- National median: $133,080 W-2 wage (BLS OES May 2024). P25–P75: $103,050–$169,000; P90 $211,450; mean $144,570.
- BLS understates FAANG by 2-4× because equity grants are excluded. FAANG L5 senior total comp $340–500K; L6 staff $500–750K; L7 $750K–1.2M; L8 $1M–2M+.
- Industry premium is huge: Software Publishing ~$165K mean vs State Government ~$95K — 60%+ spread for the same SOC code.
- WA tops real wage ($154,019 real after BEA RPP) — strong gross plus zero state tax. CA comes second on real wage at $152,333 despite leading nominal at $170,910 (CA); 9.3%+ tax + RPP 112.2 erodes the headline.
- Bootcamp placement compressed in 2024-2025. Top CIRR-reporting bootcamps still place but FAANG-level entry now strongly favors CS bachelor's.
Where the spread is.
The same job, fifty-one wages.
Sorted by real P50 descending. Real wage is the BLS nominal P50 divided by the state's BEA RPP — the dollar that buys the same basket as the national average. Each row links to the full state page.
| Rank | ST | State | Real P50 | Nom. P50 | Distribution P10–P90 | RPP | Emp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | WA | Washington | $154,019▼8% | $166,910 | 108.4 | 91K | |
| 02 | CA | California | $152,333▼11% | $170,910 | 112.2 | 293K | |
| 03 | NY | New York | $149,534▼7% | $161,260 | 107.8 | 104K | |
| 04 | MA | Massachusetts | $139,791▼7% | $150,520 | 107.7 | 54K | |
| 05 | NC | North Carolina | $138,773▲6% | $131,000 | 94.4 | 58K | |
| 06 | DE | Delaware | $136,858▲1% | $135,160 | 98.8 | 4K | |
| 07 | VT | Vermont | $134,566▲3% | $130,720 | 97.1 | — | |
| 08 | TX | Texas | $134,342▲3% | $130,500 | 97.1 | 151K | |
| · · · · · 38 states omitted · · · · · | |||||||
| 47 | WI | Wisconsin | $110,877▲7% | $103,360 | 93.2 | 22K | |
| 48 | MT | Montana | $110,082▲10% | $100,190 | 91 | 2K | |
| 49 | HI | Hawaii | $109,277▼9% | $119,880 | 109.7 | 2K | |
| 50 | MS | Mississippi | $99,617▲15% | $86,460 | 86.8 | 3K | |
| 51 | SD | South Dakota | $99,570▲13% | $87,770 | 88.1 | 2K | |
| RPP source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2023 release. P10–P90 from BLS OEWS May 2024. | Real P50 = Nominal P50 × (100 / RPP) | ||||||
Software Engineer Salary at a Glance (BLS OEWS public API v2, May 2024)
Software developers (BLS code 15-1252) are one of the largest and fastest-growing licensed-profession-equivalent workforces in the U.S. — about 1.65 million employed, with the May 2024 OES release showing an annual median wage of $133,080 and a mean of $144,570. The middle 50% earn $103,050–$169,000; the top 10% exceed $211,450.
That distribution is a wide composite. It pools junior, mid, senior, staff, and principal-level engineers across industries from FAANG to insurance IT. Within FAANG, total compensation routinely exceeds $500K at staff level and $1M+ at principal. Within Healthcare IT and Government, P50 and P25 are dramatically lower. The "true" software engineer salary depends on three factors more than any other: level, industry, geography.
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| P10 | $79,850 | $38.39 |
| P25 | $103,050 | $49.54 |
| P50 (median) | $133,080 | $63.98 |
| P75 | $169,000 | $81.25 |
| P90 | $211,450 | $101.66 |
| Mean | $144,570 | $69.50 |
BLS OES 15-1252, May 2024 release. Last synced 2026-05-05. Excludes equity grants, sign-on amortization, and target bonus — meaning P90 here understates FAANG total comp by 2–4×.
