Phd Software Engineer

Phd Software Engineer Salary

$63.5K

$143K

$205.5K

$147,524

/year

$70.92

/hour

Phd Software Engineer Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$147,524

Columbus

Ohio

$142,493

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    How much does a Phd Software Engineer make?

    As of Jul 26, 2026, the average annual pay for a Phd Software Engineer in the United States is $147,524 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $70.92 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,837/week or $12,293/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $205,500 and as low as $63,500, the majority of Phd Software Engineer salaries currently range between $120,000 (25th percentile) to $173,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $205,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Phd Software Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 53000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    A Phd Software Engineer in your area makes on average $142,493 per year, or $5,031 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $147,524. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Phd Software Engineer salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Phd 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 Phd Software Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Phd Software Engineer Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Phd Software Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Nome, AK, , with Cupertino, CA, and Berkeley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Berkeley, CA, beats the national average by $33,110 (22.4%), and Nome, AK, furthers that trend with another $35,478 (24.0%) above the $147,524 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Phd 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 Nome, AK, and Santa Clara, CA, , 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 Phd Software Engineer role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Nome, AK

    $183,002

    $87.98

    Cupertino, CA

    $182,006

    $87.50

    Berkeley, CA

    $180,634

    $86.84

    Sitka, AK

    $177,719

    $85.44

    Wyoming, WY

    $175,940

    $84.59

    Mountain View, CA

    $175,555

    $84.40

    Palo Alto, CA

    $173,855

    $83.58

    Menlo Park, CA

    $173,850

    $83.58

    San Francisco, CA

    $173,808

    $83.56

    Santa Clara, CA

    $173,257

    $83.30

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Phd Software Engineer Jobs in the U.S.

    Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Phd Software Engineer job category, we found that Robotics Software Engineer jobs have average salaries similar than Phd Software Engineer jobs.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Robotics Software Engineer

    $124,523

    $59.87

    Robotics Application Engineer

    $110,698

    $53.22

    Google Robotics Engineer

    $105,605

    $50.77

    Rpa Sensor Operator

    $74,097

    $35.62

    Robot Operator

    $38,877

    $18.69

    About Our Data

    ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

    Infographic detailing Phd Software Engineer salary across the United States as of July 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $147,524 per year or $70.92 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.