Principal Software Engineer - IT H-1B wages
Filings decided July 2025 to June 2026. Most are classified as Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (SOC 15-1253).
Employers filed 26 wage applications for Principal Software Engineer - IT jobs from July 2025 to June 2026, across 3 employers. The median offered wage was $147,748, 6.5% above the government's prevailing wage for the job. Dell USA L.P. filed the most (23, median $147,900).
- Filings
- 26
- Positions covered
- 26
- Employers
- 3
- Median offered
- $147,748
- Median prevailing wage
- $131,893
- Filings since FY2020
- 336
- Median offer change since FY2020
- +23%
Offered wage since 2020
The median wage offered for Principal Software Engineer - IT jobs rose 23%, from $119,646 in fiscal 2020 to $147,595 in fiscal 2026 so far. In fiscal 2026 it was 6.6% above the prevailing wage. Filings peaked in fiscal 2022, with 64 filings.
Middle half of offered wagesMedian offered wageMedian prevailing wageFilings per year
Fiscal years run October to September. Fiscal 2026 is still running: these figures cover October 2025 to June 2026.
Principal Software Engineer - IT by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Filings | Median offered | vs year before | Median prevailing | vs prevailing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Oct to Jun) | 21 | $147,595 | +0.5% | $128,794 | +6.6% |
| 2025 | 45 | $146,813 | +5.9% | $126,131 | +7.8% |
| 2024 | 53 | $138,613 | +4.5% | $124,904 | +9.1% |
| 2023 | 52 | $132,584 | +2.1% | $118,061 | +12.3% |
| 2022 | 64 | $129,812 | +4.1% | $113,080 | +9.7% |
| 2021 | 55 | $124,740 | +4.3% | $112,611 | +6.9% |
| 2020 | 46 | $119,646 | n/a | $102,045 | +6.5% |
Employers that file for this title
Middle half of offered wagesMedian offered wageMedian prevailing wage
| Employer | Filings | Median offered | Offered range and prevailing wage | vs prevailing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dell USA L.P. | 23 | $147,900 | +6.6% | |
| EMC Corporation | 2 | $140,592 | +5.8% | |
| Dell Marketing L.P. | 1 | $148,000 | +4.3% | |
Where Principal Software Engineer - IT jobs are filed
| Worksite | Filings | Median offered | Offered range and prevailing wage | vs prevailing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round Rock, TX | 15 | $147,237 | +9.2% | |
| Hopkinton, MA | 3 | $147,595 | +5.0% | |
| Austin, TX | 1 | $133,900 | +6.6% | |
| Cumming, GA | 1 | $159,200 | +4.6% | |
| Durham, NC | 1 | $150,119 | +16.6% | |
| Katy, TX | 1 | $150,173 | +0.3% | |
| Mint Hill, NC | 1 | $142,045 | +6.4% | |
| Roanoke, TX | 1 | $129,218 | +1.9% | |
| Santa Clara, CA | 1 | $201,053 | at the minimum | |
| South Lyon, MI | 1 | $161,136 | +16.4% | |
Seniority of the jobs filed
The government assigns each job one of four wage levels. A higher level means a higher legal minimum.
What these numbers are
- They are wages employers attested to on Labor Condition Applications (Form ETA-9035), not paychecks. Bonuses and stock are not included.
- A filing is not a visa or a hire. One filing can cover several positions, and some are later withdrawn. Wage figures use certified filings only.
- The prevailing wage is the minimum the employer must pay for that job in that area, set from government wage surveys.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, OFLC disclosure data. How we clean and count it.
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