30 Honest Software Engineer Salaries

The humble-sounding title 'software engineer' covers everyone from fresh-out-of-boot-camp coders to the wizards who keep FAANG’s hyperscale infrastructure humming. Knowing what those jobs pay—and why—is key whether you’re angling for your first dev gig or considering a jump to staff engineer.

Understanding what you can earn matters because salaries can swing by six figures depending on zip code, language stack, and whose logo is on your work badge. Solid intel = stronger negotiations.

Keep in mind, there are a few key things that impact salary including location, experience, programming languages/tech stack, company size (startup vs. Big Tech) and the always-fun equity/bonus cocktail. Here's what you need to know. 

What is a Software Engineer?

A software engineer is a professional who designs, builds, tests, and maintains the software systems that power our digital world. In practice, that means turning complex problems—like “stream a billion videos without buffering” or “keep a warehouse robot from crashing into walls”—into logical instructions a computer can understand. 

Software engineers plan system architecture, write clean code, debug issues, and review teammates’ pull requests. Their week is a ping-pong match between whiteboard sessions with product managers, stand-ups with DevOps, and the occasional late-night prod fix when things go sideways.

While “software engineer” is the umbrella term, job ads slice it into specialties. Backend engineers own databases and APIs, frontend developers craft interfaces, and full-stack engineers straddle both. More niche roles—platform, mobile, embedded, systems—drill down even further. Whatever the flavor, employers prize engineers who collaborate well, weigh trade-offs, and ship features that don’t crumble under real-world traffic.

Core skills every hiring manager looks for:

• Languages: Java, Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, C#, Go, Rust

• Frameworks & Libraries: React, Angular, Node.js, Spring, Django

• Tools & Practices: Git, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, agile or scrum workflows

• Databases & APIs: SQL/NoSQL stores, REST or GraphQL design

We'll explore the languages and tools you'll need to know in more detail below, but these skills are crucial. 

30 Honest Salaries for Software Engineers

Before you start scoping Zillow listings in San Francisco—or convincing yourself Kansas City will let you live a life of luxury—let’s ground the conversation in numbers. We pulled fresh base-salary data (captured April 2025) for 30 U.S. markets plus a “Remote (USA)” bucket. 

Software-engineer pay is a moving target—warped by cost of living, local talent supply, industry mix, and whether the job comes with startup equity or FAANG-size RSUs. A Seattle senior backend engineer and a Nashville junior front-end dev both carry the same title on LinkedIn, but their direct deposits tell very different stories. 

Because experience and industry also matter, we broke each city down into three ranges:  low-end pay at roughly 80 percent of that average (think 10th–25th percentile offers) and high-end at about 120 percent (75th–90th percentile offers).

Nationally, here's what you can expect to make as a software engineer, according to ZipRecruiter as of April 2025: 

• Average: $147,524

• High Average: $179,000

• Low Average: $120,000

The chart below lays everything side by side so you can benchmark your current paycheck—or size up your next move—with real context, not guesswork. 

Location Matters 

If you line up the averages, one trend screams louder than all the rest: classic tech hubs still pay the most. San Francisco tops the list at roughly $174,000 average base, and Seattle, D.C., and New York trail only a few thousand behind.​ But the gap has narrowed. A fully remote role now averages $148,000, beating on-site offers in many mid-sized metros and proving that geography is no longer the ironclad pay gate it once was.

Cost of Living Can Be a Catch

A six-figure salary in Kansas City stretches further than $174,000 in the Bay, where rent can take up half that paycheck. To compare offers honestly, adjust for local expenses, or look at total compensation (TC) instead of headline base pay.

Experience and Skills Can Close Location-Based Salary Gaps

Experience and specialization amplify (or erode) those city premiums. Senior engineers with cloud-infra or AI chops routinely break the $200 K barrier—even in markets where the average hovers closer to $140 K. Meanwhile, entry-level devs in high-cost hubs often earn less real-world buying power than mid-level engineers in Austin or Denver.

Startup vs Big Tech May Matter More Than You Think

Company type matters just as much as zip code. Startups tilt compensation toward equity, so cash can come in below market during the “ramen-noodle” phase—but a successful exit closes that gap fast. Big Tech, fintech, and enterprise SaaS lean heavier on salary plus refreshingly regular RSU grants, making their offers look richer on day one and over the four-year vest.

In short, base pay is a moving target shaped by location, cost of living, experience, tech stack, and the employer’s appetite for equity or RSUs. Use the table to benchmark where you stand today—but always zoom out to total comp, taxes, and rent before deciding where that next job offer should land.

