Are you considering a career in software engineering in England, or looking to benchmark your current compensation?
We have conducted a comprehensive analysis of 1,470 software engineering positions across England to provide insights into the software engineer salary landscape. This article details the software engineer salaries and software engineer wage in England for 2025, exploring how much software engineers make and the key factors that influence compensation as revealed by the data.
Average Software Engineer Salary in England
The median English software engineer salary is £56,201 per year or £27.02 per hour, based on our analysis of 1,470 positions. This figure provides insight into how much software engineers make in England and serves as a benchmark for software engineering salaries in the country. It’s worth noting that this median represents the total compensation, including both base salary and additional pay such as bonuses and stock options.
Salary Range Overview
How Software Engineers Salaries vary with
Required Educational Level and Software Engineer Qualifications
The data reveals that while a bachelor’s degree is sufficient for most positions (75% of roles), pursuing advanced education can lead to modest salary increases. Unlike some fields, education has relatively little impact on software engineering salaries in England, with skills and experience being more important determinants.
Interestingly, the salary difference between education levels is less dramatic than in other engineering disciplines, with PhD holders earning only about 20% more than bachelor’s degree holders. This suggests that in software engineering, practical skills, experience, and portfolio work often matter more than formal credentials—great news for self-taught developers and bootcamp graduates.
Required Years of Experience and Software Engineer Wage Progression
Software Engineer Salary by Years of Experience
The data shows the most significant salary jump between years 2 and 3, where software engineers see their compensation increase from approximately £57,943 to £61,139—though the rate of increase is most significant between years 2 and 3 in general career progression. This suggests that the transition from junior software engineer to mid-level represents a critical career milestone for software engineers in England.
Experience Requirements Distribution
| Years of Experience | Percentage of Jobs | Number of Positions |
|---|---|---|
| 0 years | 6.30% | 38 |
| 1 year | 11.28% | 68 |
| 2 years | 15.42% | 93 |
| 3 years | 43.12% | 260 |
| 4 years | 3.81% | 23 |
| 5 years | 13.60% | 82 |
| 6 years | 2.82% | 17 |
| 8 years | 2.65% | 16 |
Here’s where it gets interesting: 43.12% of all software engineering positions require exactly 3 years of experience. This isn’t coincidental—it represents the industry’s recognition that developers with 3 years under their belt have typically mastered fundamental skills while gaining enough real-world experience to work independently on complex projects.
Seniority Level and Total Pay
Average Software Engineer Salary by Seniority
The progression from internship to engineering manager represents a 175% increase in compensation, highlighting the value that experience and leadership capabilities bring to organisations in the technology sector. This salary trajectory demonstrates the potential for significant earnings growth over a software engineer’s career.
The data reveals an interesting pattern: the salary difference between Senior Software Engineer and Principal Software Engineer roles is minimal (less than £1,000), but the jump to management positions is significant. This suggests that in England’s software engineering market, leadership responsibilities are valued more highly than pure technical seniority.
Cities with Highest Software Engineer Salary in England
Top English Cities for Software Engineer Compensation
| City | Average Annual Salary (GBP) | Average Hourly Rate (GBP) |
|---|---|---|
| London | £119,969 | £57.68 |
| Loughton | £88,986 | £42.78 |
| Portsmouth | £83,742 | £40.26 |
| Basingstoke | £79,619 | £38.28 |
| Swindon | £77,745 | £37.38 |
| Cowes | £69,310 | £33.32 |
| Bristol | £67,867 | £32.63 |
| Chester | £66,326 | £31.89 |
| Surrey | £65,909 | £31.69 |
| Canterbury | £65,569 | £31.52 |
London leads with significantly higher software engineer salaries in England, offering £119,969 annually due to the concentration of tech companies, with entry-level positions ranging from £40,755 to £81,282. However, it’s crucial to consider the cost of living—London’s average rent can consume 40-50% of a software engineer’s salary.
The London Premium: Software engineers in London earn approximately 113% more than the national median, but this comes with trade-offs. Beyond higher living costs, London offers unparalleled networking opportunities, access to cutting-edge projects, and career acceleration that can pay dividends throughout your career.
For those looking to maximize their quality of life, cities like Portsmouth and Basingstoke offer compelling value propositions—competitive salaries with significantly lower living costs than London. These cities are emerging as some of the highest paying cities for software engineers outside of the capital.
Top Paying Companies in England
| Company | Average Annual Salary (GBP) | Average Hourly Rate (GBP) |
|---|---|---|
| Goliath Partners | £292,716 | £140.73 |
| Anthropic | £264,616 | £127.22 |
| J.K. Barnes | £203,500 | £97.84 |
| Stanford Black | £187,338 | £90.07 |
| Ashby | £145,187 | £69.80 |
| Supermercados Guanabara | £141,252 | £67.91 |
| Affirm | £139,078 | £66.86 |
| Citadel Securities | £138,750 | £66.71 |
| Altus Group | £135,244 | £65.02 |
| Hunter Bond | £127,162 | £61.14 |
| Line Up Aviation | £124,209 | £59.72 |
| Monzo | £124,112 | £59.67 |
| Stripe | £111,092 | £53.41 |
| Omnea | £108,890 | £52.35 |
| Automata | £106,640 | £51.27 |
These organizations span diverse industry sectors including AI research, financial technology, engineering consultancies, and specialized technical services. Notice how AI-focused companies like Anthropic and fintech companies like Stripe and Monzo consistently appear among top payers—a trend that reflects the premium placed on specialized expertise in high-growth sectors.
What’s driving these premium salaries? Companies at the forefront of AI, machine learning, and financial technology are engaged in an intense talent war. The demand for AI knowledge has caused software engineer salaries to increase significantly, with AI engineer salaries rising from $231,000 in August 2022 to $300,600 by March 2024.
For a general insight on software engineering salaries for the United Kingdom, you can checkout 2025 Software Engineer Salary in the United Kingdom.
How to Maximize Your Software Engineer Salary Potential
Based on our comprehensive data analysis and current market trends, we recommend the following strategies to optimize your software engineer salary in England:
- Target the 2-3 Year Experience Sweet Spot – The most significant salary increases occur at this career stage, representing the transition from junior software engineer to mid-level
- Consider Geographic Arbitrage – London offers premium compensation but weigh against cost of living; Portsmouth and Basingstoke provide excellent value
- Focus on High-Demand Technologies – Machine learning, deep learning, and data science are some of the most in-demand skills for professionals, as they significantly enhance their pay scale
- Pursue Leadership Skills Early – Management roles consistently outpay individual contributor positions
Core Technical Competencies:
- Modern programming languages (Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go)
- Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
- DevOps and CI/CD pipelines
- Database technologies (SQL, NoSQL)
Explore our article on the software engineering skills required in 2025
The data presented in this article was compiled through an analysis of 1,470 publicly available software engineering salaries in England. Salaries, required education levels, experience expectations, seniority titles, and locations were extracted and analysed to identify trends and calculate average and median figures. The data analysis was completed in May 2025, providing the most up-to-date information on software engineer pay in England. For additional salary data and comparisons, resources like Levels.fyi can offer valuable insights.
Conclusion
The software engineering profession offers strong earning potential across England, with the median software engineer salary reaching £56,201 annually. While education provides a foundation, experience, specialization, and location significantly influence salary levels. The average base pay for software engineers varies widely depending on these factors, with senior software engineers and principal software engineers commanding significantly higher compensation packages.
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