By Level: Total Comp from L3 (Junior) to L8 (Distinguished)
The single largest source of "salary disagreement" between BLS and self-report sites like Levels.fyi is that BLS measures W-2 wage; FAANG total comp is mostly equity. A senior FAANG engineer with $200K base and $250K/year RSU vests has a $200K W-2 line and $450K total comp. Both are real. Below: total comp ranges blending Levels.fyi public submissions, Blind threads, and recruiter-published bands (treat as directional within ±15%).
| Level | Title (typical) | FAANG total comp | Mid-tier tech | Non-tech (Fortune 500) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L3 / IC1 | SWE I / Junior | $180K–$220K | $110K–$150K | $80K–$110K |
| L4 / IC2 | SWE II | $240K–$320K | $140K–$200K | $100K–$140K |
| L5 / IC3 | Senior SWE | $340K–$500K | $200K–$280K | $140K–$180K |
| L6 / Staff | Staff Engineer | $500K–$750K | $280K–$400K | $180K–$240K |
| L7 / Senior Staff | Senior Staff / Principal | $750K–$1.2M | $400K–$600K | $220K–$300K (rare) |
| L8 / Distinguished | Distinguished Engineer | $1M–$2M+ | $600K–$1M (rare) | — |
The level matters more than the company. A staff engineer at a strong mid-tier tech company ($280K–$400K) routinely outearns a senior at FAANG ($340K–$500K, lower end). Ladder progression is faster at smaller companies but levels less liquid at staff+ — most senior staff/principal roles concentrate at FAANG and pre-IPO unicorns.
By State: Real Take-Home After RPP Adjustment
Headline state pay favors California by a wide gross margin. Real take-home after Regional Price Parity (BEA RPP, 2023) is more nuanced — California's 14% RPP penalty erodes much of the headline. Below: top 5 by nominal pay vs top 5 by real take-home (BEA RPP-adjusted, BLS OES median).
Top 5 — Nominal Median (P50)
| State | P50 | RPP | Real P50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | $170,910 | 112.2 | $152,333 |
| WA | $166,910 | 108.4 | $154,019 |
| NY | $161,260 | 107.8 | $149,534 |
| MA | $150,520 | 107.7 | $139,791 |
| MD | $137,890 | 104.6 | $131,823 |
Top 5 — Real Take-Home (RPP-Adjusted)
| State | P50 | RPP | Real P50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| WA | $166,910 | 108.4 | $154,019 |
| CA | $170,910 | 112.2 | $152,333 |
| NY | $161,260 | 107.8 | $149,534 |
| MA | $150,520 | 107.7 | $139,791 |
| NC | $131,000 | 94.4 | $138,773 |
BLS OES 15-1252 state-level + BEA RPP 2023. Real P50 = nominal P50 ÷ (RPP / 100). Excludes state income tax — see narrative below.
Texas is the underrated real-wage winner once tax is layered in. TX pays $130,500 median ($134,342 after BEA RPP 97.1) with zero state income tax. California's $170,910 headline becomes $152,333 after RPP, and the top marginal bracket of 9.3%+ shaves another ~$15K off Staff-level total comp. New York's nominal $161,260 pays $149,534 real — competitive on RPP, eroded further by state + NYC city tax (3.876%) for in-city residents. At Staff+ level, relocation from CA to TX or zero-tax states (FL, WA, NV) can deliver $25K–$50K/year of after-tax income with no role change.
By Industry: Where the Same Job Pays Differently
BLS industry-segmented OES filings show a 60% spread between top and bottom industries paying for the same SOC code.
| Industry | Mean wage | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Software Publishing | $165,470 | Pure software product companies — FAANG, large SaaS |
| Web Search Portals | $175,890 | Google, Microsoft Bing, smaller share |
| Information Services | $150,150 | Reuters, Bloomberg, financial data, Splunk-style |
| Computer Systems Design | $140,510 | Consulting, integration, Accenture-tier |
| Banks & Securities | $135,090 | JPM Tech, Goldman engineering, fintech |
| Insurance Carriers | $120,830 | Carrier-side IT (Progressive, USAA) |
| Hospitals + Healthcare IT | $110,260 | Epic, Cerner client implementations + carrier IT |
| Educational Services | $98,430 | University IT, ed-tech |
| Federal Government | $112,890 | GS-14/15 IT roles; capped GS scale + locality pay |
| State + Local Government | $94,770 | State IT; pension-stabilized |
The gap between Web Search Portals ($175K mean) and State Government ($95K mean) is real and persistent. For mid-career SWEs, an industry switch into Tech is typically the largest single income lever available — often a $30K–$70K mean lift that outpaces most level promotions.
