Software Engineer Salary, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 66,571 US job postings by 8,271 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for software engineers: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 66,571 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for software engineers in US job postings is $164,000 a year (16,158 postings from 2,727 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $130,000 to $200,000.
- Postings that ask for up to 1 year of experience advertise a median of $133,000 a year (1,288 postings).
- The skills that most set software engineer postings apart are Python, Java.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 4 years of experience.
Software Engineer job postings in the US, October 2026
- $164,000
- Median advertised pay (16,158 postings)
- $130,000–$200,000
- Middle 50% of postings
- $133,000
- Starting pay (postings asking up to 1 year)
- 66,571
- US job postings from 8,271 employers
How much does a software engineer make?
The median advertised pay is $164,000 a year, from 16,158 US job postings by 2,727 employers that state pay. One in ten postings offers $238,000 or more.
Advertised pay in 16,158 US software engineer job postings: median $164,000 a year, middle half $130,000 to $200,000.
- Median: $164,000
- 25th percentile: $130,000
- 75th percentile: $200,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $20K–$30K | 0.0% |
| $30K–$40K | 0.1% |
| $40K–$50K | 0.5% |
| $50K–$60K | 0.7% |
| $60K–$70K | 1.3% |
| $70K–$80K | 1.4% |
| $80K–$90K | 2.0% |
| $90K–$100K | 2.9% |
| $100K–$110K | 4.4% |
| $110K–$120K | 4.8% |
| $120K–$130K | 6.5% |
| $130K–$140K | 6.9% |
| $140K–$150K | 7.0% |
| $150K–$160K | 8.1% |
| $160K–$170K | 6.7% |
| $170K–$180K | 7.0% |
| $180K–$190K | 6.8% |
| $190K–$200K | 6.3% |
| $200K–$210K | 6.3% |
| $210K–$220K | 4.1% |
| $220K–$230K | 3.8% |
| $230K–$240K | 3.0% |
| $240K–$250K | 2.1% |
| $250K–$260K | 1.8% |
| $260K–$270K | 1.4% |
| $270K–$280K | 1.0% |
| $280K–$290K | 0.5% |
| $290K–$300K | 0.4% |
| $300K–$310K | 0.6% |
| $310K–$320K | 0.3% |
| $320K–$330K | 0.1% |
| $330K–$340K | 0.2% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | Most common titles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postings that state an hourly rate | $55.00 | $38.23–$70.00 | 992 | Software Engineer, Software Engineering Intern, Developer |
| Postings that state an annual salary | $170,000 | $136K–$204K | 9,120 | Senior Software Engineer, Software Engineer, Staff Software Engineer |
| All pay postings, annualised | $164,000 | $130K–$200K | 16,158 | – |
For comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median annual wage of Software Developers (15-1252) at $136,000 (May 2025). Postings advertise pay; the BLS measures what people earn, across all employers and levels.
What is the starting salary for a software engineer?
Postings that ask for up to 1 year of experience advertise a median of $133,000 a year (1,288 postings).
| Experience asked | Median advertised pay | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 years | $133,000 | 1,288 |
| 2-4 years | $155,000 | 5,571 |
| 5+ years | $180,000 | 6,629 |
Software engineer levels and pay
Levels as they appear in job titles, ordered by the median experience asked. Senior software engineers have a median advertised pay of $179,000 a year.
| Level in title | Share of postings | Median experience asked | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| No level in title | 68.9% | 3 years | $150,000 |
| Level II | 1.8% | 3 years | $138,000 |
| Senior | 18.6% | 5 years | $179,000 |
| Lead | 2.9% | 5 years | $166,000 |
| Level III | 1.4% | 5 years | $154,000 |
| Staff | 3.0% | 7 years | $225,000 |
| Principal | 2.1% | 8 years | $220,000 |
Highest-paying software engineer jobs
Specializations with at least 250 postings that state pay.
