Entry-level software engineer salary
The median posted base pay for entry-level software engineer jobs is $140K a year, from 176 open jobs at 111 companies. The middle half of the jobs is from $115K to $150K. One job in ten has posted pay above $171K.
- Median posted base pay
- $140K
- Middle half of the jobs
- $115K to $150K
- 10th to 90th percentile
- $92K to $171K
- Open jobs with posted pay
- 176
- Companies
- 111
Software engineer pay by level
Posted base pay for software engineer jobs, by the level in the job title. This page is about the entry-level level. A level needs 20 or more jobs with posted pay.
- Intern29 jobs$123K$113K to $132K
- Entry level176 jobs$140K$115K to $150K
- Level not stated6,588 jobs$175K$143K to $210K
- Senior4,275 jobs$193K$168K to $220K
- Staff1,568 jobs$230K$205K to $262K
- Principal437 jobs$238K$206K to $281K
- Director+512 jobs$248K$208K to $288K
| Level | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | Jobs with pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intern | $88K | $113K | $123K | $132K | $149K | 29 |
| Entry level | $92K | $115K | $140K | $150K | $171K | 176 |
| Level not stated | $115K | $143K | $175K | $210K | $250K | 6,588 |
| Senior | $141K | $168K | $193K | $220K | $244K | 4,275 |
| Staff | $181K | $205K | $230K | $262K | $293K | 1,568 |
| Principal | $175K | $206K | $238K | $281K | $322K | 437 |
| Director+ | $170K | $208K | $248K | $288K | $333K | 512 |
Top-paying companies for entry-level software engineer jobs
The companies with the highest median posted base pay for entry-level software engineer jobs. A company name opens its levels in the pay explorer.
- 1Palantir Technologies$145K12 jobs
- 2Applied Intuition$141K6 jobs
- 3Freedom Technology Solutions Group$140K5 jobs
- 4Anduril Industries$131K9 jobs
- 5Shield AI$116K13 jobs
Entry-level software engineer pay by US region
The median posted base pay for entry-level software engineer jobs in each US region, compared with the median of all US jobs.
- Bay Area57 jobs+4%$146K
- New York34 jobs+4%$145K
- Other US cities91 jobs−11%$125K
| Region | Median posted base pay | Against the US median | Jobs with pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bay Area | $146K | +4% | 57 |
| New York | $145K | +4% | 34 |
| Other US cities | $125K | −11% | 91 |
| All US jobs | $140K | 0% | 169 |
Related pay pages
Other levels
By place
How we compute these numbers
We read each job from the job board of the company and check it every day. We use only open jobs that state a yearly pay range in US dollars. One job counts with the middle point of its posted range. The median is the middle value of these amounts: half of the jobs are above it and half are below it.
We do not use a range with a bottom below $15,000, a top above $1,000,000, or a top that is more than four times the bottom. A role page needs 20 or more open jobs with posted pay. In the bar chart, a company needs 5 or more jobs with posted pay.
The numbers are base pay as the company posted it. They are not the pay of a person, and they do not include stock, a bonus or benefits. For the stock and the bonus that people reported, see Reported pay.