Senior Software Engineer salary in Cincinnati, OH

Based on 319 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Mason, Blue Ash, Erlanger, Milford, Covington.

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

Median salary$127,000
Middle 50%$119.8k–$138.6k
vs. all levels here+8%comparison median $117,595
Filings319FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $112,840 and $185,000.
PercentileSalary
10th$112,840
25th$119,787
50th (median)$127,000
75th$138,580
90th$155,163

Salary by year

Median salary

$90k $115k $140k FY2020: median $108,000 (297 filings) FY2021: median $111,467 (182 filings) FY2022: median $113,066 (243 filings) FY2023: median $110,000 (203 filings) FY2024: median $125,000 (211 filings) FY2025: median $126,447 (182 filings) FY2026: median $127,587 (137 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 297 filings FY20 FY2021: 182 filings FY21 FY2022: 243 filings FY22 FY2023: 203 filings FY23 FY2024: 211 filings FY24 FY2025: 182 filings FY25 FY2026: 137 filings FY26 297
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$108,000$94,800$112,080297
FY2021$111,467$110,490$123,688182
FY2022$113,066$108,680$130,000243
FY2023$110,000$100,526$124,850203
FY2024$125,000$115,000$140,000211
FY2025$126,447$115,000$141,868182
FY2026$127,587$119,787$135,000137

Cost of living

Cincinnati's median senior Software Engineer salary of $127,000 is worth about $133,200 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Cincinnati = 95.4).

Compared with all workers here

All Software Developers in the Cincinnati, OH area earned a median of $121,420 in May 2025 (9,900 employed). The H-1B median here is $127,000, 5% higher.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Employers filing at this level

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $81,307 147
Mid-level · Level II $100,550 803
Senior · Level III $127,000 319
Expert · Level IV $148,750 348

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Entry-level · Level I$77,438$81,307147
Mid-level · Level II$100,547$100,550803
Senior · Level III$119,787$127,000319
Expert · Level IV$139,027$148,750348

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.