Staff Software Engineer
Staff Software Engineer Salary
$60.5K - $75K
9% of jobs
$75K - $89.5K
1% of jobs
$89.5K - $104K
3% of jobs
$104K - $118.5K
5% of jobs
$118.5K - $133K
8% of jobs
$133.1K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$133K - $147.5K
13% of jobs
$147.5K - $162K
11% of jobs
The median wage is $162.4K / yr.
$162K - $176.5K
18% of jobs
$185.8K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$176.5K - $191K
12% of jobs
$191K - $205.5K
11% of jobs
$205.5K - $220K
9% of jobs
$60.5K
$164K
$220K
$161,148
/year
$77.47
/hour
Staff Software Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$161,148
Columbus
Ohio
$155,652
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How much does a Staff Software Engineer make?
As of Aug 7, 2026, the average annual pay for a Staff Software Engineer in the United States is $161,148 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $77.47 an hour. This is the equivalent of $3,099/week or $13,429/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $220,000 and as low as $60,500, the majority of Staff Software Engineer salaries currently range between $134,500 (25th percentile) to $190,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $211,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Staff Software Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 56000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Staff Software Engineer in your area makes on average $155,652 per year, or $5,496 (3.411%) less than the national average annual salary of $161,148. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Staff Software Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Staff 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 Staff Software Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Staff Software Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Staff Software Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Summit, NJ, , with Cupertino, CA, and Mercer Island, WA, close behind in the second and third positions. Mercer Island, WA, beats the national average by $36,214 (22.5%), and Summit, NJ, furthers that trend with another $48,476 (30.1%) above the $161,148 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Staff 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 8% between Summit, NJ, and Holdrege, NE, , 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 Staff Software Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Summit, NJ | $209,624 | $100.78 |
Cupertino, CA | $198,815 | $95.58 |
Mercer Island, WA | $197,362 | $94.89 |
Berkeley, CA | $197,316 | $94.86 |
Redwood City, CA | $197,302 | $94.86 |
Marlton, NJ | $194,922 | $93.71 |
Aspen, CO | $194,782 | $93.65 |
San Carlos, CA | $194,584 | $93.55 |
Sitka, AK | $194,131 | $93.33 |
Holdrege, NE | $193,033 | $92.80 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Staff Software Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Staff Software Engineer job category, we found that Erlang jobs have average salaries similar than Staff Software Engineer jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Erlang | $152,782 | $73.45 |
Javascript Software Engineer | $142,399 | $68.46 |
Openstack Developer | $134,620 | $64.72 |
Sr Software Developer | $128,400 | $61.73 |
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.
