Ask HN: Does really every software engineer in the US earn ~100000?

#1

Post by elephant0xffff » Sun, Jun 03, 2018, 3:28 PM UTC

Hey HN,

I am a software engineer in Europe and I would guess the average software engineer makes ~40000 (around ~28000 net) euro a year (~47000 in $) if (s)he does "average" software dev (so between junior and senior).

Now obviously you can negotiate salary (which I recommend) and exceptional senior devs do make around ~80000 here in Europe I guess, but here on HN I always read that most devs make around 100K (even if not a team leader or just fresh from the university or even self-taught), but if I would propose that kind of compensation to some company I am sure that it won't work out. I know that Google & Co do pay decent salary here in Europe, but other (software) companies would roll their eyes if I would demand a salary in this category.

Of course it is not that easy to compare as you are automatically insured in Europe (I don't know how that works in the US, I often read about some 401-thingy) which I highly appreciate but I don't think that you guys pay 50000 for taxes and social benefits/year?

So is my view biased as I hang out on HN too much, or is salary in the US really that much higher?

Or is it implied that you just make your 50 - 60 hours a week (at least in my area most people that do full-time are Thank you for your comments.

//edit: Obviously not everybody, but let's say the 50% percentile.

Re: Ask HN: Does really every software engineer in the US earn ~100000?

#2

Post by RNeff » Sun, Jun 03, 2018, 4:02 PM UTC

paysa.com tracks real salaries. glassdoor.com collects reported salary info, and estimates pay at open positions. The US is a very big place, with a huge geographic distribution of cost of living and salaries. In Silicon Valley, software engineers at tech companies typically make $100k and up. The cost of housing is enormous canceling out the high pay. There are a number of Cost of Living comparison web sites.

Re: Ask HN: Does really every software engineer in the US earn ~100000?

#3

Post by dylanhassinger » Sun, Jun 03, 2018, 4:05 PM UTC

the best way to increase your salary in tech is to change jobs, keep learning new skills, and market yourself locally and globally.

in 2016 I was an over-worked web developer making $50k. Now I am an under-worked software engineer making double that. I have changed jobs 4 times since then (3 layoffs, 1 resignation from a dead end role, several other offers i turned down) and learned multiple new technologies. i also go to meetups and keep my network growing.

Here in US we pay about 30% in taxes and insurance. I try to keep some savings around in case of layoffs or to give me the flexibility to walk away from a role

Re: Ask HN: Does really every software engineer in the US earn ~100000?

#4

Post by bsvalley » Sun, Jun 03, 2018, 4:06 PM UTC

Location is a huge variable. The cost of living is what you’d be looking for. In the US alone a same software engineer would make $200k in SF versus $100k in a lot of other cities within the same state (California). Of course, anyone living in another state would have a complete different salary and set of rules.

Now, connect the ocean in between the US and Europe and it makes it even harder to relate to your $100k/y as a reference. In europe alone you have different countries, rules, etc. I would say that the general rule is that your buying power within society remains fairly equivalent no matter what location you’re in.

Re: Ask HN: Does really every software engineer in the US earn ~100000?

#5

Post by eaenki » Sun, Jun 03, 2018, 4:06 PM UTC

In Zurich, Geneva, Oslo and Rejkavik, you can also get a job that pays that much at a software/financial company/startup (and healthcare it's much cheaper/included in taxes).

In the US, that kind of salary it's common only in the Silicon Valley and NY.

Re: Ask HN: Does really every software engineer in the US earn ~100000?

#6

Post by ardent_uno » Sun, Jun 03, 2018, 4:10 PM UTC

To give you an idea, I didn't study computer science in college, graduated and got a job in a non programming role, worked for a year before deciding to teach myself mobile app development, did that for a year, and got a job at a very large US based corporation (not a tech giant though) as a junior app developer making $90k a year, not including full health and dental coverage provided by my company.

I work in a reasonably high cost of living area on the east coast.

Re: Ask HN: Does really every software engineer in the US earn ~100000?

#7

Post by PredictorY » Sun, Jun 03, 2018, 5:15 PM UTC

I don't know about software engineers specifically (and I know that this title is abused by applying it to other positions), but I can tell you that both general pay-scales and the cost of living vary quite a bit in the United States, as well as with the type of organization one works for (finance and pharmaceuticals pay above average, nonprofits unsurprisingly pay below average).

Also, the general pay level and cost of living tend to be highly correlated. Those people you've heard about who make truckloads of money in San Francisco? They also pay twice (or more) what people in other American locales do for housing!

Re: Ask HN: Does really every software engineer in the US earn ~100000?

#8

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Jun 03, 2018, 5:18 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Does really every software engineer in the US earn ~100000?

#9

Post by closeparen » Sun, Jun 03, 2018, 5:25 PM UTC

Software engineers in the US make slightly above median income (EDIT: for a college graduate) wherever the job is located. In a second-tier city with national-median home prices, that could be $50k. In the Bay Area, where the Hacker News community is centered, $115k is the median household income and also the starting salary for new graduate software engineers at several big-name companies.

There's too much diversity of cost of living for an absolute dollar figure to be useful. I would look at percentile, fraction of median home price, lifestyle, etc. instead.

Re: Ask HN: Does really every software engineer in the US earn ~100000?

#10

Post by mrep » Sun, Jun 03, 2018, 5:29 PM UTC

Big public tech companies (Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Twitter, Dropbox...) all pay over 100k total compensation for new grads.

However, they all are headquartered in the bay area or seattle so cost of living makes those numbers not quite as eye dropping as it seems but still very good. I have worked for these companies since I graduated and have saved about $90,000 in a little over 2 years including 401k (No debt from college which really helps).

While not everyone can work for these companies, the first 5 I listed have 10's of thousands of developers each so it isn't too hard to get into at least 1 of them if you are willing to make the jump and move (you can also always try and move back later to a satellite office which is my plan).