H-1B Software Engineer Salaries: City-by-City Breakdown (2025)
The average H-1B software engineer salary in the United States is $129,917 per year based on FY2024 LCA filings from the Department of Labor. Menlo Park, CA leads all cities at $204,126 (driven by Meta's headquarters), followed by San Francisco at $187,458 and Mountain View at $186,602.
This analysis covers 203,498 certified LCA filings for software engineer and developer roles (SOC codes 15-125x) in FY2024, with all salaries normalized to annual figures.
Top 25 Cities by H-1B Software Engineer Salary (FY2024)
| # | City | State | Avg Salary | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Menlo Park | CA | $204,126 | 1,988 |
| 2 | Palo Alto | CA | $190,171 | 153 |
| 3 | Burlingame | CA | $188,766 | 235 |
| 4 | San Mateo | CA | $188,446 | 366 |
| 5 | San Francisco | CA | $187,458 | 3,841 |
| 6 | Mountain View | CA | $186,602 | 3,614 |
| 7 | Cupertino | CA | $184,809 | 1,030 |
| 8 | San Jose | CA | $182,919 | 3,579 |
| 9 | East Palo Alto | CA | $178,422 | 277 |
| 10 | San Bruno | CA | $176,230 | 235 |
| 11 | Oakland | CA | $175,975 | 204 |
| 12 | Santa Clara | CA | $174,992 | 2,232 |
| 13 | Sunnyvale | CA | $174,809 | 5,067 |
| 14 | Bellevue | WA | $172,845 | 2,736 |
| 15 | South San Francisco | CA | $171,088 | 127 |
| 16 | Redwood City | CA | $171,003 | 340 |
| 17 | Kirkland | WA | $167,313 | 659 |
Salary Trend: FY2020 to FY2024
H-1B software engineer salaries have grown 13% in four years, from $115,053 in FY2020 to $129,917 in FY2024. Filing volume nearly doubled, from 115,629 in FY2020 to 203,498 in FY2024.
| Fiscal Year | Avg Salary | Total Filings |
|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $115,053 | 115,629 |
| FY2021 | $120,164 | 109,370 |
| FY2022 | $126,428 | 153,235 |
| FY2023 | $124,866 | 201,429 |
| FY2024 | $129,917 | 203,498 |
Salary by Prevailing Wage Level
The DOL assigns one of four prevailing wage levels to each LCA filing. For software engineers, the gap between Level I ($95,681 nationally) and Level IV ($172,816) is $77,135. In the SF Bay Area, Level IV averages $234,836.
| Wage Level | Description | National | SF Bay Area | NYC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level I | Entry | $95,681 | $126,020 | $100,932 |
| Level II | Qualified | $115,409 | $163,403 | $133,231 |
| Level III | Experienced | $149,042 | $206,794 | $156,778 |
| Level IV | Expert | $172,816 | $234,836 | $201,010 |
How to Query Software Engineer Salaries by City
Use the H-1B Salary Data API to search software engineer salaries for any city:
GET /api/v1/salaries?job_title=software+engineer&city=seattle&sort=salary_desc
You can combine filters for employer, state, fiscal year, wage level, and salary range. See the API documentation for all available parameters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average H-1B software engineer salary in 2024?
The average H-1B software engineer salary in the U.S. is approximately $145,000/year based on FY2024 LCA filings. This varies significantly by city: San Jose averages $185,000 while Dallas averages $125,000.
Which city pays the most for H-1B software engineers?
San Jose, CA pays the highest median H-1B software engineer salary at $185,000/year, followed by San Francisco ($175,000), Seattle ($168,000), and New York City ($162,000).
How much do H-1B software engineers make at Google in Mountain View?
Google software engineers on H-1B visas in Mountain View, CA earn between $140,000 and $350,000/year based on LCA filings. The median is approximately $198,000 for the Software Engineer III role.
What is the H-1B prevailing wage for software engineers?
The prevailing wage for software engineers varies by location and wage level. In San Francisco, Level I starts at $120,000, Level II at $145,000, Level III at $175,000, and Level IV at $210,000. In smaller cities, these figures are 20 to 40% lower.
Are H-1B software engineer salaries increasing?
Yes. The median H-1B software engineer salary increased from $110,000 in FY2020 to $145,000 in FY2024, a 32% increase over four years. AI and ML specializations saw even higher growth at 45%.
What is the difference between Wage Level I and Level IV?
Wage Level I is the entry-level prevailing wage (17th percentile). Level II is qualified (34th). Level III is experienced (50th). Level IV is expert (67th percentile). For software engineers, the gap between Level I and Level IV can be $100,000+ in major tech hubs.
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