2027 Salary Guide · Technology
Federal wage data has no senior tier: BLS reports all software developers as one occupation, with a May 2025 median of $135,980. Senior engineers typically sit in its 75th to 90th percentile, $171,980 to $214,670, or about $183,000 to $228,000 in 2027 terms. Where that senior band starts depends heavily on the metro: in San Francisco the 75th percentile alone is $219,670.
Senior band by metro
The 75th and 90th percentile for software developers in the ten metros with the highest upper quartile. These are the most useful local benchmarks for a senior offer.
| Metro | 75th percentile | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | $219,670 | $273,400 |
| Seattle | $211,860 | $257,960 |
| New York City | $205,970 | $224,590 |
| Baltimore | $200,910 | $223,550 |
| San Diego | $193,980 | $223,260 |
| Los Angeles | $191,540 | $223,150 |
| Boston | $183,740 | $214,100 |
| Washington, DC | $176,230 | $213,660 |
| Portland | $174,050 | $213,540 |
| Denver | $171,350 | $209,300 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, Software Developers (15-1252), metropolitan area estimates. National 75th and 90th percentiles: $171,980 and $214,670.
Local pay
The table shows medians; for senior roles, read each metro's upper percentiles. San Francisco's 90th percentile is $273,400 and Seattle's is $257,960. New York has the most software developers, about 121,000, followed by Seattle at about 92,770.
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | $186,640 +37% | $128,090 – $273,400 | 69,030 |
| Seattle | $167,280 +23% | $99,190 – $257,960 | 92,770 |
| New York City | $166,830 +23% | $101,690 – $224,590 | 121,000 |
| Boston | $166,090 +22% | $102,950 – $214,100 | 42,310 |
| San Diego | $163,270 +20% | $95,420 – $223,260 | 20,610 |
| Los Angeles | $160,920 +18% | $98,270 – $223,150 | 55,540 |
| Portland | $156,000 +15% | $94,040 – $213,540 | 18,260 |
| Washington, DC | $154,930 +14% | $96,450 – $213,660 | 69,060 |
| Baltimore | $138,900 +2% | $87,290 – $223,550 | 16,850 |
| Denver | $137,610 +1% | $99,700 – $209,300 | 27,010 |
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | $135,920 +-0% | $93,690 – $172,360 | 20,820 |
| Chicago | $134,380 -1% | $83,820 – $203,410 | 40,370 |
| Austin | $134,120 -1% | $96,110 – $209,890 | 31,960 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $133,290 -2% | $85,920 – $179,400 | 67,030 |
| Philadelphia | $133,040 -2% | $82,960 – $190,180 | 28,480 |
| Atlanta | $132,960 -2% | $83,400 – $178,330 | 36,300 |
| Raleigh | $132,770 -2% | $80,080 – $185,110 | 12,580 |
| Miami | $132,650 -2% | $80,440 – $199,280 | 18,900 |
| Hartford | $132,520 -3% | $86,800 – $176,390 | 6,010 |
| Phoenix | $131,750 -3% | $82,500 – $180,460 | 29,380 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | $130,920 -4% | $83,020 – $170,060 | 27,410 |
| Detroit | $130,760 -4% | $82,720 – $167,490 | 24,870 |
| Providence | $130,690 -4% | $84,130 – $172,090 | 5,020 |
| Tampa | $130,450 -4% | $78,480 – $207,330 | 14,230 |
| Houston | $129,440 -5% | $80,400 – $181,770 | 22,940 |
| Albany | $127,910 -6% | $80,800 – $178,120 | 3,280 |
| Buffalo | $127,850 -6% | $79,080 – $172,730 | 3,960 |
| Nashville | $126,610 -7% | $78,410 – $169,070 | 7,750 |
| Pittsburgh | $124,500 -8% | $76,030 – $191,710 | 10,320 |
BLS metro estimates, May 2025. Percent compares the metro median with the national median. "Jobs" is BLS estimated employment in the metro; blank where BLS does not publish it.
Pay distribution
These percentiles cover every software developer in the BLS survey, junior to principal. The shaded band, the 75th to 90th percentile, is where senior engineer pay usually falls.
Typical for the Senior Software Engineer title: $171,980 to $214,670 (75th to 90th percentile of Software Developers)
| Percentile | BLS, May 2025 | 2027 planning estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $82,460 | $87,500 |
| 25th percentile | $105,210 | $112,000 |
| Median | $135,980 | $144,500 |
| 75th percentile | $171,980 | $183,000 |
| 90th percentile | $214,670 | $228,000 |
BLS does not split software developers by seniority; senior engineers typically sit in the 75th to 90th percentile.
Reading the data
The federal wage survey asks employers what they pay people in each occupation, not at each level. A new graduate and a 15-year principal engineer are both counted as software developers. That is why this page uses percentiles: the senior label maps to the upper part of the distribution, not to a separate figure.
The 75th percentile is a reasonable floor for a senior title at most employers, and the 90th percentile approximates the staff and principal levels above it. By definition, one in ten software developers earns more than the national 90th percentile of $214,670.
BLS measures wages rather than total compensation. At public tech companies a large share of senior pay comes as stock grants, which are outside these figures. Use the BLS numbers to compare base pay, and evaluate equity separately.
Outlook
BLS projects much faster than average growth for software developers and about 95,300 openings a year across 1,717,800 jobs. Projections are not broken out by level, but every senior hire comes from this same pool.
BLS Employment Projections via O*NET OnLine. Projections cover Software Developers as a whole.
For hiring managers
Years of experience is a weak proxy. Write down whether the role leads design for a system, mentors others or owns production services.
A senior offer at the local median will look like a mid-level offer to candidates. The table above shows where that line is in each hub.
Candidates compare base salaries directly. If equity is part of the package, show its value and vesting schedule clearly.
When it is unclear whether a role needs a senior or staff engineer, a contract-to-hire arrangement lets both sides test the fit first.
Compare
At the median, product managers ($166,790) out-earn software developers, and AI engineers ($140,300) and data engineers ($139,500) sit slightly above them. The senior software band overlaps all three.
| Role | BLS median | 2027 estimate | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Software Engineer | $135,980 | $144,500 | Much faster than average |
| Software Engineer | $135,980 | $144,500 | Much faster than average |
| AI Engineer | $140,300 | $149,000 | Much faster than average |
| Data Engineer | $139,500 | $148,500 | Much faster than average |
| Product Manager | $166,790 | $177,500 | Much faster than average |
FAQ
Although BLS does not report pay by seniority, senior engineers typically fall in the 75th to 90th percentile for software developers: $171,980 to $214,670 in May 2025. Projected forward two years at 3.1% a year, that band is about $183,000 to $228,000 in 2027.
For software developers in the San Francisco Bay Area, the 75th percentile was $219,670 and the 90th was $273,400 in May 2025, the highest of the 29 metros in this guide. The Bay Area median, $186,640, is already above the national 75th percentile.
Using BLS percentiles as a guide, the gap between the national median ($135,980) and the 75th percentile ($171,980) is about $36,000. The step from the 75th to the 90th percentile ($214,670) adds about $42,700 more. Actual gaps vary by employer.
Not fully. BLS reports wages, not total compensation, so equity grants and bonuses not tied to output are left out. At large public tech companies stock can be a major part of senior pay, which means BLS figures understate total pay there even though base salaries are captured.
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