Guide to Software Engineer Salary in US: Rates Comparison by State in 2022
The USA is the biggest IT hub and the largest tech-driven market in the world. In 2022, the software development market in the U.S. has 28% of the world’s market share and includes the IT and business services segment.
The US software development market’s revenue is to reach $292,231 million this year. And, with an annual growth rate of 7% (CAGR), it will obtain more than $409,965 million by 2026. If you compare the numbers globally, the USA generates the most revenue in the IT sector.
Besides generating the biggest share of revenue and giving out the biggest salaries, the US includes one of the best IT company giants within its borders. No wonder why the USA releases so many great software solutions highly praised worldwide.
Now let’s have a look at the average salaries by state and big cities:
Software Developer Salary by State
| State | Software Developer Salary |
| California | $125,000 |
| New York | $131,000 |
| Texas | $118,000 |
| Florida | $112,666 |
| New Jersey | $126,321 |
| Verginia | $100,802 |
| Maryland | $118,667 |
| Ohio | $95,000 |
| Michigan | $108,954 |
| Washington | $110,000 |
| Arizona | $105,419 |
| Colorado | $111,702 |
| Minnesota | $110,107 |
| Massachusetts | $121,500 |
| Pennsylvania | $114,000 |
| Utah | $100,000 |
| Indiana | $108,000 |
| Wisconsin | $106,000 |
| Alabama | $106,492 |
- California
One of the biggest IT hubs in the US and a location with a huge talent pool among developers. California leads the way with 628,000 software developers. If we look at the yearly income the average software engineer salary in California is $125,000 per year depending on level of skills and years of experience.
- New York
New York has 218,041 developers. And the most popular and highly demanded technical languages such as Python, Java, .NET, Ruby on Rails. As for salary – the average software engineer salary in New York is around $131,000 per year.
- Texas
Texas is the second state with the highest number of software developers among the US – 324,717 developers live and work there. Also Texas has one of the highest entry salaries – $83,000 per year. As for average software engineer salary in Texas it goes up to $118,000 per year.
- Florida
Florida is also known as a tech-driven hub and a perfect place for Software Engineers to work. The State counts more than 181,314 developers . The average software engineer salary in Florida is about $112,666 per year. The average hourly rate – $52.
- New Jersey
New Jersey counts around 162,997 developers. The average software engineer salary in New Jersey is $126,321 per year or an equivalent hourly rate of $61. This is 15% higher (+$16,344) than the average software developer salary in the United States. In addition, they earn an average bonus of $5,637.
- Virginia
According to SalaryExpert, the average software engineer salary in Virginia is $100,802 per annum or an equivalent hourly rate of $55. This is 5% higher (+$5,055) than the average software developer salary in the United States. In addition, they earn an average bonus of $5,132.
- Maryland
Maryland has 147,430 software engineers. The average software engineer salary in Maryland is $118,667 per year. An entry level software developer (1-3 years of experience) earns an average salary of $81,454. On the other end, a senior level software developer (8+ years of experience) earns an average salary of $144,768.
- Ohio
The average software engineer salary in Ohio is $95,000 or an equivalent hourly rate of $51. This is 3% lower (-$2,997) than the average software developer salary in the United States. In addition, they earn an average bonus of $4,772. An entry level software developer (1-3 years of experience) earns an average salary of $70,615. On the other end, a senior level software developer (8+ years of experience) earns an average salary of $132,613.
- Michigan
The average software engineer salary in Michigan is $108,954. An entry level software developer (1-3 years of experience) earns an average salary of $76,152. On the other end, a senior level software developer (8+ years of experience) earns an average salary of $135,345.
- Washington
Washington counts more than 143,971 developers . The average software engineer salary in Washington, DC is $110,802 per year or $57.87 per hour. Entry level positions start at $87,500 per year while most experienced workers make up to $155,000 per year.
- Arizona
Arizona has one of the largest hubs of software developer graduates in the country compared to jobs available in the state while the rest of the country lags behind. The average software engineer salary in Arizona is $105,419 per year.
- Colorado
The average software engineer salary in Colorado is $111,702 or an equivalent hourly rate of $54. This is 2% higher (+$1,944) than the average software developer salary in the United States. An entry level software developer (1-3 years of experience) earns an average salary of $78,068. On the other end, a senior level software developer (8+ years of experience) earns an average salary of $138,751.
- Minnesota
The average software engineer salary in Minnesota is $110,114 or an equivalent hourly rate of $53. An entry level software developer (1-3 years of experience) earns an average salary of $76,958. On the other end, a senior level software developer (8+ years of experience) earns an average salary of $136,778.
