H1B Report
Salary comparison

Cost Estimators vs Software Developers

Side-by-side H-1B prevailing-wage comparison using the same DOL LCA data that drives every page on H1B Report. Quartiles, hiring geography, top sponsors and yearly wage drift.

Occupation A
Cost Estimators
SOC 13-1051Rank #62
Occupation B
Software Developers
SOC 15-1252Rank #1

Key metrics

Wage figures are offered annual wage; volume is total LCA count.

MetricCost EstimatorsSoftware Developers
Median wage$75,000$102,690
P25 wage$60,000$84,300
P75 wage$99,623$131,000
Wage spread (P75 − P25)$39,623$46,700
Total filings14,3092,843,747
Wage samples14,2082,838,792
Rank#62#1

Median wage by year

Year-over-year drift of the typical offered wage.

Cost Estimators
Time series: 17 points from FY2010 to FY2026
Time series
PeriodValue
FY2010$62k
FY2011$60k
FY2012$61k
FY2013$65k
FY2014$62k
FY2015$63k
FY2016$69k
FY2017$66k
FY2018$70k
FY2019$73k
FY2020$77k
FY2021$82k
FY2022$90k
FY2023$93k
FY2024$93k
FY2025$93k
FY2026$97k
Software Developers
Time series: 17 points from FY2010 to FY2026
Time series
PeriodValue
FY2010$80k
FY2011$80k
FY2012$81k
FY2013$82k
FY2014$82k
FY2015$82k
FY2016$84k
FY2017$90k
FY2018$93k
FY2019$96k
FY2020$103k
FY2021$112k
FY2022$115k
FY2023$120k
FY2024$124k
FY2025$133k
FY2026$140k

Top 5 hiring states — Cost Estimators

  • 1NY2,451$74,360
  • 2CA2,383$87,360
  • 3TX1,778$79,792
  • 4NJ877$71,800
  • 5FL606$66,062

Top 5 hiring states — Software Developers

  • 1CA589,072$130,894
  • 2TX340,929$99,861
  • 3WA183,730$136,800
  • 4NJ155,389$100,000
  • 5NY131,510$112,700
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