Software Engineering Job Market
We read 9,889 software engineering postings at 2,332 employers' career sites, first seen October 1 to 31, 2026, in the United States. 69% state pay. Of those, the median advertised range runs from $139,000 to $200,000.
9,889
postings in this sample
2,332
employers in this sample
69%
state pay
35%
of postings that state a work mode are remote
3%
say they sponsor a visa
AI tools in software postings
29%
of postings ask candidates to use AI tools in the job
23%
make it a requirement
6%
list it as a plus
This means using AI at work, not building it. From 9,851 postings, so this base differs from the rest of this page.
Who is inside the group
Show as a table
| Role | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Software engineer | 53% |
| Fullstack | 22% |
| Backend | 15% |
| Mobile | - |
| Frontend | 4% |
Skills named in postings
Show as a table
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Python | 38% |
| Java | 33% |
| AWS | 27% |
| CI/CD | 25% |
| TypeScript | 24% |
| JavaScript | 23% |
| React | 22% |
| Agile | 20% |
| Kubernetes | 20% |
| SQL | 18% |
| C++ | 18% |
| Git | 17% |
| Distributed systems | 17% |
| Docker | 17% |
| Microservices | 14% |
Pay by level: bottom, middle and top of the range
Show as a table
| Level | Bottom | Middle | Top | Postings that state pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intern | $56k | $80k | $94k | 294 |
| Junior | $80k | $98k | $120k | 344 |
| Mid | $104k | $125k | $150k | 344 |
| Senior | $143k | $173k | $200k | 1,953 |
| Lead | $140k | $170k | $202k | 1,092 |
| Principal | $175k | $218k | $255k | 919 |
| Director | $207k | $246k | $295k | 156 |
| Executive | - | - | - | - |
69% of this group's postings state pay, and the chart is of those. Each bar runs from the median bottom of the advertised range to its median top, and the gap marks the middle. These are advertised ranges, which can differ from what people end up earning.
Pay by specialty
Show as a table
| Specialty | Bottom | Middle | Top | Postings that state pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software engineer | $129k | $161k | $194k | 3,508 |
| Fullstack | $135k | $165k | $195k | 1,553 |
| Backend | $147k | $178k | $210k | 1,032 |
| Mobile | - | - | - | - |
| Frontend | $136k | $162k | $190k | 294 |
66% to 72% of each specialty's postings state pay, and the chart is of those. These are advertised ranges, which can differ from what people end up earning. A dash means we do not publish that figure this month.
What postings ask for
Years asked by level
Show as a table
| Level | Median minimum years |
|---|---|
| Intern | - |
| Junior | 1 year |
| Mid | 3 years |
| Senior | 5 years |
| Lead | 5 years |
| Principal | 8 years |
| Director | 8 years |
| Executive | - |
The median minimum, of postings that state years.
Education
Show as a table
| Education | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | 93% |
| Secondary school | 3% |
| Master's degree | 2% |
| Vocational training | 2% |
| No formal education | 0% |
| Doctorate | 0% |
Of the 5,872 postings that state education, 59% of this group's postings.
What comes with the pay
Bonus, equity and commission
Show as a table
| Extra | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Bonus | 35% |
| Equity | 32% |
| Commission | 3% |
| Sign-on bonus | 1% |
From 9,851 postings. Bonus, commission and equity are read by our AI, which was right on 140 of 146 postings checked and found 140 of 154.
Benefits named
Show as a table
| Benefit | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Health | 50% |
| Paid leave | 46% |
| Retirement | 44% |
| Parental leave | 23% |
| Learning budget | 19% |
| Remote stipend | 3% |
| Four-day week | 0% |
From 9,851 postings. Health means medical, dental or vision cover; retirement, a pension or 401(k); paid leave, paid time off, vacation or paid holidays; learning budget, money for training, tuition or conferences; remote stipend, an allowance for a home office, internet or coworking. Benefits are read by our AI, which was right on 219 of 241 postings checked and found 219 of 243.
What applying involves
1%
of postings ask for a cover letter, required or optional
31%
of postings say experience can stand in for a degree
9%
of postings say AI or automated tools may review applications
This is what postings say, not what employers do. A cover letter is read by our AI, which was right on 11 of 11 postings checked and found 11 of 12. Experience in place of a degree is read by our AI, which was right on 65 of 67 postings checked and found 65 of 78. AI in hiring is read by our AI, which was right on 18 of 18 postings checked and found 18 of 20.
Screening steps named
Show as a table
| Step | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Background check | 8% |
| Portfolio | 4% |
| Drug test | 3% |
| Work sample | 2% |
| Skills test | 2% |
| Video interview | 0% |
| Personality test | 0% |
From 9,851 postings. Screening steps are read by our AI, which was right on 59 of 63 postings checked and found 59 of 69.
Who hires
Show as a table
| Industry | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Technology / IT | 57% |
| Manufacturing & industry | 14% |
| Finance & insurance | 12% |
| Healthcare | 4% |
| Professional services | 4% |
| Media & entertainment | 2% |
| Education | 1% |
| Retail & consumer goods | 1% |
| Hospitality, travel & leisure | 1% |
Every sector with at least 1% of the 9,575 software engineer postings that name an industry, by the sector of the employer's main industry. A dash is a sector where one employer holds over 30% of its postings. Industry is read by our AI. Checked on 500 random postings, it was about 90% right. The 9 sectors shown hold 96% of them.
We read 9,889 software engineering postings at 2,332 employers' career sites, first seen October 1 to 31, 2026, in the United States. This is not all US jobs: we read employers with an online career site, which leans toward tech and toward mid-size and large companies, and we keep adding employers. So a posting count is only a sample size. Whether a posting asks for AI use is read by our AI, which was right on 39 of 40 postings checked. Role, level, work mode and education are read from each posting by our AI and were checked against the postings on a sample of 1,049: role 96% right, level 94%, work mode 85%, education 98%, years 99%. Skills are read the same way and have had a lighter check: a second model, on 108 postings, found 96% named in the posting and 87% really skills. Visa sponsorship is read the same way and was checked against the postings: 129 of 150 that our AI counted as sponsoring say so, and most of the others only accept people who already hold a visa. Of 3,350 postings it did not count that mention a visa, 3 say they sponsor. So the visa shares run a little high.
Compare every role in the US Job Postings Report: October 2026.