Technology · 25 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Software Developer (2024)

The median Software Developer salary is $208,270 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Charlotte, NC offers the best purchasing power at $136,608 adjusted.

$142,414

National Median

$208,270

Highest City

$124,780

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$208,270	$134,830 – $241,114	195.8	$106,369	90,280
2	San Francisco, CA	$174,910	$128,140 – $263,483	179.6	$97,389	76,900
3	Seattle, WA	$169,340	$105,060 – $266,515	149.4	$113,347	72,730
4	New York, NY	$161,970	$97,420 – $220,780	187.2	$86,522	119,610
5	San Diego, CA	$159,240	$95,130 – $212,100	160.2	$99,401	21,080
6	Los Angeles, CA	$155,330	$93,670 – $210,600	166	$93,572	54,650
7	Boston, MA	$154,240	$99,840 – $208,590	152.1	$101,407	48,200
8	Washington, DC	$150,880	$94,370 – $211,230	152.8	$98,743	68,210
9	Portland, OR	$149,010	$95,900 – $211,750	130.1	$114,535	16,620
10	Denver, CO	$134,120	$96,080 – $208,640	112.8	$118,901	31,190
11	Austin, TX	$133,070	$80,850 – $199,230	103	$129,194	28,210
12	Charlotte, NC	$132,100	$81,480 – $168,570	96.7	$136,608	20,010
13	Dallas, TX	$131,490	$81,600 – $173,230	104.1	$126,311	63,430
14	Raleigh, NC	$131,390	$82,900 – $180,630	99.8	$131,653	12,290
15	Atlanta, GA	$130,830	$79,720 – $173,650	99.2	$131,885	35,900
16	Philadelphia, PA	$130,670	$81,500 – $174,980	118.4	$110,363	26,150
17	Chicago, IL	$130,030	$78,300 – $173,770	107.3	$121,184	41,320
18	Miami, FL	$129,840	$77,470 – $190,320	123.1	$105,475	17,710
19	Phoenix, AZ	$129,600	$80,590 – $182,450	100.7	$128,699	26,950
20	Minneapolis, MN	$129,430	$80,740 – $167,350	106.2	$121,874	29,550
21	Salt Lake City, UT	$128,350	$76,580 – $173,890	101.4	$126,578	16,740
22	Houston, TX	$127,940	$78,170 – $174,600	96.5	$132,580	20,830
23	Nashville, TN	$127,150	$76,690 – $164,980	100.3	$126,770	8,420
24	Tampa, FL	$126,380	$66,890 – $168,060	99.6	$126,888	14,520
25	Detroit, MI	$124,780	$79,230 – $164,900	95.1	$131,209	21,670

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Software Developer paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Charlotte, NC	$136,608	$132,100	96.7
2	Houston, TX	$132,580	$127,940	96.5
3	Atlanta, GA	$131,885	$130,830	99.2
4	Raleigh, NC	$131,653	$131,390	99.8
5	Detroit, MI	$131,209	$124,780	95.1
6	Austin, TX	$129,194	$133,070	103
7	Phoenix, AZ	$128,699	$129,600	100.7
8	Tampa, FL	$126,888	$126,380	99.6
9	Nashville, TN	$126,770	$127,150	100.3
10	Salt Lake City, UT	$126,578	$128,350	101.4
11	Dallas, TX	$126,311	$131,490	104.1
12	Minneapolis, MN	$121,874	$129,430	106.2
13	Chicago, IL	$121,184	$130,030	107.3
14	Denver, CO	$118,901	$134,120	112.8
15	Portland, OR	$114,535	$149,010	130.1
16	Seattle, WA	$113,347	$169,340	149.4
17	Philadelphia, PA	$110,363	$130,670	118.4
18	San Jose, CA	$106,369	$208,270	195.8
19	Miami, FL	$105,475	$129,840	123.1
20	Boston, MA	$101,407	$154,240	152.1
21	San Diego, CA	$99,401	$159,240	160.2
22	Washington, DC	$98,743	$150,880	152.8
23	San Francisco, CA	$97,389	$174,910	179.6
24	Los Angeles, CA	$93,572	$155,330	166
25	New York, NY	$86,522	$161,970	187.2

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median Software Developer salary at $208,270. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Charlotte, NC offers the most purchasing power at $136,608 adjusted.

The national median Software Developer salary is $142,414 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $124,780 to $208,270 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.