Software engineer salary in Seattle, WA
Software engineers in the Seattle metro earn a median of $167,280 a year. That is 23.0% above the US median, and 10.7% above it once you account for higher prices in Seattle.
Median salary
$167,280
US median: $135,980
The middle half earn
$132,800 – $211,860
25th to 75th percentile
After cost of living
$150,520
Seattle prices: 11.1% above US average
H-1B median offer
$172,600
13,312 approved applications
Pay range
The top 10% of software engineers in Seattle earn more than $257,960 a year. The bottom 10% earn less than $99,190.
10th percentile $99,190, 25th $132,800, 75th $211,860, 90th $257,960.
10th percentile $82,460, 25th $105,210, 75th $171,980, 90th $214,670.
10th percentile $129,000, 25th $150,000, 75th $194,400, 90th $216,776.
Line: 10th to 90th percentile. Box: the middle half (25th to 75th). Dark mark: the median.
How far the pay goes in Seattle
Prices in Seattle are 11.1% above the US average, which makes the median worth $150,520 in US-average dollars. Housing costs 51.3% more than the US average.
Black line: US average = 100. Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024.
Other tech jobs in Seattle
Median yearly pay and the number of people in each job across the Seattle metro.
| Job | People | Median |
|---|---|---|
| IT managers | 13,170 | $214,680 |
| Network architects | 3,710 | $172,650 |
| Software engineers | 92,770 | $167,280 |
| Data scientists | 8,370 | $164,740 |
| Information security analysts | 4,700 | $161,780 |
| Web and digital interface designers | 10,330 | $133,760 |
| Computer systems analysts | 19,050 | $133,690 |
| Database administrators | 1,010 | $133,180 |
| Web developers | 3,470 | $130,440 |
| QA analysts and testers | 6,650 | $129,690 |
| Network and systems administrators | 5,530 | $104,440 |
| IT support specialists | 15,030 | $78,330 |
What H-1B employers offer in Seattle
From October 2025 to June 2026, the Department of Labor approved 13,312 H-1B applications for software engineers in the Seattle metro, from 854 employers.
Median offer
$172,600
Middle half
$150,000 – $194,400
Employers
854
Applications by wage level
- Level I (entry): 2,387
- Level II: 4,813
- Level III: 2,158
- Level IV (most experienced): 1,722
- Not stated: 2,232
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%.
1,473 open tech jobs in Seattle right now
From over 200 companies. 100 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), Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue 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 King, Pierce or Snohomish county.
- Job outlook: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024 to 2034, whole US.
- Open jobs: counted on hiredaemon as this page loads.