| Specialization | Median pay | Postings with pay | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward Deployed Engineer | $192,000 | 427 | 199 |
| Software Engineer (general) | $180,000 | 6,161 | 1,374 |
| Full Stack Software Engineer | $180,000 | 399 | 224 |
| Lead Software Engineer | $173,000 | 312 | 173 |
| Full Stack Engineer | $168,000 | 393 | 155 |
| Embedded Software Engineer | $147,000 | 633 | 210 |
| Software Developer | $146,000 | 606 | 249 |
| Full Stack Developer | $138,000 | 296 | 132 |
| Developer | $134,000 | 491 | 220 |
| Java Developer | $124,000 | 412 | 107 |
| Software Engineer Intern | $69,000 | 303 | 135 |
Software engineer pay by state
Single-location US postings; states with at least 100 postings that state pay. States with pay-transparency laws (such as California, Colorado, New York and Washington) are over-represented among postings that state pay.
| State | Median pay | Middle 50% | Postings with pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $187,000 | $141,000–$215,000 | 433 | 4.8% |
| California | $185,000 | $150,000–$222,000 | 3,057 | 20.9% |
| New York | $180,000 | $145,000–$216,000 | 1,260 | 8.6% |
| Maryland | $170,000 | $130,000–$208,000 | 634 | 3.8% |
| Virginia | $154,000 | $122,000–$182,000 | 646 | 5.5% |
| Massachusetts | $150,000 | $122,000–$185,000 | 469 | 3.3% |
| District of Columbia | $144,000 | $125,000–$177,000 | 247 | 1.8% |
| Colorado | $142,000 | $115,000–$172,000 | 302 | 2.2% |
| Illinois | $140,000 | $105,000–$170,000 | 329 | 3.4% |
| TX | $134,000 | $108,000–$162,000 | 433 | 9.5% |
| North Carolina | $132,000 | $109,000–$168,000 | 155 | 3.0% |
| New Jersey | $132,000 | $112,000–$166,000 | 241 | 6.5% |
| Michigan | $131,000 | $106,000–$154,000 | 125 | 1.9% |
| Georgia | $130,000 | $101,000–$160,000 | 169 | 3.2% |
| Arizona | $123,000 | $104,000–$147,000 | 102 | 2.0% |
| Florida | $121,000 | $97,000–$148,000 | 152 | 2.8% |
| Pennsylvania | $114,000 | $91,000–$150,000 | 118 | 2.3% |
| Minnesota | $113,000 | $85,000–$130,000 | 134 | 1.3% |
Skills employers ask for in software engineer job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Communication | 32% |
| Python | 31% |
| Java | 23% |
| JavaScript | 21% |
| React | 18% |
| Problem-solving | 18% |
| AWS | 17% |
| TypeScript | 16% |
| SQL | 14% |
| REST APIs | 13% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set software engineers apart
- Python9.6× as often as in all postings · 31%
- Java20.4× as often as in all postings · 23%
- JavaScript24.5× as often as in all postings · 21%
- React31.5× as often as in all postings · 18%
- TypeScript28.6× as often as in all postings · 16%
- AWS11.7× as often as in all postings · 17%
- REST APIs23.4× as often as in all postings · 13%
- C#24× as often as in all postings · 12%
- Git19.9× as often as in all postings · 13%
- HTML24.2× as often as in all postings · 12%
- CSS27.2× as often as in all postings · 11%
- C++19× as often as in all postings · 12%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a software engineer job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does a software engineer do?
| Duty | Share of employers |
|---|---|
| Participate in code reviews | 11% |
| Troubleshoot and debug application issues | 11% |
| Mentor and provide technical guidance to engineers | 11% |
| Collaborate with cross-functional teams | 11% |
| Translate business requirements into technical solutions | 10% |
| Write clean, maintainable, testable code | 8% |
| Design and maintain backend services and APIs | 8% |
| Design, develop, test and maintain software | 6% |
From the bullet lists of 1,076 postings by 1,036 employers; items grouped by meaning and counted once per employer.
Employers post these jobs as Senior Software Engineer, Developer, Software Developer, Staff Software Engineer, Forward Deployed Engineer and other titles. The largest specializations are Developer (7%), Software Developer (5%), Java Developer (7%), Full Stack Software Engineer (1%), Full Stack Developer (2%), Forward Deployed Engineer (2%).
The closest official occupation is Software Developers (15-1252.00). Its most important tasks:
- Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints.
- Develop or direct software system testing or validation procedures, programming, or documentation.
- Confer with systems analysts, engineers, programmers and others to design systems and to obtain information on project limitations and capabilities, performance requirements and interfaces.
- Modify existing software to correct errors, adapt it to new hardware, or upgrade interfaces and improve performance.
