Salary Guides/Software Engineer

Software Engineer Salary Guide

Real salary ranges for Software Engineers in the US market — what you should expect, and what you can negotiate.

Salary Ranges

25TH PERCENTILE

$120,000

Entry-level or lower cost-of-living markets

50TH PERCENTILE

$165,000

Median — most roles fall here

75TH PERCENTILE

$220,000

Experienced, larger market or company

90TH PERCENTILE

$320,000

Top earners, premium markets

Software Engineer compensation has bifurcated dramatically between FAANG companies (median $280k+ total comp with equity) and early-stage startups ($120-160k base), with mid-market tech firms bridging the gap at $180-220k. Equity grants at public tech companies and well-funded startups now represent 30-50% of total compensation, making base salary alone an incomplete picture.

Top-Paying Cities

San Francisco, CA$280,000

New York, NY$240,000

Seattle, WA$235,000

San Jose, CA$270,000

Boston, MA$210,000

Top-Paying Industries

FAANG Technology$320,000

Fintech$280,000

High-Growth SaaS$240,000

Finance/Banking$230,000

Healthcare Tech$195,000

Negotiation Tip for Software Engineers

Request a detailed equity breakdown (vesting schedule, refresh grants, strike price) rather than negotiating base salary alone—for mid-to-senior engineers, negotiate total compensation including RSU value, and emphasize your tech stack expertise (cloud infrastructure, ML, distributed systems) as a multiplier for equity packages.

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