Professional Software Engineer Salary
$63.5K - $76.5K
2% of jobs
$76.5K - $89.5K
5% of jobs
$89.5K - $102.5K
7% of jobs
$102.5K - $115.5K
8% of jobs
$120.6K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$115.5K - $128.5K
8% of jobs
$128.5K - $141.5K
17% of jobs
The median wage is $144.2K / yr.
$141.5K - $154.5K
15% of jobs
$154.5K - $167.5K
3% of jobs
$172.9K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$167.5K - $180.5K
25% of jobs
$180.5K - $193.5K
1% of jobs
$193.5K - $206.5K
9% of jobs
$63.5K
$143K
$205.5K
$147,524
/year
$70.92
/hour
Professional Software Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$147,524
Columbus
Ohio
$142,493
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How much does a Professional Software Engineer make?
As of Jul 26, 2026, the average annual pay for a Professional 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 Professional 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 Professional 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 Professional 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 Professional Software Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Professional 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 Professional Software Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Professional Software Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Professional Software Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Cupertino, CA, , with Sitka, AK, and Wyoming, WY, close behind in the second and third positions. Wyoming, WY, beats the national average by $28,416 (19.3%), and Cupertino, CA, furthers that trend with another $34,482 (23.4%) 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 Professional 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 Cupertino, CA, and Buford, WY, , 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 Professional Software Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Cupertino, CA | $182,006 | $87.50 |
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 Bay Area, CA | $173,808 | $83.56 |
San Francisco, CA | $173,808 | $83.56 |
Santa Clara, CA | $173,257 | $83.30 |
Buford, WY | $173,065 | $83.20 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Professional Software Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Professional Software Engineer job category, we found that Software Engineer 3 jobs have average salaries similar than Professional Software Engineer jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Software Engineer 3 | $135,646 | $65.21 |
Software Development Engineer In Test | $113,906 | $54.76 |
Staff Supplier Quality Engineer | $111,474 | $53.59 |
Revit Engineer | $95,484 | $45.91 |
Graduate Engineer | $72,591 | $34.90 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
