The median H1B software engineer salary is $126,589 a year, based on 825,060 certified Labor Condition Applications from FY2021 to FY2026. Half of the filings list between $101,754 and $157,477.
Median
$126,589
Average
$133,882
75th percentile
$157,477
| Median (50th percentile) | $126,589 |
| Average | $133,882 |
| 25th percentile | $101,754 |
| 75th percentile | $157,477 |
| Lowest filed wage | $31,200 |
| Highest filed wage | $998,875 |
| Certified LCA filings | 825,060 |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, OFLC H-1B LCA disclosure data, FY2021 to FY2026. Certified cases with an annual wage between $30,000 and $1,000,000 whose job title or occupation title contains: software engineer, software developer, software development engineer.
Share of the 763,960 Software Engineer filings that state a DOL wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent).
See the Software Engineer wage level breakdown, how wage levels affect H-1B selection, or check a salary with the wage level calculator.
Average filed wage, among states with at least 10 certified filings.
| State | Filings | Average wage |
|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer salary in California | 166,755 | $171,130 |
| Software Engineer salary in Washington | 71,415 | $161,834 |
| Software Engineer salary in New York | 37,183 | $150,805 |
| Software Engineer salary in Massachusetts | 21,444 | $135,899 |
| Software Engineer salary in Oregon | 5,207 | $127,468 |
| Software Engineer salary in New Jersey | 42,886 | $127,399 |
| Software Engineer salary in Colorado | 8,090 | $125,264 |
| Software Engineer salary in Delaware | 4,226 | $124,847 |
| Software Engineer salary in Washington DC | 2,164 | $124,339 |
| Software Engineer salary in Vermont | 100 | $122,590 |
By number of certified filings (employers with at least 5).
| Employer | Filings | Average wage |
|---|---|---|
| Google LLC | 29,808 | $176,853 |
| Microsoft Corporation | 25,884 | $164,803 |
| Amazon.com Services LLC | 22,495 | $154,415 |
| Apple Inc. | 11,178 | $182,175 |
| WAL-MART ASSOCIATES, INC. | 9,318 | $140,335 |
| Amazon Web Services, Inc. | 8,311 | $149,549 |
| Meta Platforms, Inc | 7,360 | $207,793 |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. | 6,803 | $155,777 |
| Ernst & Young U.S. LLP | 6,529 | $158,130 |
| Deloitte Consulting LLP | 6,422 | $130,279 |
| CAPGEMINI AMERICA INC | 6,094 | $119,039 |
| Amazon Development Center U.S., Inc. | 5,760 | $148,810 |
| Fiscal year | Filings | Average wage |
|---|---|---|
| FY2021 | 3,854 | $123,265 |
| FY2022 | 221,405 | $124,771 |
| FY2023 | 179,168 | $128,432 |
| FY2024 | 209,345 | $136,837 |
| FY2025 | 172,705 | $143,604 |
| FY2026 | 38,583 | $152,983 |
The median wage on 825,060 certified H1B Labor Condition Applications for software engineer roles is $126,589 a year (FY2021 to FY2026). Half of the filings list between $101,754 and $157,477; the average is $133,882.
Among states with at least 10 certified filings, the highest average wage is in California ($171,130), Washington ($161,834) and New York ($150,805).
By number of certified filings: Google LLC (29,808, average $176,853), Microsoft Corporation (25,884, average $164,803) and Amazon.com Services LLC (22,495, average $154,415).
Level II: 49% of the 763,960 filings that state a wage level. The Department of Labor has four levels, I (entry) to IV (fully competent), each tied to a local prevailing wage.
A Labor Condition Application is what an employer files with the Department of Labor before an H-1B petition, stating the job, work location and the wage it will pay. Certified LCAs are public, which is where these figures come from. An LCA is not an approved H-1B petition, and one employer may file several for the same opening.