Caterpillar Software Engineer salary

Based on 234 H-1B filings by Caterpillar Inc., fiscal years 2025–2026. Base salary only.

Also listed as: Software Developer, Software Development Engineer, SDE

Median salary$127,587
Middle 50%$108.1k–$136.1k
vs. all employers−8%comparison median $139,194
Filings234FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $87,011 and $168,080.
PercentileSalary
10th$92,789
25th$108,077
50th (median)$127,587
75th$136,141
90th$153,317

Salary by year

Median salary

$90k $115k $140k FY2020: median $105,896 (52 filings) FY2021: median $115,000 (49 filings) FY2022: median $116,694 (122 filings) FY2023: median $117,427 (90 filings) FY2024: median $117,021 (113 filings) FY2025: median $127,587 (127 filings) FY2026: median $127,587 (107 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 52 filings FY20 FY2021: 49 filings FY21 FY2022: 122 filings FY22 FY2023: 90 filings FY23 FY2024: 113 filings FY24 FY2025: 127 filings FY25 FY2026: 107 filings FY26 127
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$105,896$94,026$125,00052
FY2021$115,000$102,000$122,84249
FY2022$116,694$105,000$131,500122
FY2023$117,427$103,610$131,71490
FY2024$117,021$102,690$130,978113
FY2025$127,587$106,613$138,944127
FY2026$127,587$108,077$132,839107

By state

Illinois
$121,717
Texas
$129,875
Colorado
$115,979
California
$163,728
Pennsylvania
$136,179

Bar length: number of filings (Illinois 178). Figure: average salary in that state.

By city

Chillicothe, IL$110,198 · 78 filings
Chicago, IL$137,180 · 65 filings
Peoria, IL$127,587 · 29 filings
Irving, TX$127,878 · 18 filings

Cities with at least 10 filings. Figure: median salary.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Level I · Entry too few 5
Level II · Qualified $97,032 67
Level III · Experienced $116,106 43
Level IV · Fully competent $138,164 98

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Questions

How much does a software engineer make at Caterpillar?

In H-1B filings, Caterpillar Inc.'s median base salary for Software Engineer is $127,587; half of filings fall between $108,077 and $136,141. Bonus and stock are not included.

Does Caterpillar sponsor H-1B visas for software engineers?

Yes. Caterpillar Inc. filed 234 certified Labor Condition Applications for this role in FY2025–FY2026. A filing is a step before the visa petition, not an approval.

Which job titles are included?

Filings are grouped by occupation code 15-1252 (Software Developers), so this page covers every job title Caterpillar filed under that code.

Where does this data come from?

The U.S. Department of Labor's public LCA disclosure files, updated every quarter. Methodology