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The average salary for a Software Engineer-Consultant is approximately $113,987 per year. This position typically offers competitive pay, influenced by geographical location, years of experience, and the specific industry sector. For instance, software engineers working in finance or technology often command higher salaries due to the demand for specialized skills.
In states like California and New York, salaries can exceed the national average, reflecting the high cost of living and a concentration of tech companies. Major cities such as San Francisco and New York City consistently rank among the highest paying locations for software engineers, often exceeding $130,000 annually.
The field is anticipated to grow, creating more opportunities for software engineers. With advancements in technology, engineers are increasingly needed in various sectors, including healthcare, finance, and education. As remote work becomes more prevalent, opportunities are expanding beyond traditional tech hubs, offering competitive salaries across the country.
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The average software engineer-consultant salary in California, Washington, and New Hampshire are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average software engineer-consultant salary states are Oklahoma, Iowa, and South Dakota.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $140,161 | $67.39 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $119,845 | $57.62 |
| 3 | Oregon | $116,630 | $56.07 |
| 4 | Nevada | $115,403 | $55.48 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $109,892 | $52.83 |
| 6 | Virginia | $110,421 | $53.09 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $111,052 | $53.39 |
| 8 | North Carolina | $108,479 | $52.15 |
| 9 | Arizona | $116,854 | $56.18 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $108,977 | $52.39 |
| 11 | Washington | $120,769 | $58.06 |
| 12 | Montana | $105,172 | $50.56 |
| 13 | Texas | $106,297 | $51.10 |
| 14 | Michigan | $106,294 | $51.10 |
| 15 | Delaware | $103,221 | $49.63 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $103,376 | $49.70 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $111,476 | $53.59 |
| 18 | Maine | $101,749 | $48.92 |
| 19 | New York | $108,004 | $51.92 |
| 20 | Maryland | $104,841 | $50.40 |
| 21 | Georgia | $102,896 | $49.47 |
| 22 | District of Columbia | $103,190 | $49.61 |
| 23 | Ohio | $102,481 | $49.27 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $99,842 | $48.00 |
| 25 | Idaho | $103,090 | $49.56 |
| 26 | Vermont | $97,352 | $46.80 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $99,097 | $47.64 |
| 28 | Utah | $100,432 | $48.28 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $95,169 | $45.75 |
| 30 | Alaska | $101,584 | $48.84 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $91,990 | $44.23 |
| 32 | Missouri | $95,994 | $46.15 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $95,284 | $45.81 |
| 34 | Arkansas | $90,114 | $43.32 |
| 35 | Mississippi | $91,109 | $43.80 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $89,679 | $43.11 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $89,176 | $42.87 |
| 38 | Illinois | $91,790 | $44.13 |
| 39 | Minnesota | $91,267 | $43.88 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $93,227 | $44.82 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $90,383 | $43.45 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $91,044 | $43.77 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $89,772 | $43.16 |
| 44 | Alabama | $88,193 | $42.40 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $89,557 | $43.06 |
| 46 | Iowa | $89,468 | $43.01 |
| 47 | Florida | $91,730 | $44.10 |
| 48 | Indiana | $89,028 | $42.80 |
| 49 | Colorado | $90,499 | $43.51 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $90,806 | $43.66 |
| 51 | Kansas | $86,747 | $41.71 |
The highest-paying cities for software engineers-consultant are Foster City, CA, Seattle, WA, and Phoenix, AZ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foster City, CA | $148,157 | $71.23 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $121,579 | $58.45 |
| 3 | Phoenix, AZ | $117,247 | $56.37 |
| 4 | McLean, VA | $111,886 | $53.79 |
| 5 | Hartford, CT | $111,531 | $53.62 |
| 6 | Jersey City, NJ | $111,263 | $53.49 |
| 7 | Raleigh, NC | $109,628 | $52.71 |
| 8 | Boston, MA | $109,042 | $52.42 |
| 9 | New York, NY | $108,218 | $52.03 |
| 10 | Round Rock, TX | $107,125 | $51.50 |
| 11 | Detroit, MI | $106,603 | $51.25 |
| 12 | Alpharetta, GA | $102,957 | $49.50 |