Education and Entry Path: Bootcamp vs CS Degree vs Self-Taught
2024–2025 brought the steepest tightening in entry-level SWE hiring since 2010. Bootcamp grads who landed FAANG offers in 2018 face significantly more friction in 2026.
- CS / SE bachelor's — still the highest-conversion path. Top-30 CS programs continue placing 70–85% of grads into SWE roles by graduation; all-program average is closer to 50%.
- Top bootcamps (Hack Reactor, App Academy, Recurse Center, Codesmith) — placement rates have compressed but remain viable for candidates with strong portfolios. CIRR-reporting bootcamps publish median time-to-job (typically 4–8 months) and median first salary $75K–$95K.
- Self-taught — possible at startups and mid-tier tech. Difficult at FAANG without a relevant prior career (often quantitative finance, scientific computing, or domain-expert roles where coding is adjacent skill). Requires substantial open-source contribution or portfolio depth.
- Master's (CS or Computational specialty) — useful for visa-required candidates and ML-engineering specialty pipeline. Marginal value for general SWE is modest beyond certain visa scenarios.
- PhD — useful for research-engineering roles at industry labs (DeepMind, FAIR, MSR), specific compiler / systems work, and academia. Not a typical SWE entry path.
Career Trajectory and Pivot Options
SWE pay tops out earlier than most knowledge-work careers because individual-contributor ladders cap at L7/L8 at most companies. Beyond that, real wage growth comes from structural moves:
- Engineering management — first-line manager pay tracks senior IC; senior manager and director pay matches Staff+; VP eng at FAANG $1M–$2M+
- Tech-lead-only / IC track — at FAANG, L7/L8 distinguished engineer matches director pay without management responsibility
- Specialty engineering (ML, security, infrastructure, distributed systems) — typically 5–15% pay premium at staff+ level
- Consulting / contracting — $200–$400/hr possible for staff-grade specialists; high marketing burden
- Product manager pivot — typically L4 SWE → L4 PM with similar pay; senior PM can outearn senior SWE at consumer tech, lag at infra/dev-tools companies
- Founding / startup — high variance; CTO at funded startup typically earns 60–80% of equivalent FAANG IC + equity upside
- Adjacent-domain (quant trading, biotech-tech, robotics) — salary varies but often above mean tech
Methodology & Data Sources
Wage data: BLS OES 15-1252 (Software Developers), May 2024 release, fetched via the BLS OEWS public API v2, May 2024. State-level: BLS OES state files. Industry-segmented: BLS OES NAICS-coded files. Total comp ranges (FAANG / mid-tech / non-tech): blended from Levels.fyi public submissions 2024–2025, Blind salary threads, and recruiter-published bands. Treated as directional within ±15%. Real-wage adjustment: BEA Regional Price Parities, BEA Regional Price Parities (SARPP), 2023. State income tax: state DOR 2025 schedules. Bootcamp placement context: Council on Integrity in Results Reporting (CIRR) 2024 cohort reports. Last synced: 2026-05-05. Glassdoor / Indeed / ZipRecruiter wage aggregations systematically inflate by 8–18% vs BLS Employer Costs — when figures diverge, BLS OES is authoritative for W-2 comparison; Levels.fyi is more reliable for total-comp benchmarking at FAANG-tier companies.
FAQ
- What is the average software engineer salary in 2026?
- Per BLS OES May 2024, the national annual median wage for software developers (15-1252) is $133,080 with a mean of $144,570. P25–P75: $103,050–$169,000; P90 $211,450. This is W-2 wage only. At FAANG-tier companies, equity grants typically add 50–200% on top of base salary, so headline "salary" numbers drastically understate true total compensation at the top tail.
- How much does a senior software engineer make at FAANG?
- L5 Senior SWE total comp at FAANG is typically $340K–$500K (base + RSU vests + sign-on amortized + bonus), with the higher end at peak-cycle Google/Meta and the lower end at Amazon. L6 Staff: $500K–$750K. L7 Senior Staff: $750K–$1.2M. L8 Distinguished: $1M–$2M+. Sources: Levels.fyi 2024–2025 public submissions, treated as directional within ±15%.
