Software engineer salary in Washington, DC
Software engineers in the Washington metro earn a median of $154,930 a year. That is 13.9% above the US median, and 4.6% above it once you account for higher prices in Washington.
Median salary
$154,930
US median: $135,980
The middle half earn
$123,720 – $176,230
25th to 75th percentile
After cost of living
$142,290
Washington prices: 8.9% above US average
H-1B median offer
$133,593
3,135 approved applications
Pay range
The top 10% of software engineers in Washington earn more than $213,660 a year. The bottom 10% earn less than $96,450.
10th percentile $96,450, 25th $123,720, 75th $176,230, 90th $213,660.
10th percentile $82,460, 25th $105,210, 75th $171,980, 90th $214,670.
10th percentile $106,442, 25th $126,090, 75th $164,123, 90th $182,227.
Line: 10th to 90th percentile. Box: the middle half (25th to 75th). Dark mark: the median.
How far the pay goes in Washington
Prices in Washington are 8.9% above the US average, which makes the median worth $142,290 in US-average dollars. Housing costs 51.1% more than the US average.
Black line: US average = 100. Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024.
Other tech jobs in Washington
Median yearly pay and the number of people in each job across the Washington metro.
| Job | People | Median |
|---|---|---|
| IT managers | 20,800 | $195,190 |
| Network architects | 9,370 | $159,820 |
| Software engineers | 69,060 | $154,930 |
| Information security analysts | 16,560 | $148,950 |
| Web developers | 3,840 | $134,350 |
| Data scientists | 9,260 | $132,200 |
| Computer programmers | 2,680 | $130,390 |
| Computer systems analysts | 18,620 | $127,040 |
| QA analysts and testers | 8,460 | $126,350 |
| Network and systems administrators | 9,920 | $125,430 |
| Database administrators | 3,730 | $108,750 |
| Web and digital interface designers | 1,900 | $97,000 |
| IT support specialists | 18,510 | $77,860 |
What H-1B employers offer in Washington
From October 2025 to June 2026, the Department of Labor approved 3,135 H-1B applications for software engineers in the Washington metro, from 1,185 employers.
Median offer
$133,593
Middle half
$126,090 – $164,123
Employers
1,185
Applications by wage level
- Level I (entry): 514
- Level II: 1,374
- Level III: 512
- Level IV (most experienced): 431
- Not stated: 304
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%.
603 open tech jobs in Washington, DC right now
From over 100 companies. 54 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), Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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 23 counties.
- Job outlook: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024 to 2034, whole US.
- Open jobs: counted on hiredaemon as this page loads.