Soft Developer Salary in the United States

How much does a Soft Developer make in the United States?

As of April 01, 2026, the average salary for a Soft Developer in the United States is $129,336 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $62.

However, a Soft Developer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $149,075
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $118,143 to $139,668
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $107,952
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View as table View as graph 25% $118,143 10% $107,952 90% $149,075 75% $139,668 $129,336 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Soft Developer Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary		 Monthly
Pay		 Weekly
Pay		 Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $139,668 $11,639 $2,686 $67
Average $129,336 $10,778 $2,487 $62
25th Percentile $118,143 $9,845 $2,272 $57
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Key Factors That Influence Soft Developer Salaries

A Soft Developer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Soft Developer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Soft Developer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $82,558
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $106,242
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $130,114
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $150,542
  • Expert (over 8 years): $173,046
Levels Salary
Software ... Level Soft Developer$82,558
Software ... Level Soft Developer$106,242
Soft Deve... Level Soft Developer$130,114
Software ... Level Soft Developer$150,542
Software ... Level Soft Developer$173,046
$82,558 0 yr
$106,242 < 2 yrs
$130,114 2-4 yrs
$150,542 5-8 yrs
$173,046 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

How Do Soft Developer Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Soft Developers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

  • District of Columbia: $143,201.
  • California: $142,658.
  • Massachusetts: $140,756.

Top Paying Cities for Soft Developers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $163,131
  • San Francisco: $161,528
  • Oakland: $157,945

What Skills Can Increase a Soft Developer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 2.68% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • Software Development (Mentioned in 4.7% Job Postings): Software development is the process of conceiving, specifying, designing, programming, documenting, testing, and bug fixing involved in creating and maintaining applications, frameworks, or other software components. Software development is a process of writing and maintaining the source code, but in a broader sense, it includes all that is involved between the conception of the desired software through to the final manifestation of the software, sometimes in a planned and structured process. Therefore, software development may include research, new development, prototyping, modification, reuse, re-engineering, maintenance, or any other activities that result in software products. Software can be developed for a variety of purposes, the three most common being to meet specific needs of a specific client/business (the case with custom software), to meet a perceived need of some set of potential users (the case with commercial and open source software), or for personal use (e.g. a scientist may write software to automate a mundane task). Embedded software development, that is, the development of embedded software, such as used for controlling consumer products, requires the development process to be integrated with the development of the controlled physical product. System software underlies applications and the programming process itself, and is often developed separately.
  • Software Engineering (Mentioned in 2.8% Job Postings): Software engineering is the application of engineering to the development of software in a systematic method. Notable definitions of software engineering include: "the systematic application of scientific and technological knowledge, methods, and experience to the design, implementation, testing, and documentation of software"—The Bureau of Labor Statistics—IEEE Systems and software engineering - Vocabulary "The application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software"—IEEE Standard Glossary of Software Engineering Terminology "an engineering discipline that is concerned with all aspects of software production"—Ian Sommerville "the establishment and use of sound engineering principles in order to economically obtain software that is reliable and works efficiently on real machines"—Fritz Bauer
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 2.68%
Software Development 4.7%
Software Engineering 2.8%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Soft Developer's salary.
  • Open Source: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
  • Container: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
  • Innovation: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Open Source
 $134,509
4%
Container
 $133,216
3%
Innovation
 $133,216
3%
Kubernetes
 $133,216
3%
Python
 $131,923
2%
AWS
 $131,923
2%
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How Education impacts a Soft Developer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Soft Developers enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Soft Developer with a Bachelor's Degree is between $122,135 and $128,293).

Soft Developer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Soft Developer
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.3%
High School 2.0%
Associates 1.4%
Bachelors 46.1%
Masters 44.2%
Doctorate 6.0%
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Soft Developer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Soft Developer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

  • Hourly
  • Monthly
  • Weekly
  • Yearly
  • Table View
Last Updated on April 01, 2026
$118,143
Average $129,336/year
$139,668
$9,845
Average $10,778/month
$11,639
$2,272
Average $2,487/week
$2,686
$57
Average $62/hour
$67
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $139,668 $11,639 $2,686 $67
Average $129,336 $10,778 $2,487 $62
25th Percentile $118,143 $9,845 $2,272 $57

Salaries of jobs related to Soft Developer

Salary Trends for Soft Developer

Salaries for a Soft Developer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $128,365 in 2023 to around $127,103 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Soft Developer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Soft Developer Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$128,365
2024
$128,620
2025
$127,103
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $128,365
2024 $128,620
2025 $127,103
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Soft Developer

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Soft Developer

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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