Google, Facebook Offer Best Pay for Software Engineers, Salary Study Finds

In these times of corporate belt tightening and concerns about the global economy, where can software engineers make the most money? A study by jobs and career Website Glassdoor shows that Google tops the list of average base salaries for software engineers, with No. 2 Facebook trailing slightly behind. Apple, eBay and Zynga were also in the top five, according to Glassdoor, which analyzed pay rates for software engineers based on anonymous salary data from recent and current employees at 15 tech companies provided voluntarily. The data, collected between Oct. 8, 2011, and Oct. 7, 2012, also show software engineers' average base salaries are highest in the San Francisco Bay Area—home to the top five companies—while the Seattle area, home to Microsoft, took second place. Salaries rose year-over-year at some companies and regions, but dropped at others—bringing the national average for a software engineer's base salary to $92,648, up a modest 2.5 percent from 2011, Glassdoor said. However, long-term prospects for software engineers look promising. Glassdoor analysts point to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projections for 30 percent job growth for software engineers from 2010 to 2020, compared with 14 percent for all occupations. The BLS attributes the growing demand for software engineers to mobile apps, cyber-security concerns and increased use of computers in fields such as health care. Take a look at Glassdoor's salary data by company and region.