Salary Considerations for Software Engineers

A software engineer paycheck is basically a math equation with five variables, and the weight of each one can change from company to company. 

Experience is the obvious lever: interns and junior devs might start around $75,000, but every couple of promotion cycles can stack another $20–30,000 onto base pay, and a jump to senior or staff often flips the six-figure switch to $150,000 to $200,000.

Tech stack runs a close second. Mastering evergreen languages like Java or Python keeps you employable, but niche-hot skills—think Go for cloud microservices or Rust for systems work—push you to the top of smaller candidate pools and command a premium.

Company profile shapes the cash-equity split. A seed-stage startup may cap salary at very low levels while dangling sizable option grants, whereas Big Tech offers fat bases plus quarterly RSU refreshers that can double total comp. 

Specialization matters, too. Backend and infrastructure engineers usually earn more than pure frontend developers, and adding cloud, security, or ML expertise can add another five-figure bump. 

Finally, don’t underestimate the power of an active GitHub repo or open-source contributions—hiring managers love visible proof you can ship, and that credibility often translates into stronger offers.

Here’s a quick reminder of the main levers:

• Experience level: Promotions = predictable pay jumps.

• Stack demand: Hot languages/frameworks fetch higher bids.

• Company size & funding: Startups trade cash for equity; enterprises do the opposite.

• Role focus: Backend, infra, AI/ML, and security tend to out-earn UI work.

• Portfolio & OSS: Visible projects shorten interviews and sweeten comp.

Balance those factors against cost of living and total compensation (base + bonus + equity) to determine whether an offer is truly as attractive as it looks.

How Experience Impacts Salary

Experience is still the single most reliable predictor of pay. Each promotion usually bumps base salary into a new bracket and opens the door to bigger bonuses or RSU packages. Here’s how the market tends to break down.

Entry Level (0–2 Years)

Expect offers in the $70,000–$100,000 range, depending on location and stack. Most engineers at this stage ship code under close mentorship, tackle well-scoped tickets, and learn the rhythms of Agile sprints. A bootcamp credential or BS-CS can get you in the door, but the fastest raises come from proving you can own small features end to end—and documenting every lesson learned along the way.

Mid Level (3–5 Years)

Salaries climb to roughly $100,000–$130,000 once you can design and deliver whole modules without hand-holding. Mid-level engineers debug more complex production issues, collaborate across teams, and start influencing architectural decisions. You’re also the go-to code-review gatekeeper for juniors. Mastery of a cloud provider or popular framework (React, Spring, Kubernetes) often nudges pay toward the top of this band.

Senior Level (6+ Years)

Cross the senior threshold and base pay typically jumps to $130,000–$180,000-plus, with total compensation soaring well beyond that at Big Tech or high-growth startups. Seniors lead projects, mentor teammates, and think in systems, not just files. You’ll shape roadmap discussions, sweat scalability, and occasionally play on-call firefighter. 

Specialized depth—whether in distributed systems, AI/ML, or security—can push your number toward the $200,000 neighborhood, especially in top-tier markets or remote roles competing for the same talent.

Must-Know Tools for Software Engineers

If you're looking to become a software engineer or up your game, there are several tools and languages you'll need to be fluent in. There are different types of software engineers —front end, back end, DevOps, security—so you might not need to know every single thing on this list. But it's a good starting point. 

Languages

Your language arsenal is the foundation of everything else you build. Most teams still center on enterprise stalwarts such as Java and C# for scale, while Python dominates data science and automation. 

JavaScript (and its more mature cousin TypeScript) rules anything browser-based. Newer contenders like Go and Rust fetch premium offers in cloud-native and systems work because they solve performance and concurrency headaches without the boilerplate. Master one deeply and get comfortable reading several others—the ability to hop between languages is a strong salary lever.

Frameworks

Frameworks turn raw language proficiency into production velocity. On the client side, React remains the default for interactive UIs, with Angular and Vue close behind. 

For server logic, Node.js lets you stay in JavaScript land, while Spring (Java) and Django (Python) take care of routing, security, and database plumbing so you can focus on features. Recruiters often scan resumes for framework keywords first, since they hint at how quickly you can contribute to an existing codebase.

Tools

Great code means little without the tooling to ship it safely. Here are a bunch of tools you want at least passing familiarity with. To really excel, get super comfortable with them. 

• Git underpins version control everywhere; fluency in branching strategies and pull-request hygiene is table stakes. 

• Docker packages your app with its dependencies, while Kubernetes orchestrates thousands of those containers in production. 

• Continuous-integration platforms such as Jenkins or GitHub Actions automate tests and deployments 

• IDE platforms like Visual Studio Code, JetBrains’ suite, or similar boost day-to-day efficiency. 

