The salary of a Software Engineer I in the United States varies depending on several factors, including experience, location, education level, marketing trend and company sizes.
As of April 01, 2025, the average hourly pay of Software Engineer I in the United States is $39. While Salary.com is seeing that the highest pay for Software Engineer I in the US can go up to $46 and the lowest down to $31, but most earn between $35 and $42. Salary.com shows the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of Software Engineer I in the United States.
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $42 | $4 | $1 | $0 |
| Average | $39 | $3 | $1 | $0 |
| 25th Percentile | $35 | $3 | $1 | $0 |
As of April 01, 2025, Salary.com is seeing that an entry-level Software Engineer I with under 1 year experience makes about $80,004. With less than 2 years of experience, a mid-level Software Engineer I makes around $80,837. After 2-4 years, the Software Engineer I pay rises to about $82,536. Those senior Software Engineer I with 5-8 years of experience earn roughly $82,876, and those Software Engineer I having 8 years or more experience is expected to earn about $83,102 on average.
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level Software Engineer I | $80,004 |
| Intermediate Level Software Engineer I | $80,837 |
| Senior Level Software Engineer I | $82,536 |
| Specialist Level Software Engineer I | $82,876 |
| Expert Level Software Engineer I | $83,102 |
| Entry Level | 1% |
| Mid Level | 0% |
| Senior Level | 2% |
| Top Level | 3% |
| Experienced | 3% |
Salaries in the United States can vary significantly from state to state due to a multitude of factors, including cost of living, local economic conditions, and industry presence.
For example, as of April 01, 2025, the average yearly salary of Software Engineer I is $88,913 in California and in Massachusetts, the average annual salary goes to $87,728. While in New Jersey, a Software Engineer I earns $87,373 per year.
What Am I Worth?
Salaries in the United States can vary significantly from city to city due to a multitude of factors, including cost of living, local economic conditions, and industry presence.
For example, as of April 01, 2025, the average yearly salary of Software Engineer I in San Francisco, CA is $100,674 and in New York, NY, the average annual salary goes to $93,419. While a Software Engineer I earns $89,904 per year in Boston, MA.
For those exploring the changing dynamics of Software Engineer I salaries, Salary.com offers detailed insights through our Job Trending in CA Labor Market analysis. As of April 01, 2025, our research highlights a notable shift in Software Engineer I compensation over the past six years. For instance, the median salary has moved from $84,785 in 2023 to about $84,887 in 2024 (for a comprehensive analysis of Software Engineer I salary trends, click here). It's crucial to consider several elements, including geographical location, experience level, industry demand, and economic development, as they play a significant role in influencing salary variations.
Salary.com job board provides millions of Software Engineer I information for you to search for. Click on search button below to see Software Engineer I job openings or enter a new job title here.
Here are companies hiring for Software Engineer I and their salaries, click below for more details.
| Core Compensation | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Base Salary | $80,610 | 70.5% | ||
| Bonus | $0 | 0.0% | ||
| Value of Benefits | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Social Security | $6,167 | 5.4% | ||
| 401K/403B | $3,386 | 3.0% | ||
| Disability | $1,612 | 1.4% | ||
| Healthcare | $8,352 | 7.3% | ||
| Pension | $4,353 | 3.8% | ||
| Time Off | $9,921 | 8.7% | ||
| Total Compensation | $114,401 | 100% | ||
| Degree Level | % of user with this level of education |
|---|---|
| No Diploma | 0.3% |
| High School | 1.8% |
| Associates | 2.5% |
| Bachelors | 58.4% |
| Masters | 34.0% |
| Doctorate | 3.0% |
What Am I Worth?
Designs and develops software applications. Performs coding, debugging, testing and troubleshooting throughout the application development process. Requires a bachelor's degree. Typically reports to a manager. Works on projects/matters of limited complexity in a support role. Work is closely managed. Typically requires 0-2 years of related experience.
Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.
Analysis: Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
JavaScript: Using JavaScript in the development and maintenance of Web-based application systems.
Linux: Managing a system's hardware and resources using a Unix-like open-source operating system.