- What state pays software engineers the most?
- Gross median ranks: CA ($170,910), WA ($166,910), NY ($161,260), MA ($150,520), MD ($137,890). But real wage rank changes after tax + BEA RPP: WA #1 ($154,019 real, RPP 108.4, zero state tax), CA #2 ($152,333 real despite the $170,910 headline — 9.3%+ tax + RPP 112.2 erodes it), NY #3 ($149,534). For Staff+ engineers, CA→TX/WA relocation often delivers $25–50K real-wage upside with no role change.
- Is software engineering a good career in 2026?
- Compensation remains strong — BLS projects 17% employment growth for software developers 2023–2033, much faster than average. AI/ML engineering is the hottest sub-niche. The 2024–2025 entry-level squeeze tightened bootcamp and self-taught pathways, but mid-career and senior demand remained healthy. Career caveat: pure individual-contributor ladders cap at L7/L8 at most companies; further growth requires management or specialty depth.
- Do software engineers make more than data scientists?
- Yes — by 10–25% at every comparable level, every industry. BLS medians: SWE $133,080 vs DS $112,590. FAANG L5: SWE $340–500K vs DS $320–450K. The gap reflects deeper SWE talent supply, higher revenue attribution per SWE, and DS often classified as cost-center vs SWE as profit-center. ML Engineer (the hybrid role) tracks SWE bands, not DS bands. See SWE vs DS comparison.
- What's the highest-paying industry for software engineers?
- Web Search Portals ($175,890 mean — Google, Microsoft Bing) and Software Publishing ($165,470 mean — pure software product companies) lead by a wide margin. Information Services ($150,150) and Computer Systems Design / Consulting ($140,510) follow. The lowest-paying SWE-employing industries are State Government ($94,770), Educational Services ($98,430), and Hospitals ($110,260). For mid-career SWEs, an industry switch into pure tech is typically the largest single income lever — often $30–70K mean lift outpacing most level promotions.
- How do bootcamp graduates compare to CS degree holders?
- Top CIRR-reporting bootcamps publish median time-to-job 4–8 months and median first salary $75–95K — competitive with non-elite CS programs. The bootcamp/CS gap shows up at FAANG-tier hiring, where bootcamp grads face stronger filtering. Self-taught: feasible at startups and mid-tier tech, much harder at FAANG without relevant adjacent career (quant finance, scientific computing, etc.). 2024–2025 saw the steepest entry-level tightening since 2010 — bootcamp candidates who landed FAANG offers in 2018 face significantly more friction in 2026.
- What is the BLS job outlook for software engineers?
- BLS projects 17% employment growth 2023–2033 for software developers (15-1252), much faster than average. Driver: continued software embedding into every industry plus AI/ML expansion. Specialty growth concentrates in AI/ML engineering, security engineering, infrastructure/platform engineering, and data engineering. Cyclical layoffs (like 2022–2024) compress hiring temporarily but the long-term trajectory is consistently upward. Current employment: 1,654,440 software developers nationally.
- How does engineering management compare to staying IC?
- At FAANG, IC and management ladders are pay-equivalent through senior levels: L5 IC = L5 manager pay, L6 IC = L6 manager. Above that, divergence: L7 senior staff IC and L7 director both pay $750K–$1.2M. L8 distinguished engineer can match or exceed VP eng. The choice is daily-work-and-impact, not pay. At non-FAANG, manager pay sometimes leads IC pay at director+ levels because IC ladder caps lower. See the career trajectory section above for full pivot options.
- Should I consider relocating from California to Texas as a software engineer?
- For high earners, often yes. A $250K total comp package in California pays ~$165K real wage (after 9.3%+ state tax + 12% RPP). The same $250K in Texas pays ~$258K real wage (zero state tax + 97 RPP). That's $93K of real-wage difference for an identical W-2. RSU-heavy total comp amplifies the gap because RSUs vest as ordinary income subject to state tax. The tradeoff: most FAANG roles are physically located in CA/WA/NY; remote-friendly roles unlock the relocation play.