Software engineer salary in Pittsburgh, PA
Software engineers in the Pittsburgh metro earn a median of $124,500 a year. That is 8.4% below the US median, and 3.3% below it once you account for lower prices in Pittsburgh.
Median salary
$124,500
US median: $135,980
The middle half earn
$95,560 – $155,770
25th to 75th percentile
After cost of living
$131,510
Pittsburgh prices: 5.3% below US average
H-1B median offer
$120,000
694 approved applications
Pay range
The top 10% of software engineers in Pittsburgh earn more than $191,710 a year. The bottom 10% earn less than $76,030.
10th percentile $76,030, 25th $95,560, 75th $155,770, 90th $191,710.
10th percentile $82,460, 25th $105,210, 75th $171,980, 90th $214,670.
10th percentile $98,197, 25th $98,725, 75th $141,000, 90th $166,750.
Line: 10th to 90th percentile. Box: the middle half (25th to 75th). Dark mark: the median.
How far the pay goes in Pittsburgh
Prices in Pittsburgh are 5.3% below the US average, which makes the median worth $131,510 in US-average dollars. Housing costs 28.0% less than the US average.
Black line: US average = 100. Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024.
Other tech jobs in Pittsburgh
Median yearly pay and the number of people in each job across the Pittsburgh metro.
| Job | People | Median |
|---|---|---|
| IT managers | 5,290 | $159,090 |
| Software engineers | 10,320 | $124,500 |
| Network architects | 1,110 | $123,410 |
| Information security analysts | 1,130 | $103,630 |
| Database administrators | 470 | $102,070 |
| Computer systems analysts | 5,230 | $98,550 |
| Data scientists | 2,270 | $96,670 |
| Web and digital interface designers | 600 | $85,900 |
| Computer programmers | 420 | $85,340 |
| QA analysts and testers | 830 | $82,900 |
| Web developers | 310 | $82,560 |
| Network and systems administrators | 1,570 | $80,440 |
| IT support specialists | 5,270 | $59,010 |
What H-1B employers offer in Pittsburgh
From October 2025 to June 2026, the Department of Labor approved 694 H-1B applications for software engineers in the Pittsburgh metro, from 292 employers.
Median offer
$120,000
Middle half
$98,725 – $141,000
Employers
292
Applications by wage level
- Level I (entry): 95
- Level II: 282
- Level III: 173
- Level IV (most experienced): 111
- Not stated: 33
These are salaries offered on approved applications, not salaries paid. Each application lists only its main work site.
Job outlook
+15.8%
The BLS expects over 267,000 more software developer jobs across the US from 2024 to 2034. Jobs overall are expected to grow 3.1%.
162 open tech jobs in Pittsburgh right now
From 31 companies. 9 were posted in the past week.
Sources and notes
- Salaries and job counts: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (published May 15, 2026), Pittsburgh metro. The BLS counts software engineers as "Software Developers" (job code 15-1252).
- Cost of living: US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
- H-1B offers: US Department of Labor, H-1B application data, October 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. Approved H-1B applications with job code 15-1252 and a work site in one of the metro area's 8 counties.
- Job outlook: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024 to 2034, whole US.
- Open jobs: counted on hiredaemon as this page loads.