Salary data · BLS OEWS May 2025
Software engineer salary, from real data
No scraped averages, no self-reported guesses. Every figure below is an estimate published from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' official employer wage survey — with the methodology stated openly.
The band
Software Developers: $105,210 – $171,980
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 edition (United States, national, all industries; USD per year; retrieved 2026-09-11). Percentiles published exactly as BLS reports them.
25th percentile (estimate)
$105,210
Early-career earners nationally
Median (estimate)
$135,980
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile (estimate)
$171,980
Experienced earners nationally
Estimate, not a quote. These percentiles describe what U.S. software developers actually earn nationally. Your offer will differ by employer, city, industry, and negotiation — use this as a research starting point, not a demand.
Methodology
How experience maps onto the band
The data is real. The BLS figures above are published unchanged. BLS does not, however, publish wages by years of experience — so our estimator uses a disclosed model to place you inside the band:
- 0–2 years → 25th percentile ($105,210)
- 3–5 years → midpoint between 25th percentile and median
- 6–10 years → median ($135,980)
- 11–14 years → midpoint between median and 75th percentile
- 15+ years → 75th percentile ($171,980)
This mapping is our model, not BLS data. It is a reasonable, openly disclosed approximation. Try it live on the free salary estimator.
FAQ
Software engineer salary questions
- What is the median salary for a software engineer?
- As an estimate: the median annual wage for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) is $135,980, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 edition. That means half of U.S. workers in the occupation earn more and half earn less. It is a national figure across all industries — an estimate, not a quote for any individual offer.
- Where does this salary data come from?
- Every figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 edition (retrieved 2026-09-11) — the U.S. government's official survey of employer-reported wages. We publish the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile exactly as BLS reports them: $105,210 / $135,980 / $171,980.
- How does experience affect the estimate?
- BLS does not publish wages by years of experience, so we use a disclosed model on the estimator: 0–2 years of experience maps to the 25th percentile, 6–10 years to the median, and 15+ years to the 75th percentile, with the in-between bands at the midpoints. This is our reasonable approximation, not BLS data — and we label it as such.
- Why might my actual offer differ from these numbers?
- These are national estimates across all industries. Real offers move with city and state, industry (finance and tech often pay above the national median), company size, specific skills, and negotiation. Treat the band as a starting point for research, not a salary demand.
- Is this salary page free to use?
- Yes — no account, no email, no payment. If the numbers make you curious what roles you could target, our free career report goes deeper.
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