- Prepare reports or correspondence concerning project specifications, activities, or status.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
What employers ask for in software engineer job postings
| Requirement | Share of employers |
|---|---|
| Years of professional software development experience | 49% |
| Bachelor's or Master's degree in computer science or related field | 40% |
| Proficiency in one or more programming languages | 20% |
| Communicate with technical and non-technical stakeholders | 18% |
| Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure or GCP | 16% |
| Experience with relational databases and SQL | 15% |
| Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices | 13% |
| Experience building and integrating RESTful APIs | 13% |
| Strong problem-solving skills | 11% |
| Effective written and verbal communication skills | 11% |
| Ability to work well in a team | 11% |
| Use of AI-assisted development tools | 9% |
From the bullet lists of 1,076 postings by 1,036 employers; items grouped by meaning and counted once per employer.
Benefits employers offer in software engineer job postings
| Benefit | Share of employers |
|---|---|
| Medical, dental and vision insurance | 17% |
| 401(k) with employer match | 9% |
| Competitive compensation | 5% |
| Paid time off for vacation, sick leave and holidays | 4% |
| Paid parental leave | 4% |
| Employee Assistance Program | 4% |
| Tuition or education reimbursement | 3% |
Counted only where the posting itself lists the benefit; many employers list benefits elsewhere.
How much experience do you need to be a software engineer?
Among 17,808 postings that state a minimum, the median is 4 years. 2% say 0 years and 8% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 17,808 US software engineer job postings: median 4 years, and 8% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | 2% |
| 1 yr | 7% |
| 2 yrs | 14% |
| 3-4 yrs | 28% |
| 5-7 yrs | 35% |
| 8-9 yrs | 7% |
| 10+ yrs | 7% |
Postings that state a minimum (required or preferred); at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
We do not show a degree figure: in our checks, degree requirements in posting text were found too rarely to publish one. Why.
Full-time 98% of the 3,135 postings that state working hours.
Other names for a software engineer: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| Software Engineer | 1,869 (22.6%) |
| Senior Software Engineer | 1,559 (18.9%) |
| Developer | 836 (10.1%) |
| Software Developer | 545 (6.6%) |
| Staff Software Engineer | 537 (6.5%) |
| Forward Deployed Engineer | 402 (4.9%) |
| Full Stack Developer | 378 (4.6%) |
| Java Developer | 347 (4.2%) |
| Principal Software Engineer | 335 (4.0%) |
| Sr. Software Engineer | 315 (3.8%) |
| Full Stack Engineer | 267 (3.2%) |
| Software Engineer II | 260 (3.1%) |
| Lead Software Engineer | 256 (3.1%) |
| Embedded Software Engineer | 234 (2.8%) |
| .Net Developer | 229 (2.8%) |
| Web Developer | 222 (2.7%) |
| Application Developer | 213 (2.6%) |
| Full Stack Software Engineer | 209 (2.5%) |
| Senior Software Developer | 182 (2.2%) |
| Salesforce Developer | 162 (2.0%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Software engineer job titles compared
The titles people search for most, from the US job postings that use each exact title (October 2026).
| Job title | Open postings | Employers | Median pay | Median experience | Skills named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward Deployed Engineer | 689 | 402 | – | 4 years | Python, communication, TypeScript |
| Full Stack Developer | 1,085 | 378 | – | 4 years | JavaScript, React, communication |
| Software Developer | 1,159 | 545 | $128K | 3 years | C#, Java, Python |
| Embedded Software Engineer | 514 | 234 | – | – | Python, C++, spi |
What does a Forward Deployed Engineer do?
- Feed customer insights back to product and engineering (19% of employers)
- Work directly with customers to understand workflows and requirements (12% of employers)
- Build reusable deployment playbooks and assets (11% of employers)
- Design and deploy AI solutions for real business problems (9% of employers)
- Build LLM applications such as agents and RAG pipelines (8% of employers)
- Build applications, integrations and AI workflows (7% of employers)
How to become a Forward Deployed Engineer
What employers ask for most. Postings ask for a median of 4 years of experience.
- Years of professional software engineering experience (50% of employers)
- Communicate with technical and non-technical stakeholders (27% of employers)
- Proficiency in Python, TypeScript or similar languages (26% of employers)
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering or related field (23% of employers)
- Comfort working in fast-paced environments (19% of employers)
- Experience in a customer-facing technical or consulting role (18% of employers)
What does a Full Stack Developer do?
