Software Developer Salary

Software Developers earn a median $135,980 a year nationally. Computer and Mathematical Occupations

U.S. median

$135,980

$65.38 per hour

Range

$82,460 – $214,670

10th to 90th percentile

Employed

1,687,890

across the U.S.

Software Developer take-home pay calculator

Starts at the national median. Pick your state to see your real paycheck.

Your take-home pay

$104,208

per year · effective tax rate 23.4%

$8,684Monthly

$4,342Twice a month

$4,008Every 2 weeks

$50.10Hourly

Federal income tax$21,369
Social Security (6.2%)$8,431
Medicare (1.45%)$1,972
Texas income tax$0
Take-home pay$104,208

Marginal rate: 24% federal + 0.00% state

Pay by experience

Percentile	Salary	Hourly	Take-home (no state tax)
10th percentile (entry level)	$82,460	$39.64	$66,841
25th percentile	$105,210	$50.58	$82,845
Median (50th)	$135,980	$65.38	$104,208
75th percentile	$171,980	$82.68	$128,814
90th percentile (top earners)	$214,670	$103.21	$159,731

Best cities for software developers (after tax & cost of living)

#	Metro area	Median	Take-home	Real value*	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$213,110	$140,222	$126,987	87,350
2	Manchester, NH	$162,090	$122,055	$115,520	4,370
3	Seattle, WA	$167,280	$125,602	$113,019	92,770
4	Boulder, CO	$164,560	$117,211	$111,415	7,130
5	El Paso, TX	$127,310	$98,282	$109,310	1,360
6	Boston, MA	$166,090	$116,704	$107,794	42,310
7	Ames, IA	$129,440	$95,471	$107,476	470
8	Bridgeport, CT	$162,650	$114,828	$107,453	3,090
9	San Francisco, CA	$186,640	$123,413	$106,747	69,030
10	Memphis, TN	$125,580	$97,100	$105,338	2,270
11	Bremerton, WA	$146,200	$111,194	$105,290	690
12	Rochester, MN	$134,450	$95,441	$105,087	1,840
13	Austin, TX	$134,120	$102,937	$104,967	31,960
14	Killeen, TX	$123,320	$95,555	$104,854	470
15	San Antonio, TX	$128,430	$99,048	$104,574	8,010
16	Crestview, FL	$130,640	$100,558	$103,635	1,380
17	New York, NY	$166,830	$116,492	$103,490	121,000
18	Corpus Christi, TX	$123,580	$95,733	$103,304	520
19	Peoria, IL	$130,590	$94,205	$103,260	1,650
20	Waco, TX	$123,080	$95,391	$103,070	490
21	Knoxville, TN	$121,750	$94,481	$102,066	2,390
22	Des Moines, IA	$126,460	$93,548	$102,014	4,240
23	Worcester, MA	$146,950	$104,579	$102,005	1,800
24	Charlotte, NC	$135,920	$99,253	$101,957	20,820
25	Asheville, NC	$134,350	$98,242	$101,799	780

*Take-home pay in U.S.-average dollars (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Highest-paying cities

San Jose, CA — $213,110
San Francisco, CA — $186,640
Seattle, WA — $167,280
New York, NY — $166,830
Boston, MA — $166,090
Boulder, CO — $164,560
San Diego, CA — $163,270
Bridgeport, CT — $162,650
Manchester, NH — $162,090
Los Angeles, CA — $160,920
Oxnard, CA — $159,430
Santa Maria, CA — $158,290
Santa Cruz, CA — $156,910
Portland, OR — $156,000
Washington, DC — $154,930