Engineers who can wire these tools together (and troubleshoot when the pipeline breaks at 2 a.m.) quickly become indispensable.

Cloud

Modern software almost always lands on someone’s cloud, so understanding at least one major provider is non-negotiable. Amazon Web Services leads in market share, Microsoft Azure owns the enterprise lane, and Google Cloud Platform punches above its weight in data and AI services. 

Beyond spinning up a virtual machine, hiring managers want to see comfort with managed services (think AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, or GCP Cloud Run), basic cost optimization, and infrastructure-as-code concepts. Cloud fluency not only widens the job pool—it also tacks a noticeable premium onto base salary.

Must-Have Certifications for Software Engineers

Credentials won’t write code for you, but they can shoot your resume to the top of the stack, satisfy HR’s “preferred” box, and increase your total compensation. Focus on certs that marry to the stack you ship in production. Here are a few to consider: 

AWS Certified Developer – Associate

Shows you can build, secure, and troubleshoot event-driven apps with Lambda, DynamoDB, and CI/CD on AWS. Translation: you’ll need zero hand-holding in the company VPC— worth a few extra dollars in any offer.

Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate

The enterprise favorite. Proves you can deploy, monitor, and optimize Azure Functions, Cosmos DB, and pipelines without tripping over RBAC. Pair with C# or TypeScript and you’re golden in any .NET shop.

Google Professional Cloud Developer

Google Cloud is the darling of data-heavy startups and ML-first products. The Google Professional Cloud Dev cert proves you can stitch together Cloud Run, Pub/Sub, BigQuery, and IAM into resilient, observable services.  

Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)

Confirms you can craft manifests, tame Helm-free deployments, and rescue a CrashLoopBackOff before pager duty escalates. A fast track to higher pay at any microservices-first company.

Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer (PCEP)

A lightweight, vendor-neutral stamp that says “I know Python basics and testing workflows.” Ideal for boot-camp grads or career changers who need a quick credibility boost for junior roles.

How to Increase Your Salary as a Software Engineer

There’s no single “cheat code” to bump your paycheck, but these moves consistently pay off—whether you’re shooting for a bigger raise at your current company or negotiating a jump elsewhere.

1. Specialize in Hot Skill Areas: Cloud-native architecture, DevOps/SRE, AI/ML, security, and embedded/edge computing all command higher ranges. Becoming “the Rust-on-Kubernetes person” or “the engineer who actually understands IAM” narrows the talent pool and raises your market rate.

2. Stack Credible Certs and Keep Them Current: Mid-tier credentials like AWS Developer, Azure Developer, or CKAD demonstrate production chops. Add one every year or two, highlight it on LinkedIn, and mention the real projects where you applied it—hiring managers pay for proof, not just paper.

3. Show Your Work in Public: Regular GitHub commits, an active open-source contribution, or even a well-documented side project doubles as a living portfolio. Recruiters love clicking a repo instead of quizzing you on bubble sort; it can shave an interview round and push your offer higher.

4. Learn an Employer’s Pain-Point Tooling: Every company has domains nobody wants to touch—Terraform modules, observability dashboards, CI/CD pipelines that randomly fail at 2 a.m. Volunteer, master them, and you become the person they can’t lose—often rewarded with a retention raise or promotion.

5. Push for Senior, Staff, or Tech-Lead Tracks: Leadership titles unlock bigger pay bands. Even if management isn’t your endgame, mentoring juniors, driving architecture decisions, and owning projects visibly signal “senior scope,” which companies recognize with salary bumps and richer stock grants.

6. Mind the Market and Negotiate Everything: Know typical ranges for your city (see the chart), track total compensation—including equity refreshers—and negotiate at every new offer or annual review. A five-percent bump accepted quietly today compounds into tens of thousands over a decade.

Combine two or more of these strategies and you’ll turn incremental raises into meaningful leaps—without waiting for cost-of-living adjustments to do the heavy lifting.

Conclusion

Remember that a software engineer salary is more elastic than it looks on paper. Location and cost of living set an initial floor, but experience, stack expertise, and company type can swing compensation by tens of thousands of dollars—especially once bonuses and equity enter the picture. 

Use the city-by-city data we provided here as a benchmark, then sharpen in-demand skills, earn role-aligned certifications, and showcase real projects to push your number toward the top of the band. Keep learning, keep negotiating, and treat total compensation—not just base pay—as your north star. When you’re ready to level up, CBT Nuggets has the cloud, DevOps, and programming courses to turn those salary levers firmly in your favor.

Sign up and start training free for 7 days.