| 13 | Dublin, OH | $102,003 | $49.04 |
| 14 | Philadelphia, PA | $99,675 | $47.92 |
| 15 | Saint Louis, MO | $96,745 | $46.51 |
| 16 | Jacksonville, FL | $93,777 | $45.09 |
| 17 | Chicago, IL | $92,045 | $44.25 |
| 18 | Colorado Springs, CO | $90,725 | $43.62 |
A software engineer-consultant's salary ranges from $85,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $152,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $152,000 | $12,667 | $73 |
| 75th Percentile | $132,000 | $11,000 | $63 |
| Average | $113,987 | $9,499 | $55 |
| 25th Percentile | $97,000 | $8,083 | $47 |
| 10th Percentile | $85,000 | $7,083 | $41 |
The highest paying types of software engineers-consultant are staff software engineer, principal software engineer, and software engineer lead.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developer | $87,521 | $7,293 | $42.08 | 294,329 |
| Data Engineer | $109,675 | $9,140 | $52.73 | 303,105 |
| Developer/Consultant | $98,508 | $8,209 | $47.36 | 257,985 |
| Software Analyst | $78,400 | $6,533 | $37.69 | 274,053 |
| Software Development Engineer | $109,147 | $9,096 | $52.47 | 356,971 |
| Principal Software Engineer | $134,230 | $11,186 | $64.53 | 345,893 |
Top companies hiring software engineers-consultant now:
Software engineer-consultant salaries at Advent Software and Cisco are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average software engineer-consultant salary at companies like Lowe's Companies and Cybersource are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Advent Software | $131,452 | $63.20 |
| 2 | Cisco | $130,371 | $62.68 |
| 3 | Lowe's Companies | $129,366 | $62.20 |
| 4 | Cybersource | $128,116 | $61.59 |
| 5 | Dell | $127,638 | $61.36 |
| 6 | Blue Shield of California | $126,135 | $60.64 |
| 7 | myMatrixx | $119,540 | $57.47 |
| 8 | Hitachi Vantara | $119,403 | $57.41 |
| 9 | SS&C Technologies | $119,242 | $57.33 |
| 10 | Verizon Data Services Inc | $118,555 | $57.00 |
| 11 | JDA Software Inc | $118,553 | $57.00 |
| 12 | Ericsson | $117,870 | $56.67 |
| 13 | EMC | $117,181 | $56.34 |
| 14 | TSYS | $116,870 | $56.19 |
| 15 | Oracle | $116,390 | $55.96 |
| 16 | Neudesic | $115,934 | $55.74 |
| 17 | Unitedheath Group | $115,316 | $55.44 |
| 18 | SITA | $115,113 | $55.34 |
| 19 | Cynosure | $114,788 | $55.19 |
| 20 | Omnicell | $114,777 | $55.18 |
The average software engineer-consultant salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Insurance | $118,185 | $56.82 |
| 2 | Technology | $117,362 | $56.42 |
| 3 | Finance | $115,328 | $55.45 |
| 4 | Media | $111,496 | $53.60 |
| 5 | Retail | $110,220 | $52.99 |
| 6 | Manufacturing | $110,027 | $52.90 |
| 7 | Professional | $106,961 | $51.42 |
The average software engineer-consultant salary has risen by $21,161 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average software engineer-consultant earned $92,826 annually, but today, they earn $113,987 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for software engineers-consultant over the last decade.
Compare software engineer-consultant salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare software engineer-consultant salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $114,000 | $54.80 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $110,000 | $53.00 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $108,000 | $51.80 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $106,000 | $50.88 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $104,000 | $50.03 | +1.8% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perspecta | Cloud Software Engineering, Advisor | Laurel, MD | 06/29/2025 | $146,000 |
| Visa | Software Engineer-SR. Consultant Level (Java/Full Stack) (Hybrid/Onsite) | Atlanta, GA | 06/28/2025 | $135,200 |
| Allstate | Software Engineer Consultant II | Pine, AZ | 06/27/2025 | $66,800 |
| Pyramid Consulting, Inc. | Software Engineering Advisor | Morris Plains, NJ | 06/27/2025 | $135,655 |
| Cigna | Software Engineering Advisors-Hybrid | Denver, CO | 06/19/2025 | $161,886 |
| Visa | Software Engineer-SR. Consultant Level | Austin, TX | 06/07/2025 | $155,709 |
| Perspecta | Cloud Software Engineering, Advisor | Laurel, MD | 05/28/2025 | $146,000 |
| Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company | Consultant, Software Engineer (Guidewire Insurance NOW) | Scottsdale, AZ | 05/27/2025 | $115,000 |
| First Citizens Bank | Software Engineer Consultant-Pega CDH (Remote) | Raleigh, NC | 05/21/2025 | $129,130 |
| Visa | Software Engineer-SR. Consultant Level | Austin, TX | 05/12/2025 | $155,709 |
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