Software Engineer salary in Columbia, MO

Based on 22 certified H-1B filings in the Columbia, MO metro area, FY2025–FY2026.

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

Median salary$85,651
Middle 50%$84.1k–$128k
vs. national median−38%comparison median $139,194
Filings22FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $68,254 and $178,989.
PercentileSalary
10th$72,547
25th$84,055
50th (median)$85,651
75th$128,000
90th$139,900

Salary by year

Median salary

$60k $80k $100k FY2020: median $77,400 (10 filings) FY2021: median $79,144 (19 filings) FY2022: median $85,000 (11 filings) FY2024: median $91,455 (12 filings) FY2025: median $84,219 (16 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 10 filings FY20 FY2021: 19 filings FY21 FY2022: 11 filings FY22 FY2023: 5 filings FY23 FY2024: 12 filings FY24 FY2025: 16 filings FY25 FY2026: 6 filings FY26 19
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$77,400$72,750$84,06310
FY2021$79,144$77,000$98,96419
FY2022$85,000$77,995$109,50011
FY2023–––5
FY2024$91,455$79,830$103,06312
FY2025$84,219$81,313$101,21316
FY2026–––6

Cost of living

Columbia's median Software Engineer salary of $85,651 is worth about $95,800 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Columbia = 89.4).

Compared with all workers here

All Software Developers in the Columbia, MO area earned a median of $101,020 in May 2025 (530 employed). The H-1B median here is $85,651, 15% lower.

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

Top employers filing

EmployerMedianFilings
Carfaxtoo few4
American Association of Motor Vehicle Administratorstoo few2
The Curators of the University of Missouritoo few2

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

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I too few 3
Mid-level · Level II $93,299 10
Senior · Level III – 0
Expert · Level IV – 0

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Mid-level · Level II$84,219$93,29910

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.