Software Developer salary by state

State	Median	Take-home	Range	Jobs
California	$174,410	$116,217	$105,060 – $239,200+	284,390
Washington	$166,540	$125,096	$96,810 – $239,200+	107,030
New York	$166,180	$116,086	$97,430 – $224,590	113,510
Massachusetts	$165,210	$116,147	$102,810 – $213,970	48,190
Oregon	$142,720	$96,986	$83,070 – $213,540	21,830
New Hampshire	$139,720	$106,765	$92,510 – $205,370	10,840
Maryland	$138,680	$99,732	$87,690 – $222,610	31,350
Colorado	$138,390	$100,475	$96,480 – $213,010	43,320
District of Columbia	$136,880	$96,157	$85,140 – $197,000	6,120
Virginia	$136,460	$97,504	$83,350 – $211,930	88,280
New Jersey	$135,940	$97,712	$84,880 – $207,200	51,570
North Carolina	$134,710	$98,474	$83,840 – $179,310	58,470
Connecticut	$134,120	$97,040	$85,930 – $205,160	13,660
Delaware	$133,020	$94,747	$96,620 – $174,390	3,380
Texas	$132,150	$101,591	$82,600 – $183,680	163,880
Illinois	$132,110	$95,169	$80,980 – $194,740	56,310
Idaho	$131,590	$95,342	$71,030 – $178,980	5,750
Georgia	$131,010	$94,635	$80,110 – $176,000	49,700
Florida	$130,980	$100,791	$80,050 – $204,400	87,890
Rhode Island	$130,590	$95,923	$83,540 – $168,630	5,070
Minnesota	$130,050	$92,779	$79,900 – $169,810	35,890
Arizona	$129,690	$96,876	$81,740 – $178,500	38,050
South Carolina	$129,450	$93,135	$76,010 – $212,460	13,230
Nevada	$128,810	$99,308	$73,990 – $194,470	4,520
Utah	$128,810	$94,477	$77,810 – $177,970	31,940
Pennsylvania	$126,550	$93,878	$77,750 – $178,080	55,920
Missouri	$126,120	$92,479	$72,570 – $169,340	20,020
Michigan	$125,570	$92,007	$78,930 – $166,510	43,460
Vermont	$125,280	$91,087	$82,480 – $209,420	1,740
New Mexico	$124,520	$91,605	$77,110 – $184,710	3,960
Hawaii	$124,040	$88,150	$64,690 – $238,930	1,600
Maine	$123,120	$88,111	$82,930 – $179,990	2,790
Wisconsin	$122,660	$89,984	$77,710 – $168,630	21,730
Alabama	$122,540	$89,160	$71,590 – $175,330	17,450
Tennessee	$122,430	$94,947	$75,280 – $166,380	19,030
Montana	$121,990	$89,115	$73,370 – $221,400	2,160
West Virginia	$121,000	$89,056	$60,480 – $168,620	2,650
Oklahoma	$118,100	$87,144	$75,190 – $169,700	6,880
Wyoming	$115,170	$89,852	$72,950 – $156,620	1,510
Iowa	$114,890	$85,941	$74,390 – $165,880	9,040
Ohio	$114,090	$86,737	$77,790 – $168,400	44,790
Kansas	$113,420	$83,092	$71,690 – $165,740	13,580
Nebraska	$110,900	$82,682	$77,520 – $158,720	7,260
Kentucky	$109,010	$81,821	$76,310 – $168,110	7,660
Indiana	$105,920	$80,250	$74,850 – $164,650	14,130
North Dakota	$105,600	$82,320	$62,900 – $158,060	1,450
Arkansas	$104,490	$78,476	$60,570 – $162,380	6,050
Louisiana	$102,800	$78,452	$66,350 – $151,780	4,080
South Dakota	$96,310	$76,584	$65,530 – $160,380	2,380
Mississippi	$95,330	$72,813	$44,700 – $158,300	1,880

Frequently asked questions

How much does a software developer make?

The national median salary for software developers is $135,980 a year ($65.38 an hour). The lowest-paid 10% earn under $82,460 and the top 10% earn over $214,670. Source: BLS, May 2025.

Which state pays software developers the most?

California has the highest median pay at $174,410. After taxes and local prices, San Jose, CA offers the best real take-home pay of any metro area.

How many software developers are there in the U.S.?

About 1,687,890 people work as software developers nationwide.

All 184 cities