Independent Software Developer
IBM — DOL-verified salary data (WAGE.md)
3 min read
IBM Salary Brief
TL;DR
IBM's Software Engineer (SWE) L3 role, representing the largest data sample, shows a median base salary of $105,019. Top performers in this role can expect to earn up to $181,760 (90th percentile). Across various technical and non-technical roles, salaries are competitive, with significant variation based on role family, level, and location.
Verified by
This brief is based on a sample size of 780 disclosed salary records from US DOL PERM and H-1B LCA disclosures.
Role Breakdown
| Role Family | Level | P50 (USD) | P75 (USD) | P90 (USD) | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWE | L3 | $105,019 | $138,945 | $181,760 | 219 |
| FDE | L3 | $110,885 | $134,950 | $169,229 | 114 |
| SWE | L5 | $124,422 | $169,229 | $201,491 | 80 |
| SWE | L4 | $128,939 | $169,229 | $218,376 | 64 |
| Other | L3 | $110,208 | $149,850 | $170,684 | 53 |
| Data | L3 | $109,782 | $163,238 | $166,939 | 37 |
| Other | L4 | $112,819 | $128,939 | $178,396 | 37 |
| FDE | L5 | $167,202 | $188,773 | $211,721 | 33 |
| Other | L5 | $143,416 | $163,326 | $185,389 | 18 |
| Other | L6 | $201,633 | $225,000 | $274,940 | 17 |
| Data | L4 | $163,238 | $176,070 | $187,537 | 10 |
| ML | L5 | $249,045 | $261,352 | $272,932 | 9 |
| Other | L7 | $119,752 | $180,273 | $284,019 | 8 |
| Data | L5 | $128,939 | $161,178 | $178,774 | 7 |
| FDE | L4 | $139,518 | $148,715 | $151,515 | 7 |
| FDE | L6 | $213,500 | $255,098 | $263,464 | 6 |
| SWE | L6 | $166,563 | $183,618 | $218,948 | 5 |
| PM | L5 | $115,440 | $131,938 | $154,333 | 4 |
| PM | L3 | $220,000 | $220,878 | $221,404 | 3 |
| PM | L4 | $128,756 | $144,444 | $153,857 | 3 |
Location Breakdown
| State | Median Salary (USD) | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|
| TX | $121,986 | 120 |
| NY | $169,229 | 118 |
| NJ | $121,514 | 95 |
| NC | $105,706 | 79 |
| CA | $172,932 | 63 |
| GA | $102,211 | 43 |
Recent Context
No WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notices for IBM were found within the last 540 days, indicating no mass layoffs reported during this period.
Citations
The data presented is derived from the following US Department of Labor (DOL) case numbers, verifiable in the DOL FLAG disclosure data (https://flag.dol.gov/case-data):
- G-100-24332-504106
- G-100-24313-464503
- G-100-24313-463658
- I-200-24299-434086
- G-100-24277-383177
- G-100-24277-383287
- G-100-24277-383407
- I-200-24285-402419