Software Developer salaries across 49 U.S. cities, from BLS wage data: median and 10th-90th percentiles.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS) & BEA Regional Price Parities · Updated June 2026
Negotiating your offer? See where your pay sits for your job and metro and turn it into a counter-offer script with the Salary Negotiation Brief ($19, our product).
Across the 49 U.S. metros tracked here, Software Developer pay ranges from about $103,480 in Tulsa, OK to $199,100 in San Jose, CA (median wage). The U.S. national average for this role is about $138,110.
The table below ranks every metro by median wage. “Real pay” adjusts each salary for local cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parity, U.S. = 100) so you can compare what the paycheck is actually worth. See our methodology for sources and formulas.
| City | Median | 10th %ile | 90th %ile | Cost of living (US = 100) | Real pay (COL-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $199,100 | $135,850 | — | 110.4 | $180,344 |
| San Francisco, CA | $172,340 | $124,790 | — | 115.6 | $149,083 |
| Seattle, WA | $167,030 | $100,510 | $219,440 | 111.1 | $150,342 |
| Boston, MA | $159,827 | $80,849 | $215,111 | 108.3 | $147,578 |
| Long Beach, CA | $153,560 | $94,840 | $209,590 | 113.6 | $135,176 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $153,560 | $94,840 | $209,590 | 113.6 | $135,176 |
| San Diego, CA | $152,600 | $89,440 | $208,450 | 111.9 | $136,372 |
| New York, NY | $149,090 | $86,310 | $215,420 | 112.6 | $132,407 |
| Sacramento, CA | $142,240 | $90,370 | $204,740 | 106.7 | $133,308 |
| Washington, DC | $141,510 | $84,670 | $209,700 | 108.9 | $129,945 |
| Baltimore, MD | $138,370 | $87,270 | $219,460 | 104.5 | $132,411 |
| Charlotte, NC | $135,750 | $81,640 | $176,950 | 97.3 | $139,517 |
| Fort Worth, TX | $135,735 | $71,668 | $180,581 | 103.1 | $131,654 |
| Denver, CO | $134,990 | $89,200 | $191,070 | 105.8 | $127,590 |
| Portland, OR | $132,870 | $78,540 | $182,730 | 105.4 | $126,063 |
| Raleigh, NC | $132,000 | $80,730 | $185,180 | 98.2 | $134,420 |
| Austin, TX | $131,320 | $77,600 | $181,260 | 98.1 | $133,863 |
| Atlanta, GA | $129,700 | $75,930 | $174,380 | 100.1 | $129,570 |
| Arlington, TX | $129,490 | $77,350 | $172,580 | — | — |
| Dallas, TX | $129,490 | $77,350 | $172,580 | 103.1 | $125,597 |
| Miami, FL | $129,330 | $68,770 | $179,110 | 114.2 | $113,249 |
| Chicago, IL | $129,180 | $78,570 | $170,130 | 103.6 | $124,691 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $128,770 | $74,420 | $185,140 | 95.5 | $134,838 |
| Fresno, CA | $127,900 | $72,870 | $175,450 | 102.2 | $125,147 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $127,720 | $79,980 | $165,930 | 104.8 | $121,870 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $127,690 | $84,260 | $186,740 | 100.7 | $126,802 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $127,150 | $79,820 | $169,960 | 102.6 | $123,928 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $125,890 | $77,470 | $173,620 | 103.3 | $121,868 |
| Mesa, AZ | $125,890 | $77,470 | $173,620 | 103.3 | $121,868 |
| Houston, TX | $125,720 | $71,310 | $173,900 | 98.6 | $127,505 |
| San Antonio, TX | $124,600 | $70,870 | $164,700 | 94.7 | $131,573 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $121,830 | $76,170 | $216,070 | 100.2 | $121,587 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $121,250 | $65,590 | $170,260 | 99.5 | $121,859 |
| Nashville, TN | $119,380 | $77,160 | $156,220 | 96.3 | $123,967 |
| New Orleans, LA | $116,750 | $78,530 | $155,210 | 92.6 | $126,080 |
| Columbus, OH | $114,330 | $79,630 | $164,270 | 95.5 | $119,717 |
| Memphis, TN | $113,500 | $68,680 | $169,280 | 92.2 | $123,102 |
| Omaha, NE | $112,130 | $80,530 | $152,690 | 91.9 | $122,013 |
| Tucson, AZ | $111,310 | $85,920 | $181,530 | 96.9 | $114,871 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $107,830 | $68,380 | $162,000 | 96.9 | $111,280 |
| Kansas City, MO | $107,570 | $63,610 | $161,910 | 92.5 | $116,292 |
| Detroit, MI | $107,490 | $76,740 | $162,950 | 100.3 | $107,168 |
| El Paso, TX | $106,750 | $60,020 | $159,310 | 89.9 | $118,743 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $106,740 | $69,300 | $161,040 | 95.7 | $111,536 |
| Louisville, KY | $105,990 | $73,220 | $155,530 | 93.1 | $113,845 |
| Cleveland, OH | $105,790 | $72,290 | $158,360 | — | — |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $104,030 | $60,410 | $164,010 | 90.4 | $115,077 |
| Wichita, KS | $103,920 | $60,990 | $156,470 | 88.9 | $116,895 |
| Tulsa, OK | $103,480 | $62,730 | $167,400 | 89.2 | $116,009 |
“Real pay” = average wage × 100 ÷ the metro’s Regional Price Parity — what the salary is worth in national-average dollars. A high-paying city with high costs can rank below a cheaper one on real pay.
The national average for Software Developers is $138,110 per year, based on BLS OEWS wage data. Metro-level pay varies widely: across the 49 cities we track, average pay runs from $103,480 in Tulsa to $199,100 in San Jose.
San Jose leads after adjusting for the local cost of living: its $199,100 average pay is worth about $180,344 in national-average dollars, ahead of Seattle at $150,342.
Real pay divides the metro's average wage by its Regional Price Parity from the BEA, so expensive and cheap cities can be compared directly. San Jose's index is 110.4, so its $199,100 average equals about $180,344 in national buying power.
Self-reported by readers, unverified, moderated for spam — a complement to the BLS data above, not a substitute. No email or name is collected; IPs are stored only as a hash for rate-limiting.
| City | Annual salary | Years | Level | Reported |
|---|
Thanks! Your salary was submitted and will appear here after a quick moderation pass (usually within a few days).
One email each Monday with what moved in US pay data and every new salary guide on this site. Free, unsubscribe anytime.