H1BIndex » Jobs » Software Developers

Software Engineering +821% 5-Year Growth

Top Sponsor: Microsoft Corporation (814 filings)

Highest Pay: Mountain View, CA ($199,500)

Official Federal Category: 15-1252.00 - Software Developers

Market Demand

FY 2026

2023 A

2024 A+

2025 A+

Certified Volume

822

Approved in FY 2026

National Median Salary

$180,710

Typical yearly pay

PERM Conversion

0.10%

Transition to residency

Top Paying Market

Mountain View, CA

Median pay: $199,500

Algorithmic Intelligence Brief

An automated market review of the Software Engineering role.

Steady Market Demand: A

Hiring trends for Software Engineering professionals indicate a consistent and active job market. Supported by 822 recent visa filings, the role earns a dependable A H1B Index Grade.

No Outside Clients

If you accept this role, expect to work directly for your employer. There are zero outside client placements processed for this position.

Skill-Based Compensation

Your salary will grow significantly as you gain more skills in this field. Highly experienced professionals make about +64% more than beginners.

High Visa Safety

Applying for a work visa as a Software Engineering is safe. The government approves 99.9% of these forms, while the rest are denied or canceled by the company.

Geographic Independence

Roughly 24.8% of the entire sponsored workforce operates strictly out-of-state, confirming that untethered remote work is common for this role.

Role & Industry Structure

Federal classifications for this position.

Work Schedule: Companies like Microsoft Corporation do not hire part-time for this role. Every approved visa is for a full-time job.

Hiring Markets: Hiring is heavily focused in one area, with the Information & Tech industry creating 99.3% of the sponsored jobs.

Wage Insights: Workers in this role earn a median pay of $180,710, with the absolute highest recorded salary hitting $325,000.

Education Level: The Information & Tech industry makes it easy to get a permanent job here with just a Bachelor's degree.

10-Year Median Salary Trajectory

Comparing national base compensation growth for Software Engineerings. temporary H-1B medians vs permanent Green Card (PERM).

Top Hiring Employers

Companies sponsoring the most visas for this role.

Company & Median Pay Total Approvals

Microsoft Corporation

Top Paying Tech Hubs

Cities ranked by the highest median salaries for this specific role.

National Salary Percentiles i

Distribution of pay across all federal filings.

O*NET Wage Level Economics

Salary breakdown scaled by federal experience classifications.

O*NET Wage Distribution

💡 Click on colored labels to filter.

Wage Levels Breakdown

Experience Level	LCA Volume	Median Salary
Entry Level (Level I)	28	$135,665
Qualified (Level II)	299	$164,780
Experienced (Level III)	315	$189,848
Fully Competent (Level IV)	122	$223,117

Acquisition & Geographic Distribution

Talent pipeline metrics and top hiring locations for Software Engineerings.

Talent Pipeline

Fresh Hires (25.9%)Transfers/Poached (74.1%)

Green Card (PERM) Conversion i

0.10% of active filings transition to residency.

Geographic Distribution

Worksite Location & Median Pay Total Filings

10-Year DOL processing history for Software Engineerings.

Green Card (PERM) Sponsorships i

Historical permanent residency sponsorships and salaries for this role.

💡 Click on the legend labels below to filter.

Noticing a difference in dates? Salary metrics reflect real-time DOL filings, while approval metrics rely on finalized USCIS historical data. View timelines

Top Sponsoring Employers

A detailed ledger of the companies hiring Software Engineerings.

Sponsoring Employer	LCA Count	Maximum Salary	Median Salary	Minimum Salary
Microsoft Corporation	814	$325,000	$180,710	$90,896
Mufg Bank, Ltd.	3	$156,060	$145,953	$143,759
Meta Platforms, Inc	2	$232,000	$212,500	$193,000
General Motors	1	$138,796	$138,796	$138,796
Google Llc	1	$158,000	$158,000	$158,000
Synopsys, Inc.	1	$245,000	$175,053	$175,053

Top Worksite Cities

A granular breakdown of compensation across different US geographic markets.

