Software Engineer Level 1 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 Level 1 Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$147,524
Columbus
Ohio
$142,493
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How much does a Software Engineer Level 1 make?
As of Jul 26, 2026, the average annual pay for a Software Engineer Level 1 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 Level 1 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 Level 1 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 Level 1 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 Level 1 salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Software Engineer Level 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 Level 1 on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Software Engineer Level 1 Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Software Engineer Level 1 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 Software Engineer Level 1 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 Software Engineer Level 1 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 Software Engineer Level 1 Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Software Engineer Level 1 job category, we found that Lead Embedded Software Engineer jobs have average salaries similar than Software Engineer Level 1 jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Lead Embedded Software Engineer | $133,293 | $64.08 |
Embedded Firmware Engineer | $122,008 | $58.66 |
Linux Kernel Engineer | $114,500 | $55.05 |
Software Development Engineer Test Sdet | $113,906 | $54.76 |
Module Process Engineer | $92,018 | $44.24 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
