, industry, and years of experience.
Factors Influencing Salary
In states like California and New York, salaries tend to be higher due to the tech industry’s concentration and cost of living. For example, the tech hubs of San Francisco and Seattle often offer salaries exceeding the national average.
Industries Offering Competitive Salaries
Industries such as finance, healthcare, and technology typically provide the highest salaries for Software Directors. These sectors value the strategic leadership and technical acumen that experienced directors bring to their organizations.
Opportunities for Growth
Software Directors with a strong track record can also explore opportunities for higher compensation by transitioning into executive roles or consulting positions. Continuous professional development and staying abreast of industry trends can further enhance earning potential.
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Where can a Software Director earn more?
Software director salary estimates from across the web
Average software director salary by state
The highest-paying states for software directors are California, Alaska, and Nevada. The lowest average software director salary states are South Dakota, Alabama, and Kansas.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for software directors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $177,860 | $85.51 |
| 2 | Washington | $144,784 | $69.61 |
| 3 | Vermont | $140,467 | $67.53 |
| 4 | Oregon | $138,550 | $66.61 |
| 5 | Nevada | $154,982 | $74.51 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $149,506 | $71.88 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $140,292 | $67.45 |
| 8 | Alaska | $160,733 | $77.28 |
| 9 | Idaho | $138,126 | $66.41 |
| 10 | Utah | $125,911 | $60.53 |
| 11 | Virginia | $130,829 | $62.90 |
| 12 | Arizona | $132,459 | $63.68 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $137,335 | $66.03 |
| 14 | New York | $135,290 | $65.04 |
| 15 | Delaware | $126,392 | $60.77 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $123,951 | $59.59 |
| 17 | Texas | $127,867 | $61.47 |
| 18 | Maryland | $128,950 | $62.00 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $126,133 | $60.64 |
| 20 | Maine | $129,834 | $62.42 |
| 21 | District of Columbia | $126,094 | $60.62 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $126,592 | $60.86 |
| 23 | Indiana | $121,861 | $58.59 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $114,690 | $55.14 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $118,810 | $57.12 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $119,046 | $57.23 |
| 27 | Ohio | $117,403 | $56.44 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $104,831 | $50.40 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $113,771 | $54.70 |
| 30 | Louisiana | $108,075 | $51.96 |
| 31 | Montana | $110,200 | $52.98 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $113,501 | $54.57 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $108,905 | $52.36 |
| 34 | Michigan | $115,346 | $55.45 |
| 35 | Colorado | $108,950 | $52.38 |
| 36 | Minnesota | $111,701 | $53.70 |
| 37 | Illinois | $111,845 | $53.77 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $104,794 | $50.38 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $103,356 | $49.69 |
| 40 | Georgia | $109,143 | $52.47 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $98,525 | $47.37 |
| 42 | Alabama | $98,480 | $47.35 |
| 43 | Iowa | $107,166 | $51.52 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $104,409 | $50.20 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $97,396 | $46.83 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $104,265 | $50.13 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $101,688 | $48.89 |
| 48 | Kansas | $98,471 | $47.34 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $94,891 | $45.62 |
| 50 | Missouri | $98,657 | $47.43 |
| 51 | Florida | $94,846 | $45.60 |
Highest paying cities for software directors
The highest-paying cities for software directors are San Francisco, CA, Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $199,458 | $95.89 |
| 2 | Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ | $150,289 | $72.25 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $140,588 | $67.59 |
| 4 | Hillsboro, OR | $139,899 | $67.26 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $135,410 | $65.10 |
| 6 | Phoenix, AZ | $134,452 | $64.64 |
| 7 | Austin, TX | $130,109 | $62.55 |
| 8 | Germantown, MD | $128,697 | $61.87 |
| 9 | Washington, DC | $126,059 | $60.61 |
| 10 | Durham, NC | $121,365 | $58.35 |
| 11 | Philadelphia, PA | $119,591 | $57.50 |
| 12 | Detroit, MI | $115,916 | $55.73 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $112,572 | $54.12 |
| 14 | Minneapolis, MN | $111,700 | $53.70 |
| 15 | Cincinnati, OH | $111,527 | $53.62 |
| 16 | Marietta, GA | $109,074 | $52.44 |
| 17 | Denver, CO | $108,752 | $52.28 |
Software director salary details
A software director's salary ranges from $103,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $218,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a software director's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $218,000 | $18,167 | $105 |
| 75th Percentile | $182,000 | $15,167 | $88 |
| Average | $150,380 | $12,532 | $72 |
| 25th Percentile | $123,000 | $10,250 | $59 |
| 10th Percentile | $103,000 | $8,583 | $50 |
Highest paying software director jobs
The highest paying types of software directors are director of software development, software engineering manager, and staff software engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Development Manager | $134,747 | $11,229 | $64.78 | 265,464 |
| Director Of Software Development | $158,853 | $13,238 | $76.37 | 136,310 |
| Principal Software Engineer | $134,230 | $11,186 | $64.53 | 345,893 |
| Software Systems Engineer | $107,102 | $8,925 | $51.49 | 370,518 |
| Software Engineer-Consultant | $113,987 | $9,499 | $54.80 | 317,033 |
| Lead Software Developer | $115,072 | $9,589 | $55.32 | 309,029 |
Top companies hiring software directors now:
Which companies pay software directors the most?
