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Software specialist salary
Average software specialist salary
$84,009
Understanding Software Specialist Salaries
A Software Specialist plays a vital role in the tech industry, with an average salary of $84,009 per year. This figure can vary significantly based on experience, geographic location, and industry. For instance, software specialists in technology hubs like California or New York tend to earn more due to higher living costs and demand for skilled professionals.
Factors Influencing Salary
- Experience: Entry-level positions may start lower, while seasoned specialists can command salaries exceeding $100,000.
- Location: States like Washington and New York often offer the highest salaries.
- Industry: Fields such as finance and healthcare typically pay more due to the complexity and importance of software solutions.
For those considering a career as a software specialist, understanding these dynamics can help in making informed career choices. It’s essential to research specific companies and roles to find competitive opportunities that align with your skills and expectations.
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Where can a Software Specialist earn more?
Software specialist salary estimates from across the web
Average software specialist salary by state
The highest-paying states for software specialists are New York, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire. The lowest average software specialist salary states are Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wyoming.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for software specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | $83,921 | $40.35 |
| 2 | New York | $88,908 | $42.74 |
| 3 | North Carolina | $84,405 | $40.58 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $85,782 | $41.24 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $85,535 | $41.12 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $84,945 | $40.84 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $87,002 | $41.83 |
| 8 | Virginia | $81,571 | $39.22 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $82,466 | $39.65 |
| 10 | Maryland | $83,212 | $40.01 |
| 11 | Texas | $79,778 | $38.35 |
| 12 | Delaware | $78,538 | $37.76 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $79,572 | $38.26 |
| 14 | California | $75,206 | $36.16 |
| 15 | Hawaii | $83,900 | $40.34 |
| 16 | West Virginia | $79,240 | $38.10 |
| 17 | Tennessee | $79,512 | $38.23 |
| 18 | Michigan | $77,781 | $37.39 |
| 19 | Vermont | $72,932 | $35.06 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $73,452 | $35.31 |
| 21 | Georgia | $76,633 | $36.84 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $78,666 | $37.82 |
| 23 | Florida | $75,859 | $36.47 |
| 24 | Ohio | $75,985 | $36.53 |
| 25 | Arkansas | $71,684 | $34.46 |
| 26 | Oregon | $65,807 | $31.64 |
| 27 | Nevada | $70,250 | $33.77 |
| 28 | Alabama | $69,773 | $33.54 |
| 29 | Maine | $72,872 | $35.03 |
| 30 | Washington | $61,570 | $29.60 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | $70,556 | $33.92 |
| 32 | Illinois | $65,457 | $31.47 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $68,179 | $32.78 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $69,974 | $33.64 |
| 35 | Colorado | $58,633 | $28.19 |
| 36 | Utah | $53,315 | $25.63 |
| 37 | Minnesota | $59,068 | $28.40 |
| 38 | Indiana | $63,550 | $30.55 |
| 39 | Mississippi | $66,320 | $31.88 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $61,737 | $29.68 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $46,236 | $22.23 |
| 42 | Kansas | $53,713 | $25.82 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $60,930 | $29.29 |
| 44 | Idaho | $43,913 | $21.11 |
| 45 | Iowa | $52,232 | $25.11 |
| 46 | Missouri | $57,551 | $27.67 |
| 47 | Alaska | $51,090 | $24.56 |
| 48 | Montana | $38,466 | $18.49 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $47,683 | $22.92 |
| 50 | North Dakota | $46,253 | $22.24 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $42,587 | $20.47 |
Highest paying cities for software specialists
The highest-paying cities for software specialists are New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA, and Raleigh, NC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | $89,232 | $42.90 |
| 2 | Philadelphia, PA | $87,671 | $42.15 |
| 3 | Raleigh, NC | $85,814 | $41.26 |
| 4 | Glastonbury, CT | $85,382 | $41.05 |
| 5 | Jersey City, NJ | $85,004 | $40.87 |
| 6 | Phoenix, AZ | $83,656 | $40.22 |
| 7 | Baltimore, MD | $83,468 | $40.13 |
| 8 | Cambridge, MA | $82,341 | $39.59 |
| 9 | Richmond, VA | $81,294 | $39.08 |
| 10 | Pearland, TX | $81,168 | $39.02 |
| 11 | San Jose, CA | $78,858 | $37.91 |
| 12 | Detroit, MI | $78,707 | $37.84 |
| 13 | Saint Petersburg, FL | $77,082 | $37.06 |
| 14 | Atlanta, GA | $76,019 | $36.55 |
| 15 | Columbus, OH | $75,440 | $36.27 |
| 16 | Birmingham, AL | $68,513 | $32.94 |
| 17 | Chicago, IL | $66,251 | $31.85 |
| 18 | Columbus, IN | $63,594 | $30.57 |
| 19 | Saint Louis, MO | $60,086 | $28.89 |
| 20 | Maple Grove, MN | $58,746 | $28.24 |
Software specialist salary details
A software specialist's salary ranges from $60,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $115,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a software specialist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $115,000 | $9,583 | $55 |
| 75th Percentile | $99,000 | $8,250 | $48 |
| Average | $84,009 | $7,001 | $40 |
| 25th Percentile | $70,000 | $5,833 | $34 |
| 10th Percentile | $60,000 | $5,000 | $29 |
Highest paying software specialist jobs
The highest paying types of software specialists are staff software engineer, principal software engineer, and software architect.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Principal Software Engineer | $134,230 | $11,186 | $64.53 | 345,893 |
| Staff Software Engineer | $136,653 | $11,388 | $65.70 | 371,213 |
| Software Systems Engineer | $107,102 | $8,925 | $51.49 | 370,518 |
| Software Engineer | $100,260 | $8,355 | $48.20 | 339,938 |
| Software Consultant | $88,605 | $7,384 | $42.60 | 275,746 |
| Software Developer | $87,521 | $7,293 | $42.08 | 294,329 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for software specialists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Matthew McConn
Associate Professor of English Education, Department Chair, Binghamton University, SUNY
Top companies hiring software specialists now:
Which companies pay software specialists the most?
