Southwest Airlines Software Engineer salary

Based on 106 H-1B filings by Southwest Airlines Co., fiscal years 2025–2026. Base salary only.

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

Median salary$149,781
Middle 50%$149.8k–$156.7k
vs. all employers+8%comparison median $139,194
Filings106FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $103,230 and $161,436.
PercentileSalary
10th$131,425
25th$149,781
50th (median)$149,781
75th$156,676
90th$156,998

Salary by year

Median salary

$100k $135k $170k FY2020: median $111,430 (18 filings) FY2021: median $127,150 (20 filings) FY2022: median $128,315 (100 filings) FY2023: median $134,992 (55 filings) FY2024: median $139,464 (52 filings) FY2025: median $149,781 (83 filings) FY2026: median $156,998 (23 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 18 filings FY20 FY2021: 20 filings FY21 FY2022: 100 filings FY22 FY2023: 55 filings FY23 FY2024: 52 filings FY24 FY2025: 83 filings FY25 FY2026: 23 filings FY26 100
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$111,430$106,432$127,71218
FY2021$127,150$124,099$127,44120
FY2022$128,315$128,315$128,315100
FY2023$134,992$134,992$134,99255
FY2024$139,464$139,464$149,78152
FY2025$149,781$149,781$149,78183
FY2026$156,998$147,750$156,99823

By city

Southwest Airlines files many roles at exactly $149,781. 52 of 106 filings (49%).

Dallas, TX$149,781 · 105 filings

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

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Level I · Entry – 0
Level II · Qualified too few 4
Level III · Experienced $134,971 10
Level IV · Fully competent $149,781 78

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Questions

How much does a software engineer make at Southwest Airlines?

In H-1B filings, Southwest Airlines Co.'s median base salary for Software Engineer is $149,781; half of filings fall between $149,781 and $156,676. Bonus and stock are not included.

Does Southwest Airlines sponsor H-1B visas for software engineers?

Yes. Southwest Airlines Co. filed 106 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 Southwest Airlines 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