Worksite City	State	LCA Count	Maximum Salary	Median Salary
Redmond	WA	598	$310,000	$180,802
Mountain View	CA	65	$325,000	$199,500
San Francisco	CA	11	$212,913	$199,176
Atlanta	GA	7	$223,700	$149,100
New York	NY	7	$258,500	$171,135
San Jose	CA	6	$250,000	$171,250
Stafford	TX	5	$161,700	$140,170
Burlington	MA	4	$224,560	$187,710
Seattle	WA	4	$185,000	$171,464
Sunnyvale	CA	4	$245,000	$184,026
Cambridge	MA	3	$186,731	$146,300
Irving	TX	3	$142,000	$121,746
Prosper	TX	3	$155,720	$119,800
Plano	TX	3	$148,820	$123,150
Hillsboro	OR	3	$167,400	$165,000
Ashburn	VA	2	$196,560	$196,560
Fremont	CA	2	$223,404	$193,074
Englewood	CO	2	$218,837	$218,837
Jersey City	NJ	2	$203,000	$175,216
Fresno	CA	2	$158,291	$158,291
Austin	TX	2	$180,000	$179,500
Edison	NJ	2	$200,000	$200,000
Cumming	GA	2	$178,832	$164,862
Charlotte	NC	2	$168,010	$164,276
Leander	TX	2	$162,418	$149,854
Lehi	UT	2	$188,744	$188,744
Tempe	AZ	2	$156,060	$151,006
Round Rock	TX	2	$163,350	$158,812
Mckinney	TX	2	$143,650	$132,698
Los Angeles	CA	2	$255,000	$199,380
Arlington	VA	1	$136,400	$136,400
Allen	TX	1	$143,000	$143,000
Elkridge	MD	1	$138,750	$138,750
Edgewood	WA	1	$168,600	$168,600
Eatontown	NJ	1	$191,955	$191,955
Duvall	WA	1	$192,848	$192,848
Damascus	MD	1	$130,501	$130,501
Danville	CA	1	$210,353	$210,353
Dallas	TX	1	$137,290	$137,290
Cypress	TX	1	$183,772	$183,772
Cedar Park	TX	1	$213,410	$213,410
Cliffside Park	NJ	1	$167,300	$167,300
Chestnut Hill	MA	1	$202,160	$202,160
Chandler	AZ	1	$181,198	$181,198
Celina	TX	1	$141,923	$141,923
Bellingham	WA	1	$150,859	$150,859
Brookline	MA	1	$202,160	$202,160
Berkeley	CA	1	$215,000	$215,000
Alexandria	VA	1	$150,000	$150,000
Apex	NC	1	$160,000	$160,000
Anaheim	CA	1	$168,385	$168,385
Bentonville	AR	1	$145,263	$145,263
Bellevue	WA	1	$150,250	$150,250
Beaverton	OR	1	$140,235	$140,235
Issaquah	WA	1	$210,583	$210,583

Historical Compensation Averages

Year-over-year salary data comparing historical averages.

Fiscal Year	Maximum	Median	Average	Minimum
2026	$310,000	$180,881	$184,633	$90,896
2025	$314,000	$171,077	$173,919	$71,656
2024	$283,840	$161,490	$164,507	$48
2023	$219,300	$118,939	$125,009	$48
2022	$253,000	$143,250	$158,153	$94,500
2021	$195,000	$117,000	$120,617	$67,475
2020	$250,000	$118,000	$122,347	$90,000
2019	$170,000	$109,943	$110,632	$35
2018	$169,950	$100,000	$105,463	$62,046
2017	$120,000	$95,000	$96,630	$80,000
2016	$99,000	$82,500	$82,500	$66,000

Live LCA Filing Ledger (FY 2026)

Raw, unedited federal disclosures showing individual labor applications filed.

Decision Date	Employer	Location	Base Pay	Wage Level	Status
Dec 30, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$191,692	Level III	Certified
Dec 30, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Mountain View, CA	$235,007	Level III	Certified
Dec 30, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$207,300	Level III	Certified
Dec 30, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$217,446	Level IV	Certified
Dec 30, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$174,072	Level II	Certified
Dec 30, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$212,484	Level IV	Certified
Dec 30, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$182,599	Level III	Certified
Dec 30, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$240,000	Level IV	Certified
Dec 30, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$188,534	Level III	Certified
Dec 30, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$180,710	Level III	Certified
Dec 30, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Celina, TX	$141,923	Level II	Certified
Dec 30, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$166,320	Level II	Certified
Dec 30, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Lewis Center, OH	$175,200	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$180,000	Level II	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$180,710	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$198,380	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$180,710	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$180,710	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$200,200	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$190,531	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$180,710	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$180,710	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Sultan, WA	$180,710	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Mountain View, CA	$171,165	N/A	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Burlington, MA	$200,200	Level IV	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$180,710	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$212,202	Level IV	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$194,740	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$180,710	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$180,710	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$179,000	Level II	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Mountain View, CA	$210,000	N/A	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$212,202	Level IV	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Mountain View, CA	$199,500	N/A	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Mountain View, CA	$171,165	N/A	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$180,710	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$180,710	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$180,710	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$212,202	Level IV	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$212,202	Level IV	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Mountain View, CA	$195,000	Level II	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$212,202	Level IV	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$180,710	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$160,000	Level II	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$168,000	Level II	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$166,000	Level II	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$180,710	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$212,202	Level IV	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$212,202	Level IV	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$212,202	Level IV	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$180,710	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$163,240	Level II	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$180,710	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	Microsoft Corporation	Redmond, WA	$180,710	Level III	Certified
Dec 29, 2025	General Motors	Milford, MI	$138,796	Level IV	Certified

Role Specific Intelligence (FAQ)

Common questions and insights about the Software Engineering role.

What is the highest paying city for Software Engineering professionals?
The top location for this profession is Mountain View, CA, posting a median prevailing wage of $199,500.

Where do most Software Engineering candidates work on an H-1B?
With 814 recent sponsorships, Microsoft Corporation serves as the primary employer acquiring foreign talent for this specific field.

How much do Software Engineering professionals make on an H-1B visa?
The national median salary for Software Engineering professionals is $180,710. Entry-level positions typically start around $135,665.

Are Software Engineering roles remote-friendly?
There are strong remote capabilities, as 24.8% of these professionals log a worksite in a completely different state from their company.