Software specialist salaries at American Express and Nokia are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average software specialist salary at companies like Nabors Industries and Ford Motor are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Express | $104,650 | $50.31 |
| 2 | Nokia | $104,047 | $50.02 |
| 3 | Nabors Industries | $100,144 | $48.15 |
| 4 | Ford Motor | $99,868 | $48.01 |
| 5 | Amdocs | $99,654 | $47.91 |
| 6 | Maxisit Inc. | $97,658 | $46.95 |
| 7 | Formosa Plastics | $95,316 | $45.83 |
| 8 | INDUS Technology | $95,219 | $45.78 |
| 9 | North Country Business Products | $92,469 | $44.46 |
| 10 | Connors Group | $92,376 | $44.41 |
| 11 | Continental | $91,570 | $44.02 |
| 12 | Dassault Systèmes | $91,082 | $43.79 |
| 13 | Endress and Hauser | $89,878 | $43.21 |
| 14 | Molloy College | $87,213 | $41.93 |
| 15 | Eaton | $86,982 | $41.82 |
| 16 | Motorola Solutions | $86,300 | $41.49 |
| 17 | Deloitte | $85,263 | $40.99 |
| 18 | ABB | $84,429 | $40.59 |
| 19 | Aricent | $84,275 | $40.52 |
| 20 | Symbio | $83,995 | $40.38 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Software Specialist salary by industry
The average software specialist salary varies across industries:
- The average software specialist salary in the telecommunication industry is $93,737, the highest of any industry.
- The average software specialist salary in the finance industry is $92,875.
- Software specialists in the health care industry earn an average salary of $78,480, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for software specialists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Telecommunication | $93,737 | $45.07 |
| 2 | Finance | $92,875 | $44.65 |
| 3 | Professional | $88,686 | $42.64 |
| 4 | Technology | $83,664 | $40.22 |
| 5 | Health Care | $78,480 | $37.73 |
High paying software specialist jobs
Software specialist salary trends
The average software specialist salary has risen by $15,596 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average software specialist earned $68,413 annually, but today, they earn $84,009 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for software specialists over the last decade.
Compare software specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average software specialist salary over time
Compare software specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Software specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $84,000 | $40.39 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $81,200 | $39.06 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $79,400 | $38.17 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $78,000 | $37.50 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $76,700 | $36.87 | +1.8% |
Recently added software specialist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksongov | SW III-Concession Specialist Ballfields | Lees Summit, MO | 06/20/2025 | $31,305 |
| Eocene Environmental Group | Wetland Delineation Specialist | SW | Mesa, AZ | 06/16/2025 | $62,610 |
| Rolls Royce | Controls Software Specialist-Simulation | West Lafayette, IN | 06/03/2025 | $110,476 |
| Govcio | Software Assurance Cybersecurity Specialist (Zero Trust/Ai) | Washington, DC | 05/28/2025 | $108,310 |
| Shell Energy Resources | Track Software Specialist | Monaca, PA | 05/25/2025 | $84,000 |
| Shell | Track Software Specialist | Monaca, PA | 05/25/2025 | $84,000 |
| Transition Projects | Landlord-Tenant Data and Software Specialist I | Portland, OR | 05/23/2025 | $60,523 |
| Emerson | Area Specialist, Controls & Software | Santa Fe, NM | 05/08/2025 | $125,000 |
| Emerson | Area Specialist, Controls & Software | Topeka, KS | 05/08/2025 | $125,000 |
| Emerson | Area Specialist, Controls & Software | Raleigh, NC | 05/08/2025 | $125,000 |
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