Cisco Systems Software Engineer salary

Based on 916 H-1B filings by Cisco Systems, Inc., fiscal years 2025–2026. Base salary only.

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

Median salary$157,248
Middle 50%$135.8k–$181k
vs. all employers+13%comparison median $139,194
Filings916FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $101,500 and $264,251.
PercentileSalary
10th$124,702
25th$135,800
50th (median)$157,248
75th$181,000
90th$212,202

Salary by year

Median salary

$110k $145k $180k FY2020: median $131,726 (364 filings) FY2021: median $145,000 (978 filings) FY2022: median $135,000 (928 filings) FY2023: median $140,405 (436 filings) FY2024: median $136,300 (382 filings) FY2025: median $151,100 (435 filings) FY2026: median $163,600 (481 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 364 filings FY20 FY2021: 978 filings FY21 FY2022: 928 filings FY22 FY2023: 436 filings FY23 FY2024: 382 filings FY24 FY2025: 435 filings FY25 FY2026: 481 filings FY26 978
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$131,726$117,075$145,725364
FY2021$145,000$130,000$161,433978
FY2022$135,000$117,796$157,477928
FY2023$140,405$122,900$167,149436
FY2024$136,300$125,400$161,993382
FY2025$151,100$131,307$178,500435
FY2026$163,600$139,214$187,574481

By state

California
$183,861
North Carolina
$139,822
Texas
$138,180
Washington
$171,126
New Jersey
$163,735

Bar length: number of filings (California 429). Figure: average salary in that state.

By city

San Jose, CA$180,800 · 177 filings
Milpitas, CA$197,162 · 96 filings
San Francisco, CA$187,574 · 78 filings
Research Triangle Park, NC$139,214 · 67 filings

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

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Level I · Entry $108,073 30
Level II · Qualified $126,500 161
Level III · Experienced $151,819 380
Level IV · Fully competent $181,345 96

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Questions

How much does a software engineer make at Cisco Systems?

In H-1B filings, Cisco Systems, Inc.'s median base salary for Software Engineer is $157,248; half of filings fall between $135,800 and $181,000. Bonus and stock are not included.

Does Cisco Systems sponsor H-1B visas for software engineers?

Yes. Cisco Systems, Inc. filed 916 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 Cisco Systems 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