The Best US Cities For High-Paying Software Engineer Jobs In 2022
Here are the top 25 cities paying software engineers over $200,000 in total compensation, according to a new report by anonymous employee professional network Blind.
Best Paying Cities For Programmers, Developers and Software Engineers
Software engineers looking to make north of $200,000 in total compensation per year should know about the best cities to earn top compensation in the United States.
From cities in California and Washington state to New York and Massachusetts, anonymous professional social network Blind analyzed the base salaries and total compensation of software engineers depending on what U.S. city they worked in.
A software engineer’s total compensation typically includes their annual base salary and stock-based compensation, and in some cases, an additional cash bonus.
Blind discovered that many of the best-paying cities for software engineers are in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area in California, but many cities on the East Coast and places like Washington state are not too far behind. Although not cracking the top 25 best-paying cities, places like Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Charlotte, Miami, Milwaukee, Newark and Richmond, the average compensation in these places is between $150,000 to $195,000 for software engineers.
“The compensation data suggests the tech industry is expanding beyond the top tech hubs,” said San Francisco-based Blind in its best-paying cities report.
Blind used data from its more than five million verified professionals using its platform. Cities are ranked by the average total compensation, including salary, stock-based compensation and cash bonuses.
Here are the top 25 U.S. cities where software engineers can earn more than $200,000 in average total compensation.
25: Redmond, Wash.
Average Total Compensation: $201,645
Redmond is home to the largest software company on the planet, Microsoft, which is headquartered in the city. Another large technology employer in the city is Nintendo of America.
The average compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in Redmond, Wash. is $201,645.
The median total compensation for software engineers in the city is $190,000. The average salary is $138,442, with the city having a median base salary of approximately $137,000 in Redmond.
24: Los Angeles
Average Total Compensation: $204,251
The city of dreams is home to large companies including Hulu as well as hosting a large Google campus in Los Angeles. The average total compensation for a Los Angeles-based software engineer is $204,251.
The median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in the city is $167,588.
Engineers pull in $147,994 on average, with a median base salary of approximately $140,000 in Los Angeles, Blind reported.
23: Redwood City, Calif.
Average Total Compensation: $207,955
With a large technology presence from the likes of Oracle, Deloitte and Amazon in the city, Redwood City, California ranks 23 on Blind’s list of best-paying jobs for programmers, developers and software engineers.
The total compensation of a software engineer in Redwood City is $207,955.
Median total compensation is approximately $190,000 in the California city.
The average salary is $156,248 for a software engineer in Redwood City, with a median base salary of approximately $151,000.
22: Cambridge, Mass.
Average Total Compensation: $208,279
Cambridge, Massachusetts ranked higher than Boston on Blind’s list of best paying cities as the city hosts a slew of technology companies like InterSystems and Akamai.
The total compensation for an average software engineer in the city of Cambridge is $208,279. Median total compensation in the city is $185,000.
The average salary for programmers, developers and software engineers in Cambridge is $134,114, with a median base salary of approximately $130,000 in the city.
21: San Jose, Calif.
Average Total Compensation: $210,801
San Jose, California plays host to some of the largest technology giant in the world including the worldwide networking leader Cisco, CA Technologies, and hyperconverged software star Nutanix.
The total compensation for an average software engineer working in San Jose is $210,801.
Median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in the city is $183,000.
In terms of the average salary, software engineers generate a salary of $153,390, with the median base salary in San Jose of approximately $145,000.
20: Boulder, Colo.
Average Total Compensation: $213,656
Boulder Colorado bested Denver in Blind’s list of best paying software engineering cities with an average total compensation of $213,656. The city hosts offices for many technology giants like Google, Apple and IBM.
Median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in the city is $179,500.
The average base salary for a software engineer in Boulder is $138,864, with a median base salary of approximately $135,000 in the city.
19: Santa Clara, Calif.
