Freelance Software Engineer
Freelance Software Engineer Salary
$24K - $39K
1% of jobs
$39K - $54K
6% of jobs
$63.7K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$54K - $69K
28% of jobs
$69K - $84K
11% of jobs
The median wage is $88.4K / yr.
$84K - $99K
13% of jobs
$99K - $114K
15% of jobs
$115.1K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$114K - $129K
8% of jobs
$129K - $144K
7% of jobs
$144K - $159K
5% of jobs
$159K - $174K
3% of jobs
$174K - $189K
3% of jobs
$24K
$93K
$189K
$104,863
/year
$50.41
/hour
Freelance Software Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$104,863
Columbus
Ohio
$101,287
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How much does a Freelance Software Engineer make?
As of Aug 6, 2026, the average annual pay for a Freelance Software Engineer in the United States is $104,863 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $50.41 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,016/week or $8,738/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $189,000 and as low as $24,000, the majority of Freelance Software Engineer salaries currently range between $65,000 (25th percentile) to $120,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $161,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Freelance Software Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 55000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Freelance Software Engineer in your area makes on average $101,287 per year, or $3,576 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $104,863. Ohio ranks number 42 out of 50 states nationwide for Freelance Software Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Freelance Software Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Freelance Software Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Freelance Software Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Freelance Software Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Bolinas, CA, , with Fort Belvoir, VA, and Pasadena, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Pasadena, CA, beats the national average by $29,967 (28.6%), and Bolinas, CA, furthers that trend with another $34,739 (33.1%) above the $104,863 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Freelance Software Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 6% between Bolinas, CA, and North Cowichan, BC, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Freelance Software Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Bolinas, CA | $139,602 | $67.12 |
Fort Belvoir, VA | $137,151 | $65.94 |
Pasadena, CA | $134,830 | $64.82 |
Pennington County, SD | $133,186 | $64.03 |
Kentville, NS | $133,085 | $63.98 |
Whitehorse, YT | $132,238 | $63.58 |
Haines Junction, YT | $131,710 | $63.32 |
Whittier, CA | $131,466 | $63.20 |
Santa Clarita, CA | $131,377 | $63.16 |
North Cowichan, BC | $131,322 | $63.14 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Freelance Software Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Freelance Software Engineer category.
For example Python Backend jobs pay as much as $43,370 (41.4%) more than the average Freelance Software Engineer salary of $104,863. If you're qualified, finding work as a Python Backend may help you make more money than that of the average Freelance Software Engineer position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Python Backend | $148,233 | $71.27 |
Freelance Cyber Security | $144,461 | $69.45 |
Python Data Engineer | $139,971 | $67.29 |
Ml Infrastructure Engineer | $127,066 | $61.09 |
Messaging Engineer | $100,965 | $48.54 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
