Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| Washington | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $166,540 | $142,991 | +16% |
| Median hourly wage | $80.07 | $68.75 | +16% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $155,645.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $174,596 | $125,400 | $231,000 | 165 |
The median annual salary for a Software Engineer in Washington is $166,540, or about $80.07 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Software Engineers is $142,991. Washington is +16% above the national median.
Entry-level software engineers in Washington typically earn from $125,400 depending on the city and employer.
With 107,030 software engineer jobs on record and a median salary of $166,540, Washington offers above-average pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, software engineers rank 35 of the 757 occupations reported in Washington — higher than 95% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Computer and Information Research Scientists at $202,400, Computer Network Architects at $168,070, Data Scientists at $163,350 — all figures are median annual wages for Washington.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. Washington has no state income tax on wages, so take-home pay is closer to the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 115.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, software engineers rank 35 of the 757 occupations reported in Washington — higher than 95% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in Washington | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | $202,400 | $2,050 |
| Computer Network Architects | $168,070 | $4,730 |
| Data Scientists | $163,350 | $9,600 |
| Mathematicians | $162,280 | $100 |
| Information Security Analysts | $154,940 | $6,030 |
| Actuaries | $134,720 | $360 |
Washington has no state income tax on wages, so take-home pay is closer to the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 115.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 757 occupations in Washington.