Average Total Compensation: $214,168
Home to tech giants like Intel, ServiceNow and Nvidia, Santa Clara, Calif. is a hotbed for top talent software engineers. The total average compensation for software engineers in the city is $214,168.
The median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in Santa Clara is $197,000.
The average software engineer working in Santa Clara generates a salary of $153,885, with the median base salary in the city of approximately $150,000.
18: Bellevue, Wash.
Average Total Compensation: $214,670
Home to the likes of T-Mobile US and Apptio, the city of Bellevue, Washington pays some of the highest compensation wages to software engineers outside of California. The average total compensation for a software engineer in the city is $214,670.
Median total compensation for a software engineer in Bellevue is $186,000.
The base salary for an average programmer, developer or software engineer in the city is $145,219, while the median base salary is approximately $137,000 in Bellevue.
17: Fremont, Calif.
Average Total Compensation: $218,913
Fremont hosts a slew of offices for the likes of Oracle and Amazon, the city has been a tech hotbed for years. The average total compensation for a software engineer in the city of Fremont California is $218,913.
Median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in Fremont is $180,000.
The base salary for the average software engineer in the city is $144,638, with the median base salary being approximately $142,500 in Fremont.
16: Foster City, Calif.
Average Total Compensation: $220,293
Located in highly popular San Mateo County in California, Foster City is one of the smaller cities on Blind’s list, but software engineers still generate an average total compensation of $220,293. Some of the top employers in the city include Visa, IBM and Gilead Sciences.
Median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in Foster City is $190,000.
The base average salary for a software engineer working in the city is $158,319, while the median base salary is $148,500 in Foster City.
15: New York City
Average Total Compensation: $223,715
The Big Apple is one of the best paying software engineering cities in the country, with average total compensation of $223,715. New York City is a mecca for top financial and technology companies including IBM Watson, Bloomberg and Deloitte.
Median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in New York City is $194,050.
The average New Yorker software engineer salary is $156,656, while the median base salary is New York City is approximately $155,000.
14: Pleasanton, Calif.
Average Total Compensation: $225,058
Home to technology companies like Workday and Veeva Systems, Pleasanton California is located in the East Bay region of the Bay Area. The average total compensation for a software engineer in the city is $225,058.
Median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in Pleasanton is $202,000.
The base salary for a software engineer working in Pleasanton is $150,887, with a median base salary of approximately $150,000 in the city.
13: San Mateo, Calif.
Average Total Compensation: $234,066
A longstanding technology hub city, San Mateo California is home to the likes of Sony Interactive Entertainment, Imperva and NetSuite.
Median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in San Mateo is $187,875.
The average salary of a software engineer working in the city is $158,629, with the median base salary of approximately $155,500 in San Mateo.
12: Palo Alto, Calif.
Average Total Compensation: $234,739
With a huge Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Tesla presence, as well as being the home of VMware, Palo Alto California has been one of the world’s most attractive tech hubs for over a decade. The average total compensation for a software engineer working in Palo Alto is $234,739.
Median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in Palo Alto is $200,000.
The average salary for a software engineer working in Palo Alto is $157,488, with a median base salary of approximately $154,000 in the city.
11: Seattle
Average Total Compensation: $242,501
Seattle is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest and the home of Amazon, along with its technology business Amazon Web Service (AWS) who is the biggest public cloud provider in the world. The average total compensation for a software engineer working in Seattle is $242,501.
Median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in Seattle is $206,900.
The average salary for a software engineer working in Seattle is $148,636, while the median base salary is approximately $145,000 in the city.
10: Santa Monica, Calif.
Average Total Compensation: $245,331
The beachfront city of Santa Monica cracked the top ten in terms of best-paying software engineering city and is the home of Snap Inc. as well as several highly pristine colleges. The average total compensation for a software engineer working in Santa Monica is $245,331.
The median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in the city is $196,750.
The average salary for a software engineer working in Santa Monica is $147,735, while the median base salary is approximately $145,000 in the city.
9: Sunnyvale, Calif.
