Software Engineer Salary in New York 2026: BLS Wage Data, Posted Ranges and Taxes
Software developers in the New York metro area earned a median of $166,830 a year in May 2025, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That is well above the national median for the occupation, $135,980. About 121,000 software developers worked in the metro area, which covers New York City and surrounding counties in New York and New Jersey. Below you'll find the full pay range, related tech jobs, pay ranges from current NYC job postings, and what New York's taxes take.
Software Developer Pay in New York (BLS, May 2025)
The figures below are for software developers (SOC 15-1252) in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area. A percentile shows the share of workers who earn that amount or less: at the 25th percentile, a quarter of software developers earn $130,650 or less.
| Percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th | $101,690 |
| 25th | $130,650 |
| 50th (median) | $166,830 |
| 75th | $205,970 |
| 90th | $224,590 |
The mean (average) wage was $165,870. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area, May 2025.
What these numbers do and don't cover
- They are wages, not total compensation. BLS counts straight-time gross pay, including commissions and production bonuses. It leaves out overtime, nonproduction bonuses and employer-paid benefits (BLS). Equity grants, which five of the six postings below mention, are not part of these wage figures.
- There is no breakdown by experience level. The percentiles show how wide pay is spread, not what a junior or senior engineer earns.
- There is no separate code for backend, frontend or machine learning engineers. Most of those jobs are counted as software developers.
Related Tech Jobs in New York
| Occupation (SOC code) | Employment | 10th percentile | Median | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software developers (15-1252) | 121,000 | $101,690 | $166,830 | $224,590 |
| Software quality assurance analysts and testers (15-1253) | 11,460 | $75,490 | $130,540 | $181,330 |
| Web developers (15-1254) | 4,200 | $48,610 | $104,820 | $180,480 |
| Computer systems analysts (15-1211) | 26,540 | $78,000 | $128,340 | $179,110 |
| Data scientists (15-2051) | 23,160 | $79,870 | $135,980 | $216,030 |
| Computer and information systems managers (11-3021) | 62,430 | $139,610 | $215,300 | $322,410 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area, May 2025.
What NYC Employers Are Posting Now
New York requires pay ranges in job ads (see below), so posted ranges show what specific employers are offering. These examples come from New York software engineering postings, checked on each employer's own job page on 24 September 2026. They are examples, not a sample of the whole market, and postings close, so some links may stop working.
| Employer | Job title | Posted pay range (USD a year) |
|---|---|---|
| NBCUniversal | Sr. Software Engineer | $120,000–$170,000 |
| Miter | Software Engineer (New Grad) | $140,000–$165,000 |
| DeepL | Software Engineer, API | $144,000–$172,000 |
| Ramp | Software Engineer, Frontend, Growth | $200,000–$310,000 |
| Harvey | Staff/Sr. Staff Software Engineer, Product Engineering | $231,000–$340,000 |
| OpenAI | Software Engineer, API Frontiers | $266,000–$445,000 |
Miter, DeepL, Ramp, Harvey and OpenAI also say these roles come with equity. For more, browse software engineer jobs in New York (1,319 open on 24 September 2026). Every listing on LANDTHATROLE comes from the employer's own hiring system, such as Greenhouse, Lever, Workday or Ashby, and when the employer closes a job, it closes here too.
New York vs. San Francisco and Seattle
Median annual wages for software developers in May 2025, by metro area (BLS):
| Metro area | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| San Jose (Silicon Valley) | $213,110 |
| San Francisco | $186,640 |
| Seattle | $167,280 |
| New York | $166,830 |
| Austin | $134,120 |
| United States | $135,980 |
By median wage, New York and Seattle are almost level, and the two Bay Area metros are higher. Taxes change the picture: Washington and Texas have no state income tax on wages, while New York has both a state income tax and, for city residents, a city income tax.
New York Tax: What You Actually Take Home
For the 2025 tax year, New York State's rates for a single filer were 6% on taxable income between $80,650 and $215,400, and 6.85% from $215,400 to $1,077,550. The top rate, 10.9%, applies only above $25 million. New York City residents also pay city income tax at 3.078% to 3.876%, and a single filer pays the top city rate on taxable income over $50,000 (New York State Department of Taxation and Finance). Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare come on top.
The city tax applies to New York City residents. If you work in the city but live elsewhere, for example in New Jersey, you don't pay it, though you still owe New York State tax on wages you earn in New York.
New York's Pay Transparency Laws
- New York City (since 1 November 2022): employers with four or more employees must state the minimum and maximum pay they, in good faith, expect to offer in every ad for a job performed in the city (NYC Commission on Human Rights).
- New York State (since 17 September 2023): employers with four or more employees must include a pay range in ads for jobs performed in New York, or reporting to a supervisor or office in the state (New York State Department of Labor).
Use the posted range as your anchor. If your experience goes beyond what the job asks for, ask for the upper end and say why.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is New York a good city for software engineers in 2026?
For pay, yes. The median wage for software developers in the New York metro area was $166,830 in May 2025, against $135,980 nationally, and about 121,000 software developers worked there (BLS). The main drawback is tax: New York City residents pay both state and city income tax.
Do software engineers in New York need to work in finance?
No. New York is home to major finance employers such as Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, but also to tech and media companies headquartered in the city, including Datadog, MongoDB, Squarespace, Etsy and The New York Times.
How does NYC compare to Seattle for software engineer salaries?
Median wages are almost the same: $166,830 in the New York metro area and $167,280 in the Seattle metro area for software developers in May 2025 (BLS). The difference is tax. Washington has no state income tax on wages, while New York City residents pay New York State income tax (6% on a single filer's taxable income between $80,650 and $215,400 in 2025) plus city income tax of up to 3.876%.
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