The Top 5 Best-Paying Cities for Software Engineers in Texas

The Top 5 Best-Paying Cities for Software Engineers in Texas

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the salaries some software engineers can earn.

Texas has become the No. 1 state for technology jobs outside of California and its Silicon Valley. And in more good news: The pay packages for tech workers in the Lone Star State are close behind the traditional tech hubs.

According to the more than 5 million verified professionals on the professional social network Blind, these are the top five best-paying cities for software engineers in Texas. Blind considered the annual base and the total compensation package, including the annual salary and any stock-based compensation or bonuses a company might offer.

1. Austin, Texas

  • Average total compensation: $171,981
  • Median total compensation: $151,843
  • Average salary: $128,524
  • Median base salary: $127,000

It may be no surprise that Austin is No. 1, as the state capital is home to some of the largest tech giants.

Apple’s new $1-billion campus in northwest Austin is slated to open this year, and Tesla recently moved its headquarters to the city. Recently, Google, Facebook-owner Meta, and TikTok scooped up hundreds of thousands of square feet in downtown Austin.

Amazon, Dell, PayPal, VMware and Wayfair are also among the best-paying tech employers in Austin.

2. Houston, Texas

  • Average total compensation: $137,987
  • Median total compensation: $120,500
  • Average salary: $111,625
  • Median base salary: $110,000

Long before Austin became a magnet for jobs, there was Houston. Long a hub for the aerospace, defense and energy industries, the aptly named Space City has been a go-to place for a job in tech.

Some tech companies in Houston include Aspen Technology, Cisco, Intel, Microsoft and SAP.

3. Dallas, Texas

  • Average total compensation: $132,788
  • Median total compensation: $120,000
  • Average salary: $113,517
  • Median base salary: $111,000

Some of the tech companies you should know in Dallas are Match, the owners of the dating apps Hinge, Match, Tinder and more, plus FireEye, Palo Alto Networks and Texas Instruments.

4. Plano, Texas

  • Average total compensation: $121,127
  • Median total compensation: $116,500
  • Average salary: $107,251
  • Median base salary: $105,000

North Texas is experiencing strong job growth, and Plano has benefited from the boom.

Tech companies, which have picked up their hiring in Plano, include IBM, Intuit, Juniper Networks, Red Hat and Splunk. The city is also home to the headquarters of dozens of some of the most recognized companies in the world.

5. San Antonio, Texas

  • Average total compensation: $105,254
  • Median total compensation: $98,433
  • Average salary: $94,626
  • Median base salary: $85,050

San Antonio is no stranger to high-paying tech jobs. Alamo City has long been home to Rackspace and Oracle. Other leading tech companies are Fiserv, iHeartMedia and ServiceNow.

Methodology

Blind analyzed the base salaries and total compensation of software engineers in the United States on its platform. Cities were ranked by the average total compensation, including annual base salary and, if applicable, stock-based compensation and cash bonuses. The list includes only the Texas cities in the top 80 best-paying cities for software engineers in the United States. All data is self-reported by verified professionals on the professional social network Blind.