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams (26% of employers)
- Troubleshoot and debug application issues (25% of employers)
- Translate business requirements into technical solutions (19% of employers)
- Participate in code reviews (19% of employers)
- Design and maintain application databases (17% of employers)
- Develop responsive user interfaces with JavaScript frameworks (17% of employers)
How to become a Full Stack Developer
What employers ask for most. Postings ask for a median of 4 years of experience.
- Front-end development with React and JavaScript frameworks (49% of employers)
- Years of professional software development experience (49% of employers)
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in computer science or related field (42% of employers)
- Experience building and integrating RESTful APIs (37% of employers)
- Experience with relational databases and SQL (36% of employers)
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices (28% of employers)
What does a Software Developer do?
- Troubleshoot and debug application issues (16% of employers)
- Participate in code reviews (15% of employers)
- Create and maintain technical documentation (12% of employers)
- Collaborate with stakeholders and teams to deliver solutions (11% of employers)
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams (10% of employers)
- Write clean, maintainable code (10% of employers)
How to become a Software Developer
What employers ask for most. Postings ask for a median of 3 years of experience.
- Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field (50% of employers)
- Years of professional software development experience (36% of employers)
- Strong communication and collaboration skills (24% of employers)
- Degree plus years of relevant experience (24% of employers)
- Experience with Agile software development (23% of employers)
- Experience with relational databases and SQL (18% of employers)
What does an Embedded Software Engineer do?
- Collaborate with hardware and other engineering teams (29% of employers)
- Design and develop embedded software (22% of employers)
- Develop and maintain embedded C/C++ software (20% of employers)
- Participate in code reviews (19% of employers)
- Design and execute software tests (14% of employers)
- Troubleshoot software and hardware integration issues (10% of employers)
How to become an Embedded Software Engineer
What employers ask for most.
- Embedded software development experience (72% of employers)
- Bachelor's in CS, EE, CE or related field (61% of employers)
- Years of embedded software development experience (41% of employers)
- Proficiency in C/C++ programming (38% of employers)
- Experience with real-time operating systems (RTOS) (26% of employers)
- Embedded communication protocols (I2C, SPI, UART, CAN) (26% of employers)
Software Engineer vs Software Developer
| Software Engineer | Software Developer | |
|---|---|---|
| Open US postings | 6,414 | 1,159 |
| Employers | 1,869 | 545 |
| Median advertised pay | $158K | $128K |
| Median experience asked | 3 years | 3 years |
| Skills that stand out | – | – |
Software Engineer vs Full Stack Developer
| Software Engineer | Full Stack Developer | |
|---|---|---|
| Open US postings | 6,414 | 1,085 |
| Employers | 1,869 | 378 |
| Median advertised pay | $158K | – |
| Median experience asked | 3 years | 4 years |
| Skills that stand out | – | React, Angular, Node.js |
Software Engineer vs Forward Deployed Engineer
| Software Engineer | Forward Deployed Engineer | |
|---|---|---|
| Open US postings | 6,414 | 689 |
| Employers | 1,869 | 402 |
| Median advertised pay | $158K | – |
| Median experience asked | 3 years | 4 years |
| Skills that stand out | – | large language models, APIs, solutions engineering |
Software Engineer compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $164K | 4 years | 66,571 | – |
| Engineering Manager | $200K | 5 years | 5,505 | 16 |
| Solutions Architect | $175K | 5 years | 7,307 | 14 |
| QA Engineer | $122K | 3 years | 8,246 | 12 |
| DevOps Engineer | $152K | 5 years | 7,274 | 12 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Manager | 16 | $200K |
| Solutions Architect | 14 | $175K |
| QA Engineer | 12 | $122K |
| DevOps Engineer | 12 | $152K |
| AI Engineer | 14 | $187K |
| Sales Engineer | 8 | $140K |
Applying for software engineer jobs?
- Software engineer resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
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- Find software engineer jobs: search open postings
Frequently asked questions
How much does a software engineer make?
What is the starting salary for a software engineer?
What are the software engineer levels?
What are the highest-paying software engineer jobs?
What is a Forward Deployed Engineer?
What is a Full Stack Developer?
What is a Software Developer?
How much does a Software Developer make?
What is an Embedded Software Engineer?
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 19 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 18 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.