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Software Engineering Manager salary: median $212,500 a year

Software Engineering Manager listings that state pay run from $198,000 to $254,500 for the middle half, based on 30 current job listings. 123 software engineering manager roles are open now.

Software Engineering Manager pay range

From 30 open listings that state pay. Annual, in US dollars.

Lower quarter
$198,000
Median
$212,500
Upper quarter
$254,500

Do AI skills change software engineering manager pay?

For Engineering roles in general, as of October 26, 2026. This is the function’s figure, not one for software engineering manager alone: one title rarely has enough listings on both sides.

Among Engineering listings, those that ask for an AI skill advertise +18% (about $31.5k) compared with similar listings that do not, matched on level and industry.

Listings that ask for an AI skill
$209,000
median, from 3,760 paid listings
Listings that never mention AI
$152,500
median, from 4,547 paid listings

Advertised pay only: the midpoint of the range an employer posted, on live U.S. postings read from the full text. “Asks for an AI skill” means the posting names a specific AI skill; “no AI” means it never mentions AI. A difference in what is advertised is not a promise of what you would be paid, and it does not show that learning a skill causes a raise.

See the AI-skill pay table for every function · Check your own pay against these listings

Open software engineering manager jobs

Verified against the employer’s own career site within the last week.

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Related salaries

Software Engineering Manager salary questions

How much does a software engineering manager make?
Among 30 open software engineering manager listings that state pay, the median is $212,500 a year, and half of listings fall between $198,000 and $254,500.
Where does this software engineering manager pay data come from?
From current job listings on employers’ own career sites that state a pay range. Hourly pay is converted at 2,080 hours a year, and a listing’s midpoint is used. Listed pay is what employers advertise, not what people are paid.
Which state pays software engineering managers the most?
Of the states with enough listings, California has the highest median listed pay at $255,000.

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