Engineering · National (US)
Software Engineer Salary
The broadest technical role in the industry, spanning product feature work to platform engineering. Compensation varies more by company tier and equity treatment than by the work itself.
- 25th percentile
- $132k
- Median
- $168k
- 75th percentile
- $214k
- 90th percentile
- $268k
By level
Compensation by level
| Level | Experience | P25 | Median | P90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry (L1–L2) | 0–2 yrs | $98k | $118k | $162k |
| Mid (L3) | 2–5 yrs | $132k | $158k | $214k |
| Senior (L4) | 5–8 yrs | $172k | $205k | $288k |
| Staff (L5) | 8–12 yrs | $225k | $268k | $385k |
| Principal (L6+) | 12+ yrs | $295k | $352k | $540k |
Core skills
System designOne primary language in depthTesting and code reviewDebugging in productionVersion control and CI
Typical responsibilities
- Ship and maintain production features
- Review peers' code and designs
- Own on-call for services you build
- Break large problems into deliverable increments
Equity
Equity typically adds 15–40% of base at venture-backed companies and 10–25% at public companies, vesting over four years.
Bonus
Annual bonus targets run 10–15% at most technology companies; higher at finance-adjacent employers.
By city
Software Engineer salary by market
National band adjusted for local market conditions.
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