Software Engineer Salary Guide 2025: How Much Do Developers Really Make?

Software engineers are among the highest-paid professionals in the world. But salaries vary wildly based on experience, location, company size, and tech stack.

This guide breaks down real salaries (base + bonus + stock) across:

Experience levels (entry-level to principal)
Locations (SF, NYC, Austin, remote)
Company tiers (FAANG, unicorns, startups)
Tech stacks (backend, frontend, ML, DevOps)

All data sourced from Levels.fyi, Blind, and 10,000+ verified Leethub job postings.

Average Software Engineer Salaries by Experience (U.S.)

Experience	Title	Base Salary	Total Comp (TC)	Companies
0-2 years	Junior/SWE I	$80K-$120K	$100K-$180K	Startups, mid-sized
2-4 years	SWE II	$110K-$150K	$150K-$250K	Most companies
4-7 years	Senior SWE	$140K-$190K	$200K-$400K	Big tech, unicorns
7-12 years	Staff SWE	$180K-$240K	$350K-$650K	FAANG, top startups
12+ years	Principal+	$220K-$300K	$500K-$1.5M	FAANG, elite firms

Key insight: Total compensation (TC) can be 2-3x base salary at top companies due to stock grants.

FAANG Salaries: The Gold Standard

Entry-Level (L3/E3) - 0-2 YOE

Google: $180K-$250K TC
Meta: $180K-$240K TC
Amazon: $160K-$220K TC
Apple: $150K-$210K TC
Netflix: $200K-$300K TC (but hires senior+ only)

Average FAANG L3: $190K TC

Mid-Level (L4/E4) - 2-5 YOE

Google: $250K-$350K TC
Meta: $250K-$370K TC
Amazon: $220K-$310K TC
Apple: $220K-$300K TC
Netflix: N/A (hires L5+ only)

Average FAANG L4: $275K TC

Senior (L5/E5) - 5-8 YOE

Google: $350K-$500K TC
Meta: $370K-$550K TC
Amazon: $300K-$450K TC
Apple: $300K-$420K TC
Netflix: $400K-$600K TC

Average FAANG L5: $400K TC

Staff (L6/E6) - 8-12 YOE

Google: $500K-$800K TC
Meta: $550K-$850K TC
Amazon: $450K-$650K TC
Apple: $450K-$650K TC
Netflix: $600K-$900K TC

Average FAANG L6: $600K TC

Salaries by Location (Senior Engineer)

Location	Avg Salary	Cost of Living Index	Adjusted Salary
San Francisco, CA	$400K	100 (baseline)	$400K
New York, NY	$380K	95	$400K
Seattle, WA	$350K	75	$467K 🏆
Austin, TX	$280K	60	$467K 🏆
Remote (LCOL)	$250K	50	$500K 🔥

Best value: Work remote for SF company, live in Austin or Miami. $250K goes further than $400K in SF.

Salaries by Company Size

Big Tech (FAANG, Microsoft, etc.)

Pros: Highest TC, great benefits, resume boost
Cons: Slow promotions, politics, bureaucracy
Avg TC (Senior): $350K-$500K

Top companies: Google, Meta, Amazon

Unicorn Startups ($1B+ valuation)

Pros: Fast growth, equity upside, less bureaucracy
Cons: Lower cash comp, equity risk (could go to $0)
Avg TC (Senior): $250K-$400K

Examples: Stripe, Databricks, OpenAI, Anthropic

Series A-C Startups

Pros: High equity percentage (0.1-1%), big upside potential
Cons: Low cash comp, high risk (90% fail)
Avg TC (Senior): $150K-$250K

Risk/reward: Could turn $200K equity into $5M (or $0)

Small Companies / Non-Tech

Pros: Easier interviews, less pressure, decent WLB
Cons: Low comp, limited growth, boring work
Avg TC (Senior): $100K-$180K

Best for: Senior engineers prioritizing WLB over TC

Salaries by Tech Stack

Highest-Paying Tech Stacks:

ML/AI Engineer - $180K-$500K (hot in 2025)
Systems/Infra - $150K-$450K (C++, Rust, Go)
Backend - $140K-$400K (Java, Python, Go)
Security Engineer - $150K-$400K (high demand)
DevOps/SRE - $130K-$380K (AWS, K8s)

Average-Paying:

Full-Stack - $120K-$350K (React + Node.js)
Frontend - $110K-$300K (React, Vue, Angular)
Mobile - $110K-$320K (iOS, Android)

Lower-Paying:

Data Analyst - $80K-$180K (SQL, Tableau)
QA/Test Engineer - $70K-$150K (declining field)

Pro tip: Learn Rust, Go, or ML to maximize salary potential.

How to Maximize Your Salary

Step 1: Job-Hop Every 2-3 Years

Staying at one company = 3-5% raises/year
Switching jobs = 20-40% raises

Example career path:

Year 1-2: Startup ($120K)
Year 3-5: Unicorn ($220K)
Year 6+: FAANG ($400K)

Step 2: Get Competing Offers

Companies pay more when you have leverage
Meta vs Google bidding wars = +$50K-$100K TC

Pro tip: Interview at 3+ companies simultaneously.

