Tech Careers June 13, 2026
Tech Salaries by City: Where Software Engineers Earn the Most
Software engineer salaries vary by nearly 4x depending on city. We compared 250 cities to find where tech professionals earn the most — and where your salary goes furthest after cost of living.
$244,674
Highest City
$86,940
Lowest City
$157,734
Max Gap
250
Cities Compared
Top 20 Cities for Software Engineer Salary
| Rank | City | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | San Francisco, CA | $244,674 |
| #2 | New York City, NY | $244,674 |
| #3 | San Jose, CA | $227,286 |
| #4 | Honolulu, HI | $211,140 |
| #5 | Cambridge, MA | $211,140 |
| #6 | Kailua, HI | $204,930 |
| #7 | Bellevue, WA | $203,688 |
| #8 | Pearl City, HI | $202,446 |
| #9 | Boston, MA | $201,204 |
| #10 | Los Angeles, CA | $199,962 |
| #11 | Seattle, WA | $198,720 |
| #12 | San Diego, CA | $194,994 |
| #13 | Waipahu, HI | $194,994 |
| #14 | Hilo, HI | $182,574 |
| #15 | Yonkers, NY | $180,090 |
| #16 | Stamford, CT | $175,122 |
| #17 | Arlington, VA | $173,880 |
| #18 | Boulder, CO | $168,912 |
| #19 | Jersey City, NJ | $166,428 |
| #20 | Sacramento, CA | $165,186 |
Other High-Paying Tech Careers
Software engineering isn't the only lucrative tech career. Here's how other roles compare nationally:
Solutions Architect
$150,000
Bachelor's degree · +15% growth
Site Reliability Engineer
$145,000
Bachelor's degree · +22% growth
Cloud Architect
$141,000
Bachelor's degree · +23% growth
Technical Product Manager
$140,000
Bachelor's degree · +10% growth
Blockchain Developer
$135,000
Bachelor's degree · +25% growth
10 Lowest Paying Cities for Software Engineers
Not every city offers six-figure tech salaries. These cities have the lowest median software engineer pay, though many also have significantly lower costs of living.
| City | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Wheeling, WV | $86,940 |
| Hattiesburg, MS | $89,424 |
| Parkersburg, WV | $89,424 |
| Fort Smith, AR | $91,908 |
| Gulfport, MS | $91,908 |
| Huntington, WV | $91,908 |
| Biloxi, MS | $93,150 |
| Jonesboro, AR | $94,392 |
| Southaven, MS | $94,392 |
| Jackson, MS | $95,634 |
Explore Your Career by City
See exactly what your tech career pays in any of 250 cities, with full percentile breakdowns and cost-of-living adjustments.