Software Engineer Contractor 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
Software Engineer Contractor Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$147,524
Columbus
Ohio
$142,493
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How much does a Software Engineer Contractor make?
As of May 28, 2026, the average annual pay for a Software Engineer Contractor 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 Software Engineer Contractor 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 Software Engineer Contractor 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 Software Engineer Contractor 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 Software Engineer Contractor salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Software Engineer Contractor 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 Contractor on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Software Engineer Contractor Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Software Engineer Contractor job is above the national average. Topping the list is Scotts Valley, CA, , with Nome, AK, and Cupertino, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Cupertino, CA, beats the national average by $34,482 (23.4%), and Scotts Valley, CA, furthers that trend with another $43,385 (29.4%) 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 Software Engineer Contractor appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 9% between Scotts Valley, CA, and San Francisco Bay Area, 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 Software Engineer Contractor role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Scotts Valley, CA | $190,909 | $91.78 |
Nome, AK | $183,002 | $87.98 |
Cupertino, CA | $182,006 | $87.50 |
Berkeley, CA | $180,634 | $86.84 |
San Carlos, CA | $178,133 | $85.64 |
Sitka, AK | $177,719 | $85.44 |
Wyoming, WY | $175,940 | $84.59 |
Mountain View, CA | $173,942 | $83.63 |
Menlo Park, CA | $173,850 | $83.58 |
San Francisco Bay Area, CA | $173,808 | $83.56 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Software Engineer Contractor Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Software Engineer Contractor job category, we found that 2023 Software Engineer jobs have average salaries similar than Software Engineer Contractor jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
2023 Software Engineer | $147,524 | $70.92 |
Hcl | $119,100 | $57.26 |
Application Engineer I | $110,698 | $53.22 |
Application Software Developer | $109,490 | $52.64 |
Microsoft Software Engineering | $103,126 | $49.58 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
