Software Engineer 1 Salary
$11K - $26K
0% of jobs
$39.9K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$26K - $41K
27% of jobs
$41K - $56K
0% of jobs
$56K - $71K
8% of jobs
$71K - $86K
13% of jobs
The median wage is $90.6K / yr.
$86K - $101K
6% of jobs
$101K - $116K
0% of jobs
$116K - $131K
0% of jobs
$131K - $146K
0% of jobs
$146K - $161K
0% of jobs
$167.9K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$161K - $176K
46% of jobs
$11K
$176.5K
$114,802
/year
$55.19
/hour
Software Engineer 1 Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$114,802
Columbus
Ohio
$110,887
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How much does a Software Engineer 1 make?
As of Jul 30, 2026, the average annual pay for a Software Engineer 1 in the United States is $114,802 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $55.19 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,207/week or $9,566/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $176,500 and as low as $11,000, the majority of Software Engineer 1 salaries currently range between $34,500 (25th percentile) to $173,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $175,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Software Engineer 1 varies little (about 138500), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.
A Software Engineer 1 in your area makes on average $110,887 per year, or $3,915 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $114,802. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Software Engineer 1 salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Software Engineer 1 jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Software Engineer 1 on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Software Engineer 1 Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Software Engineer 1 job is above the national average. Topping the list is Pennington County, SD, , with Kent, WA, and Nome, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Nome, AK, beats the national average by $27,609 (24.0%), and Pennington County, SD, furthers that trend with another $29,702 (25.9%) above the $114,802 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Software Engineer 1 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 Pennington County, SD, and Elkridge, MD, , 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 Software Engineer 1 role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Pennington County, SD | $144,504 | $69.47 |
Kent, WA | $144,086 | $69.27 |
Nome, AK | $142,411 | $68.47 |
Cupertino, CA | $141,636 | $68.09 |
Yonkers, NY | $140,750 | $67.67 |
Redwood City, CA | $140,558 | $67.58 |
Sitka, AK | $138,300 | $66.49 |
South San Francisco, CA | $137,955 | $66.32 |
Minnetonka, MN | $136,838 | $65.79 |
Elkridge, MD | $135,580 | $65.18 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Software Engineer 1 Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Software Engineer 1 job category, we found that Senior Software Manager jobs have average salaries greater than Software Engineer 1 jobs.
Significantly, Senior Software Manager jobs pay $12,320 (10.7%) more than the average Software Engineer 1 salary of $114,802. If you're qualified, finding work as a Senior Software Manager may help you make more money than that of the average Software Engineer 1 position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Senior Software Manager | $127,122 | $61.12 |
Application Engineer I | $110,698 | $53.22 |
Developer 1 | $109,905 | $52.84 |
Microsoft Software Engineering | $103,126 | $49.58 |
Junior Ruby Developer | $88,976 | $42.78 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
