Mainframe Software Engineer Salary
$21K - $33K
3% of jobs
$33K - $45K
0% of jobs
$45K - $57K
0% of jobs
$57K - $69K
1% of jobs
$69K - $81K
3% of jobs
$81K - $93K
12% of jobs
$96.9K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$93K - $105K
20% of jobs
The median wage is $110.4K / yr.
$105K - $117K
26% of jobs
$124.9K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$117K - $129K
17% of jobs
$129K - $141K
11% of jobs
$141K - $153K
8% of jobs
$21K
$110K
$151K
$111,026
/year
$53.38
/hour
Mainframe Software Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$111,026
Columbus
Ohio
$107,240
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How much does a Mainframe Software Engineer make?
As of Jun 10, 2026, the average annual pay for a Mainframe Software Engineer in the United States is $111,026 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $53.38 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,135/week or $9,252/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $151,000 and as low as $21,000, the majority of Mainframe Software Engineer salaries currently range between $98,000 (25th percentile) to $126,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $142,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Mainframe Software Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 28000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Mainframe Software Engineer in your area makes on average $107,240 per year, or $3,786 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $111,026. Ohio ranks number 43 out of 50 states nationwide for Mainframe Software Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Mainframe 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 Mainframe Software Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Mainframe Software Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Mainframe Software Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Wales, AK, , with Nome, AK, and Cupertino, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Cupertino, CA, beats the national average by $25,952 (23.4%), and Wales, AK, furthers that trend with another $27,149 (24.5%) above the $111,026 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Mainframe 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 5% between Wales, AK, and Pennington County, SD, , 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 Mainframe Software Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Wales, AK | $138,175 | $66.43 |
Nome, AK | $137,727 | $66.21 |
Cupertino, CA | $136,978 | $65.85 |
San Diego, CA | $136,184 | $65.47 |
California City, CA | $136,167 | $65.46 |
Berkeley, CA | $135,945 | $65.36 |
Sitka, AK | $133,751 | $64.30 |
Laurel, MD | $131,567 | $63.25 |
Mountain View, CA | $130,975 | $62.97 |
Pennington County, SD | $130,945 | $62.95 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Mainframe Software Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Mainframe Software Engineer category.
For example Contract Cobol Programmer jobs pay as much as $10,135 (9.1%) more than the average Mainframe Software Engineer salary of $111,026. If you're qualified, finding work as a Contract Cobol Programmer may help you make more money than that of the average Mainframe Software Engineer position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Contract Cobol Programmer | $121,161 | $58.25 |
Cobol Engineer | $118,624 | $57.03 |
Jcl | $115,241 | $55.40 |
Mainframe Programmer | $112,558 | $54.11 |
Senior Cobol Programmer | $108,736 | $52.28 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