Step 3: Move to High-Paying Companies

FAANG pays 2-3x more than average companies
Same work, different logo = double your salary

Browse 200K+ jobs at top companies

Step 4: Negotiate Everything

Base salary (10-20% flexible)
Sign-on bonus (ask for $50K-$100K)
Stock grants (most flexible—ask for +20-30%)
Remote work (worth $50K+ in cost savings)

Step 5: Level Up (Literally)

L4 → L5 promotion = +$150K TC
Faster to switch companies at higher level than wait for promotion

Salaries by Years of Experience (Detailed)

Fresh Grad (0 YOE)

Non-Tech Company: $60K-$90K
Mid-Sized Tech: $100K-$140K
FAANG: $160K-$250K
Quant/HFT: $200K-$400K (but brutal interviews)

Best path: Grind LeetCode, land FAANG new grad role.

Junior (1-2 YOE)

Average: $100K-$150K
FAANG: $180K-$280K
Startup: $90K-$140K

Goal: Get promoted to mid-level or switch to higher-paying company.

Mid-Level (3-5 YOE)

Average: $120K-$200K
FAANG: $250K-$350K
Unicorn: $180K-$280K

Goal: Build portfolio, prep for senior interviews.

Senior (6-10 YOE)

Average: $150K-$250K
FAANG: $350K-$550K
Unicorn: $250K-$400K

Peak earning years—max out TC before considering startups/leadership.

Staff+ (10+ YOE)

Average: $180K-$300K
FAANG: $500K-$1.5M
Startup (equity-heavy): $200K + 0.5-2% equity

Choose your path: IC (stay technical) vs Management (people leadership).

Gender Pay Gap in Tech

Reality check: Women in tech earn 5-15% less than men at the same level.

Average Pay Gap by Level:

Entry-level: 2-5% gap (smallest)
Mid-level: 8-12% gap
Senior+: 10-15% gap (largest)

Why?

Less aggressive salary negotiation
Fewer promotions to senior+ levels
Bias in performance reviews

Solution: Always negotiate, ask for competing offers, use Levels.fyi to benchmark.

International Salaries (Non-U.S.)

Canada (Toronto, Vancouver)

Senior SWE: $120K-$200K CAD ($90K-$150K USD)
FAANG Canada: $180K-$300K CAD

Europe (London, Berlin, Amsterdam)

Senior SWE: €60K-€120K ($65K-$130K USD)
FAANG Europe: €100K-€180K

India (Bangalore, Hyderabad)

Senior SWE: ₹20L-₹50L ($25K-$60K USD)
FAANG India: ₹40L-₹1Cr ($50K-$120K USD)

Australia (Sydney, Melbourne)

Senior SWE: $120K-$180K AUD ($80K-$120K USD)

Bottom line: U.S. tech salaries are 2-5x higher than other countries.

Benefits Beyond Salary

Standard Benefits at Top Companies:

Health insurance (100% covered for employee + family)
401(k) match (4-6% of salary)
Parental leave (4-6 months)
Unlimited PTO (average usage: 15-20 days/year)
Free meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Gym memberships, wellness stipends
Education budget ($10K/year for courses, conferences)

Unique Perks:

Netflix: Unlimited vacation (actual culture of taking time off)
Google: Free massages, onsite haircuts, dry cleaning
Meta: $3K/year wellness stipend, free Oculus headsets
Amazon: None of the above (but hey, you get a banana stand) 🍌

Salary Negotiation Scripts

When You Have Competing Offers:

"I'm very excited about [Company], but I also have an offer from [Competitor] at $X TC. Can you match or beat that number?"

Works 70% of the time (especially at FAANG).

When You Don't Have Competing Offers:

"Based on my research (Levels.fyi), the market rate for L5 at [Company] is $400K-$500K. My current offer is $380K. Can we adjust to align with market rates?"

Works 40% of the time (worth a shot).

For Sign-On Bonus:

"I'm leaving $X in unvested stock at my current company. Can you match that with a sign-on bonus?"

Works 80% of the time (most negotiable component).

Future Salary Trends (2025-2030)

Will Salaries Keep Going Up?

AI/ML engineers: YES (demand outpaces supply)
Senior+ engineers: YES (shortage of experienced talent)
Junior engineers: NO (AI tools reduce need for entry-level)

Predictions:

FAANG L5 TC: $400K → $500K by 2030
Entry-level TC: $180K → $150K (compression)
Remote salaries: Stable or slight decline (more competition)

Bottom line: Get to senior+ level ASAP to future-proof your career.

How to Check If You're Underpaid

Free Salary Tools:

Levels.fyi - Most accurate (verified offers)
Glassdoor - Good for base salary
Blind - Anonymous employee salary sharing
Leethub - Job postings with salary ranges

If You're Underpaid:

Ask for a raise (bring Levels.fyi data)
Switch companies (20-40% raise guaranteed)
Get promoted (often faster to leave and come back at higher level)

Rule of thumb: If you're earning <80% of market rate, start interviewing.

Action Plan to Double Your Salary

6-Month Plan:

Month 1-2: Grind LeetCode (100 problems)
Month 3-4: Apply to 50+ companies (spray and pray)
Month 5: Interview at 10+ companies
Month 6: Get 3+ offers, negotiate, accept best offer

Expected outcome: +30-50% TC increase.

2-Year Plan:

Year 1: Join FAANG ($200K → $350K)
Year 2: Get promoted or switch to higher-paying FAANG ($350K → $500K)

Expected outcome: +150% TC increase.

Browse High-Paying Tech Jobs

200,000+ tech jobs with salary data →

Top-paying companies hiring now:

Last updated: January 2025
Data: Levels.fyi, Blind, Glassdoor, Leethub (10K+ verified postings)