VMware Software Engineer salary

Based on 179 H-1B filings by VMware, Inc., fiscal years 2025–2026. Base salary only.

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

Median salary$186,466
Middle 50%$166.7k–$220.9k
vs. all employers+34%comparison median $139,194
Filings179FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $129,156 and $231,462.
PercentileSalary
10th$152,012
25th$166,712
50th (median)$186,466
75th$220,889
90th$226,158

Salary by year

Median salary

$130k $170k $210k FY2020: median $148,109 (807 filings) FY2021: median $151,826 (915 filings) FY2022: median $160,000 (877 filings) FY2023: median $176,497 (572 filings) FY2024: median $192,151 (300 filings) FY2025: median $190,486 (118 filings) FY2026: median $186,466 (61 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 807 filings FY20 FY2021: 915 filings FY21 FY2022: 877 filings FY22 FY2023: 572 filings FY23 FY2024: 300 filings FY24 FY2025: 118 filings FY25 FY2026: 61 filings FY26 915
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$148,109$130,000$174,005807
FY2021$151,826$135,000$175,000915
FY2022$160,000$140,000$187,200877
FY2023$176,497$155,742$204,795572
FY2024$192,151$167,931$214,935300
FY2025$190,486$172,744$217,500118
FY2026$186,466$163,550$222,09561

By state

California
$201,752
Massachusetts
$171,935
Texas
$157,930
North Carolina
$160,247
Washington
$190,507

Bar length: number of filings (California 123). Figure: average salary in that state.

By city

Palo Alto, CA$214,602 · 120 filings
Austin, TX$163,550 · 13 filings
Burlington, MA$172,744 · 13 filings

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

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Level I · Entry too few 1
Level II · Qualified too few 2
Level III · Experienced – 0
Level IV · Fully competent $182,864 72

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Questions

How much does a software engineer make at VMware?

In H-1B filings, VMware, Inc.'s median base salary for Software Engineer is $186,466; half of filings fall between $166,712 and $220,889. Bonus and stock are not included.

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

Yes. VMware, Inc. filed 179 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 VMware 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