Software director salaries at NVIDIA and Rivian are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average software director salary at companies like Electronic Arts and Micron Technology are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NVIDIA | $228,648 | $109.93 |
| 2 | Rivian | $198,589 | $95.48 |
| 3 | Electronic Arts | $188,979 | $90.86 |
| 4 | Micron Technology | $184,708 | $88.80 |
| 5 | Gracenote | $178,740 | $85.93 |
| 6 | Intel | $175,096 | $84.18 |
| 7 | Amazon | $174,105 | $83.70 |
| 8 | General Electric | $173,214 | $83.28 |
| 9 | Workday | $169,217 | $81.35 |
| 10 | Solectron Corp | $167,490 | $80.52 |
| 11 | IntegriChain | $164,772 | $79.22 |
| 12 | ARM | $163,043 | $78.39 |
| 13 | The Oregon Clinic | $162,694 | $78.22 |
| 14 | Millennium Trust | $161,133 | $77.47 |
| 15 | Recruit | $158,884 | $76.39 |
| 16 | Honeywell | $157,782 | $75.86 |
| 17 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $154,701 | $74.38 |
| 18 | SiTime | $152,216 | $73.18 |
| 19 | Robert Half | $151,093 | $72.64 |
| 20 | Cooper Lighting LLC | $146,772 | $70.56 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Software Director salary by industry
The average software director salary varies across industries:
- The average software director salary in the start-up industry is $160,403, the highest of any industry.
- The average software director salary in the finance industry is $157,925.
- Software directors in the health care industry earn an average salary of $127,339, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for software directors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start-up | $160,403 | $77.12 |
| 2 | Technology | $157,925 | $75.93 |
| 3 | Professional | $153,481 | $73.79 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $135,929 | $65.35 |
| 5 | Health Care | $127,339 | $61.22 |
High paying software director jobs
Software director salary trends
The average software director salary has risen by $27,917 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average software director earned $122,463 annually, but today, they earn $150,380 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for software directors over the last decade.
Compare software director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average software director salary over time
Compare software director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Software director salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $150,000 | $72.30 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $145,000 | $69.92 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $142,000 | $68.33 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $140,000 | $67.13 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $137,000 | $66.00 | +1.8% |
Recently added software director salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calm Water Business Partner, LLC | Global Software Sales Director | Boston, MA | 06/29/2025 | $110,000 |
| Kitware | Director of Software and Data Solutions | Clifton Park, NY | 06/09/2025 | $240,000 |
| Magic Leap | Director, Calibration Software | Sunnyvale, CA | 06/09/2025 | $171,000 |
| Supermicro | Director, Cloud and AI Software Solutions | San Jose, CA | 06/07/2025 | $200,000 |
| Kitware | Director of Software and Data Solutions | Clifton Park, NY | 05/26/2025 | $240,000 |
| DXC Technology | Insurance Software Sales Director-Property & Casualty | Austin, TX | 05/12/2025 | $132,500 |
| Magic Leap | Director, Calibration Software | Sunnyvale, CA | 05/03/2025 | $171,000 |
| Magic Leap | Director, Calibration Software | Sunnyvale, CA | 04/28/2025 | $171,000 |
| Super Micro Computer, Inc. | Director, Cloud and AI Software Solutions | San Jose, CA | 04/23/2025 | $200,000 |
| Ryan Specialty | Director, Software Delivery | Chicago, IL | 04/22/2025 | $136,000 |
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