Average Total Compensation: $260,048
Home to large technology companies like Fortinet, NetApp and Juniper Networks, Sunnyvale California is one of the most populous cities in the San Francisco Bay Area. The average total compensation for a software engineer in the city is $260,048.
Median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in Sunnyvale is $238,000.
The average salary for a software engineer working in Sunnyvale is $160,499, while the median base salary is approximately $160,000 in the city.
8: San Francisco
Average Total Compensation: $265,050
San Francisco is home to one of the largest technology hubs on the planet, home to many workers working in and around Silicon Valley. The city is home to tech giants like Salesforce, Twitter, Uber and Dropbox with the average total compensation for a software engineer of $265,050.
Median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in San Francisco is $225,000.
The average salary for a software engineer working in San Francisco is $165,042, while the median base salary is approximately $160,200 in the city.
7: Oakland, Calif.
Average Total Compensation: $266,869
With nearly half a million residents, Oakland, California ranks 7 on Blind’s list thanks to hosting companies such as Kaiser and Moonshot Brands. The average total compensation for a software engineer in Oakland is $266,869.
Median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in Oakland is $197,750.
The average salary for a software engineer working in Oakland is $192,240, while the median base salary is approximately $168,750 in the city.
6: Kirkland, Wash.
Average Total Compensation: $267,167
The only non-California city to crack into the top ten of Blind’s list of best-paying cities for software engineers is Kirkland, Washington. Google has a heavy presence in the city as well as other technology companies like ServiceNow and Tanium. The average total compensation for a software engineer in the city is $267,167.
Median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in Kirkland is $241,222
The average salary for a software engineer working in Kirkland is $151,495, while the median base salary is approximately $145,000 in the city.
5: Mountain View, Calif.
Average Total Compensation: $275,181
Home to search and public cloud giant Google and its parent company Alphabet, Mountain View, California was integral to the beginning and massive growth of Silicon Valley. The average total compensation for a software engineer working in Mountain View is $275,181.
Median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in Mountain View is $242,000.
The average salary for a software engineer working in Mountain View is $160,790, while the median base salary is approximately $156,000 in the city.
4: San Bruno, Calif.
Average Total Compensation: $278,368
The most popular online video platform in the country, YouTube, is headquartered in San Bruno California. The city of less than 50,000 residents provides software engineers an average total compensation of $278,368.
Median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in San Bruno is $225,900.
The average salary for a software engineer working in San Bruno is $161,269, while the median base salary is approximately $149,500 in the city.
3: Cupertino, Calif.
Average Total Compensation: $279,391
Apple’s world renown headquarters, Apple Park, is located in Cupertino, California—hosting approximately 14,000 employees. The average total compensation for a software engineer in Cupertino is $279,391.
Median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in Cupertino is $255,850.
The average salary for a software engineer working in Cupertino is $165,753, while the median base salary is approximately $165,000 in the city.
2: Menlo Park, Calif.
Average Total Compensation: $328,423
The 1 and 2 top ranked cities for software engineers on Blind’s list pay engineers significantly more on average compared to the rest of the 23 cities on this list.
Meta—formerly known as Facebook—calls Menlo Park, California, home as the social media giant employs over 15,000 workers. The average total compensation for a software engineer in Menlo Park is $328,423.
Median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in Menlo Park is $297,000.
The average salary for a software engineer working in Menlo Park is $167,004, while the median base salary is approximately $165,000 in the city.
1: Los Gatos, Calif.
Average Total Compensation: $500,449
No other city can be compared to Los Gatos, California, in terms of making the most money as a software engineer. Home to streaming giant Netflix, Los Gatos pays an average of $500,449 of total compensation to software engineers in its city—nearly doubling every other city on Blind’s list.
Median total compensation for programmers, developers and software engineers in red-hot Los Gatos is $475,000.
The average salary for a software engineer working in Los Gatos is $470,015, while the median base salary is approximately $451,000 in the city.