Entry-level Software Engineer salary in Philadelphia, PA
Based on 790 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level I in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Wilmington, Malvern, Newark, Exton, West Chester.
Also listed as: Software Developer, Software Development Engineer, SDE
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $84,781 |
| 25th | $84,781 |
| 50th (median) | $88,088 |
| 75th | $90,000 |
| 90th | $103,210 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $71,400 | $71,386 | $76,190 | 361 |
| FY2021 | $74,000 | $73,715 | $82,075 | 412 |
| FY2022 | $75,700 | $75,691 | $80,000 | 364 |
| FY2023 | $80,080 | $77,397 | $85,669 | 343 |
| FY2024 | $80,100 | $80,080 | $85,000 | 495 |
| FY2025 | $85,000 | $84,781 | $88,100 | 521 |
| FY2026 | $88,100 | $88,088 | $95,497 | 269 |
Cost of living
Philadelphia's median entry-level Software Engineer salary of $88,088 is worth about $85,900 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Philadelphia = 102.6).
Compared with all workers here
All Software Developers in the Philadelphia, PA area earned a median of $133,040 in May 2025 (28,480 employed). The H-1B median here is $88,088, 34% lower.
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
| Employer | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Comcast | $88,088 | 80 |
| Susquehanna International Group | $88,100 | 38 |
| Deloitte | $84,781 | 25 |
| SK Technologies Inc - DE | $84,781 | 17 |
| Nixon Technologies | $84,781 | 11 |
| Phenom People | $85,000 | 10 |
| Etekserve | too few | 9 |
| Fourth Technologies | too few | 9 |
| Zeb AI | too few | 7 |
| Bridge Flair | too few | 6 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $88,088 | 790 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $109,845 | 2,130 |
| Senior · Level III | $135,200 | 764 |
| Expert · Level IV | $157,500 | 1,158 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.
Minimum H-1B salary by level
| Wage level | Prevailing wage (most common) | Median offered salary | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $84,781 | $88,088 | 790 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $109,845 | $109,845 | 2,130 |
| Senior · Level III | $125,653 | $135,200 | 764 |
| Expert · Level IV | $146,078 | $157,500 | 1,158 |
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.