
Independent Software Developer
LinkedIn — DOL-verified salary data (WAGE.md)
3 min read
LinkedIn Salary Brief
TL;DR
Software Engineers (SWE) at L4 level represent the largest data sample for LinkedIn, with a median (P50) base salary of $163,862. For this role, 75% of reported salaries are at or below $199,534, and 90% are at or below $199,534.
Verified by
This brief is based on a sample size of 398 salary disclosures, primarily sourced from US Department of Labor (DOL) PERM and H-1B LCA filings.
Role Breakdown
| Role Family | Level | P50 (Median) | P75 | P90 | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data | L3 | $137,560 | $148,699 | $154,985 | 8 |
| Data | L4 | $180,128 | $180,128 | $180,128 | 9 |
| Data | L5 | $188,885 | $194,722 | $204,810 | 5 |
| Design | L3 | $119,000 | $119,000 | $119,000 | 2 |
| Design | L4 | $158,960 | $178,439 | $190,127 | 2 |
| Design | L5 | $178,000 | $178,000 | $178,000 | 2 |
| FDE | L5 | $157,149 | $178,110 | $196,261 | 5 |
| ML | L3 | $155,893 | $171,558 | $172,931 | 15 |
| ML | L4 | $180,128 | $199,534 | $199,534 | 25 |
| ML | L5 | $214,079 | $229,834 | $234,953 | 7 |
| Other | L4 | $129,168 | $155,447 | $167,086 | 21 |
| Other | L5 | $158,746 | $179,171 | $188,634 | 13 |
| Other | L6 | $175,000 | $188,885 | $205,395 | 9 |
| Other | L7 | $173,284 | $180,604 | $184,996 | 2 |
| PM | L3 | $150,213 | $172,620 | $212,568 | 4 |
| PM | L4 | $178,000 | $190,000 | $213,555 | 5 |
| SWE | L3 | $135,283 | $146,307 | $172,931 | 58 |
| SWE | L4 | $163,862 | $199,534 | $199,534 | 124 |
| SWE | L5 | $226,158 | $226,158 | $255,445 | 60 |
| SWE | L6 | $273,915 | $294,299 | $294,299 | 5 |
| SWE | L7 | $294,299 | $294,299 | $294,299 | 2 |
Location Breakdown
| State | Median USD | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|
| CA | $172,931 | 324 |
| NY | $151,819 | 28 |
| WA | $163,862 | 27 |
| TX | $129,000 | 8 |
| IN | $164,000 | 1 |
| OH | $105,185 | 1 |
Recent Context
No WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notices for LinkedIn were found within the last 540 days, indicating no recent mass layoffs reported to the Department of Labor.
Citations
The data presented is verifiable through the following US Department of Labor (DOL) case numbers, accessible via the DOL FLAG disclosure data portal (https://flag.dol.gov/case-data):
- I-200-24354-559440
- I-200-24271-371847
- I-200-24271-371832
- I-200-24274-375365
- I-200-24340-520705
- I-200-24318-473606
- G-100-26021-578177
- I-200-24285-401568