Junior Software Engineer salary: $144K median
The median advertised Junior Software Engineer salary is $144K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $130K to $158K: counted from 89 open roles that publish a yearly US-dollar range: about $69 an hour or $12,000 a month. A tenth of the postings offer $200K or more. Advertised ranges, not verified pay.
Check an offer against these figuresAll junior software engineer jobs
$144Kmedian advertised salary
$130K – $158Kmiddle half of roles
$146Kaverage advertised salary
89roles counted
Junior Software Engineer salary by location
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸San Francisco Bay Area | $149K | 37 |
| 🇺🇸United States | $146K | 85 |
| 🇺🇸California | $145K | 46 |
Skills that pay more for Junior Software Engineer roles
| Skill | Median with it | Above the median | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security clearance | $200K | +$56K | 9 |
| Go | $155K | +$11K | 24 |
| Kotlin | $151K | +$7K | 8 |
| Machine Learning | $150K | +$6K | 9 |
| RAG | $146K | +$2K | 8 |
Top-paying companies
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| Captivation Software | $200K | 7 |
| Twitch | $156K | 6 |
| Affirm | $155K | 4 |
| Applied | $144K | 3 |
| Notion | $140K | 3 |
| Accenture Federal Services | $94K | 3 |
Highest-paying open Junior Software Engineer roles
All junior software engineer jobs- Software Engineer, Backend New GraduateProphet Security · 🇺🇸Palo Alto (Hybrid)$150K - $273KHybridJuniorGoPythonTypeScript
- Radio Frequency Software Engineer 1 - C++/Linux/Python/DSPCaptivation Software · 🇺🇸Annapolis Junction, MD$130K - $270KPythonC++Linux
- Software Engineer 1/2/3 - Grafana/Bash/Python/JavaScript/React/TypeScriptCaptivation Software · 🇺🇸Annapolis Junction, MD$130K - $270KPythonTypeScriptJavaScript
- New Grad Software Engineer (Backend Rust)N1 · 🇺🇸New York City$120K - $260KJuniorRustC++Ethereum
- Software Engineer I / IIGigaml · 🇺🇸San Francisco$160K - $250KAI agentsSlack
- Software Engineer I / IIGigaml · 🇺🇸New York$160K - $250KAI agentsSlack
- Software Engineer, Real-Time Systems (Early Career)Swarmaero · 🇺🇸San Francisco$170K - $220KJuniorRustGoC++
- Software Engineer 1GRVTY · 🇺🇸Fort Meade, Maryland, United States$178K - $208KPythonJavaScala
- Software Engineer, Early CareerAquatic Capital Management · 🇺🇸Chicago; New York$150K - $200KJuniorPythonC++
- Software Engineer I/II - Scientific ComputingIambic Therapeutics · 🇺🇸Boston Office$129K - $190KHybridPythonMachine LearningAWS
- Software Engineer I, CommerceTwitch · 🇺🇸San Francisco, CA$110K - $185KGoTypeScriptReact
- Software Engineer I - Community GrowthTwitch · 🇺🇸San Francisco, CA$127K - $185KGoReactReact Native
- Software Engineer, New Grad (2027)Harvey · 🇺🇸San Francisco$165K - $182KHybridJuniorGoPythonTypeScript
- Software Engineer, New Grad (2027)Harvey · 🇺🇸New York$165K - $182KJuniorGoPythonTypeScript
- Software Engineer, Early Career (NYC)Affirm · 🇺🇸New York, New York, United States$130K - $180KJuniorGo
- Software Engineer, Early Career (SF)Affirm · 🇺🇸San Francisco, California, United States$130K - $180KJuniorGo
- Software Engineer - New GradScale AI · 🇺🇸San Francisco, CA$144K - $180KJuniorPythonTypeScriptReact
- Software Engineer, Agent (New Grad 2027)Sierra · 🇺🇸San Francisco, CA$150K - $180KJuniorTypeScriptReactLLM
- New Grad Software Engineer (Full Stack)N1 · 🇺🇸New York City$100K - $180KJuniorTypeScriptReactNode.js
- Software Engineer, New GradPylon Labs · 🇺🇸San Francisco$150K - $180KJuniorGoReactGraphQL
Questions about Junior Software Engineer pay
- What is the average Junior Software Engineer salary?
- $146K a year on average and $144K at the median, across 89 open Junior Software Engineer postings at companies that state pay (November 2026). The median is the better guide: a few very high offers pull the average up.
- What is the typical range?
- The middle half of the postings offer $130K to $158K a year. A quarter offer less and a quarter offer more.
- Which companies advertise the highest Junior Software Engineer pay?
- Captivation Software ($200K), Twitch ($156K), Affirm ($155K), by the median of their open postings that state pay (three postings or more).
- Is a junior software engineer a high-paying job?
- The median Junior Software Engineer posting advertises $144K a year, less than the median of all 55,899 job postings with pay on Jobs Every Hour ($174K). That is 17% below the middle of the market.
- How much can you earn as a junior software engineer?
- A tenth of the postings offer $200K a year or more; the highest open Junior Software Engineer role advertises up to $273K. Pay rises with level: see the table by level.
- What is the Junior Software Engineer salary per hour and per month?
- The median of $144K a year is about $69 an hour (2,080 working hours) and $12,000 a month before tax. The middle half of postings: $62 to $76 an hour.
- Which skills pay more for Junior Software Engineer roles?
- Postings that ask for Security clearance (+$56K, 9 postings), Go (+$11K, 24 postings), Kotlin (+$7K, 8 postings) advertise more than the $144K median of all Junior Software Engineer postings with pay.
- What does an entry-level junior software engineer make?
- 54 junior and intern Junior Software Engineer postings state pay, with a median of $140K a year ($67 an hour).
- Where do these figures come from?
- From the pay ranges employers print in their own job postings, read from their careers pages every hour. The midpoint of each range is counted. These are advertised ranges for open roles, mostly in the United States and in US dollars, not what people are actually paid.
Writing about this? A sentence you can quote
The median advertised salary for Junior Software Engineer roles at companies is $144K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $130K to $158K. Counted from 89 open job postings that state pay, November 2026. Source: Jobs Every Hour, https://jobseveryhour.com/salaries/junior-software-engineer/
Free to use with the link.