- Massachusetts
The average software engineer salary in Massachusetts is around $121,500. An entry level software developer (1-3 years of experience) earns an average salary of $81,094. On the other end, a senior level software developer (8+ years of experience) earns an average salary of $144,128.
- Pennsylvania
The average software engineer salary in Pennsylvania is $114,000per year or $53.64 per hour. Entry level positions start at $90,000 per year while most experienced workers make up to $136,500 per year.
- Utah
The average software developer salary in Utah is 100,000 yearly or an equivalent hourly rate of $49. This is 6% lower (-$6,883) than the average software developer salary in the United States. An entry level software developer (1-3 years of experience) earns an average salary of $71,899. On the other end, a senior level software developer (8+ years of experience) earns an average.
- Indiana
The average software developer salary in Indiana -$108,000 per year or $51.18 per hour. Entry level positions start at $82,500 per year while most experienced workers make up to $120,300 per year. This is 5% lower (-$5,133) than the average software developer salary in the United States. In addition, they earn an average bonus of $4,677.
- Wisconsin
The average software developer salary in Wisconsin is $106,000 or an equivalent hourly rate of $51. In addition, they earn an average bonus of $4,758. An entry level software developer (1-3 years of experience) earns an average salary of $74,393. On the other end, a senior level software developer (8+ years of experience) earns an average salary of $132,219.
- Alabama
The average software developer salary in Alabama is $106,492 or an equivalent hourly rate of $51. This is 4% lower (-$4,332) than the average software developer salary in the United States. In addition, they earn an average bonus of $4,713.An entry level software developer (1-3 years of experience) earns an average salary of $73,682. On the other end, a senior level software developer (8+ years of experience) earns an average salary of $130,954.
Software Engineer Salary in Big Cities USA
| City | Software Developer Salary |
| Seattle | $125,000 |
| NYC | $121,300 |
| Chicago | $115,837 |
| Los Angeles | $124,350 |
| Houston | $118,773 |
| Atlanta | $101,328 |
| Austin | $100,881 |
| Dallas | $116,829 |
| Las Vegas | $112,285 |
| San Francisco | $148,871 |
| Denver | $120,300 |
Based on the research, we can see that San Francisco pays the highest salary among all cities. The average software developer salary in San Francisco is around $148,871 per year. Of course, the salary would range depending on your skills. For junior developers San Francisco has the highest entry salary among other states.
The average software engineer salary in Seattle is approximately $125,000 per year which makes it the second city with the highest salaries among the US.
Los Angeles is one of the biggest IT hubs in the USA. There are nearly 140,000 employees in the Los Angeles metropolitan area working in the IT Field including software development, tech support, and programming. The average software engineer salary in Los Angeles is around – $124,350 yearly.
In New York Python is the most popular language: 66,330 use it, then Java’s 60,929 developers. Node.JS, Ruby, .NET, and PHP also figure prominently, which makes sense when you consider the type of developers dominating the scene in the NYC area. Software engineer salary NYC goes up to $121,300 depending on level of skills and experience.
Houston’s tech workforce counts 227,788 IT professionals. Considering that the city is still not one of the nation’s leading tech hubs, this is one healthy talent pool you can access by partnering with Houston software development companies. The average software engineer salary in Houston is around $118,773 per year.
Cities like Atlanta and Austin despite being big cities pay relatively low. The average software engineer salary in Atlanta goes to $100,328 despite the fact that Atlanta is a popular destination for developers . If we have a look at Austin city, the salary there is a lot lower compared to other cities in the US. The average software engineer salary in Austin – $100,881.
The Dallas region has approximately 26,100 application software developers and 8,000 system software developers. The average software engineer salary in Dallas is approximately $116,829 per year.
Las Vegas is known as a casino-city but also it is a great place for developers. Vegas is considered as one the biggest IT hubs among the US. The most popular and biggest tech companies are situated there. The highest demand among technical languages are Java, JavaScripts, Python, Ruby on Rails and .NET. The average software engineer salary in Las Vegas is $112,285.
Last but not least, the city is Denver which is known as a city full of tech universities and business schools. A lot of developers choose Denver for living and building a career there as the average software developer salary in Denver is $120,300 per year.
Final Thoughts
As you can see from the article the average salaries of developers changes relatively. Average salaries are affected by many factors like level of skills, experience, taxes, location etc.
If you are looking at the opportunities of hiring remote teams for your business, you could notice that software developers in America have the highest hourly rates among other countries. Qubit Labs recommends paying attention to other countries with cheaper rates but highly-skilled and driven developers. For example countries in Eastern Europe like Ukraine, Poland, Romania or Caucasus region: Georgia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
