Are you considering a career in software engineering in Georgia, or looking to benchmark your current compensation?
We have conducted a comprehensive analysis of 393 software engineering positions across Georgia to provide insights into the software engineer salary landscape. This article details the software engineer salary in Georgia 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 Georgia
The median Georgia software engineer salary is $127,750 USD per year or $61.42 USD per hour. This figure provides insight into how much software engineers make in Georgia and serves as a benchmark for the software engineer pay in the state. However, it’s important to note that this represents base salary, and total compensation packages often include additional benefits and bonuses.
Salary Range Overview
How Software Engineers Salaries vary with
Required Educational Level and Software Engineer Qualifications
Average Salary by Education Level
The education landscape for software engineers in Georgia reveals some fascinating patterns that can significantly impact your earning potential:
Here’s where it gets interesting—unlike many other fields where advanced degrees create dramatic salary jumps, software engineering in Georgia shows a more nuanced picture. While PhD holders do command the highest software engineer salaries at $163,250, the gap between master’s and bachelor’s degree holders is relatively modest at about $3,600 annually in terms of cash compensation.
This suggests that in Georgia’s tech market, practical skills and experience often carry as much weight as formal credentials. The market is shifting toward skills-based hiring, where employers prioritize proven outcomes and demonstrated expertise.
For aspiring software engineers, this means you have multiple pathways to competitive compensation and total pay ranges.
Education Requirements Distribution
Software engineering positions in Georgia predominantly require a bachelor’s degree, with over 76% of positions listing this as the minimum requirement. Master’s degree requirements account for nearly 19% of positions, while PhD requirements remain relatively rare at under 3%.
The takeaway? While a bachelor’s degree opens most doors, pursuing a master’s degree can provide a meaningful boost to your total compensation and access to specialized roles, particularly in emerging technologies like AI and machine learning.
Required Years of Experience and Software Engineer Wage Progression
Software Engineer Salary by Years of Experience
The experience progression in Georgia’s software engineering market tells a compelling story of rapid early-career growth. For mid-level Software Engineers, total compensation ranges from $107,322 to $137,804, while senior-level Software Engineers can earn between $130,486 and $164,034.
Experience Requirements Distribution
| Years of Experience | Percentage of Jobs | Number of Positions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year | 3.85% | 3 |
| 2 years | 25.64% | 20 |
| 3 years | 23.08% | 18 |
| 5 years | 35.90% | 28 |
| 6 years | 6.41% | 5 |
| 7 years | 5.13% | 4 |
What’s particularly encouraging is the substantial jump from starting salary to 2 years of experience—a 41% increase that reflects how quickly valuable software engineers can progress in Georgia’s competitive market. This aligns with national trends where senior software engineers with many years of experience are always in demand, and experienced software engineers will continue to enjoy high demand and command high salaries.
Seniority Level and Total Pay
The progression from internship to manager level represents a remarkable 321% increase in compensation, highlighting the tremendous growth potential in Georgia’s software engineering field. What’s particularly noteworthy is the significant jump to management roles—reaching nearly $190,000 annually in total compensation.
But here’s what many software engineers overlook: the gap between senior individual contributor roles and lead positions is relatively small, suggesting that Georgia companies value technical expertise highly and don’t require management responsibilities for top-tier compensation packages.
Cities with Highest Software Engineer Salary in Georgia
| City | Average Annual Salary (USD) | Average Hourly Rate (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Macon | $182,500 | $87.74 |
| Fort Gordon | $176,500 | $84.86 |
| Roswell | $170,983 | $82.21 |
| Riverdale | $153,500 | $73.80 |
| Augusta | $148,018 | $71.16 |
| Atlanta | $139,289 | $66.97 |
| Sandy Springs | $120,400 | $57.89 |
| Alpharetta | $119,714 | $57.55 |
| Johns Creek | $115,000 | $55.29 |
| Fulton County | $107,400 | $51.63 |
Here’s where Georgia’s software engineer salary landscape gets really interesting. Macon leads with the highest salaries, offering significantly higher compensation than even Atlanta, the state’s tech hub. This counterintuitive finding likely reflects several factors:
- Defense and Government Contracting: Fort Gordon’s high salaries reflect its military and cybersecurity focus
- Cost of Living Arbitrage: Smaller cities offer competitive salaries with lower living costs
- Talent Scarcity: Companies in non-metro areas must pay premiums to attract talent
The average salary for a Software Engineer is $111,969 per year in Atlanta, GA, with a $5,000 cash bonus per year. However, total compensation packages in Atlanta can range significantly higher, especially for senior roles or at top-paying companies.
While Atlanta remains the state’s primary tech center, our data suggests that software engineers can find excellent opportunities throughout Georgia, often with better cost-of-living adjusted compensation. This disparity highlights the importance of considering total pay ranges and not just base salaries when evaluating job offers.
Top Paying Companies in Georgia
Here are the top companies that consistently offer above-average software engineer salaries in Georgia, representing some of the highest paying software engineering jobs in the state:
Highest Paying Employers
| Company | Average Annual Salary (USD) | Average Hourly Rate (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Salesforce | $273,050 | $131.27 |
| Slack | $273,050 | $131.27 |
| Saragossa | $249,600 | $120.00 |
| Amentum | $220,000 | $105.77 |
| Captivation | $200,000 | $96.15 |
| IBM | $185,799 | $89.33 |
| $182,667 | $87.82 | |
| GEICO | $182,500 | $87.74 |
| PrizePicks | $175,000 | $84.13 |
| PagerDuty | $174,500 | $83.89 |
The presence of major tech companies like Salesforce, Google, and established enterprises like IBM demonstrates Georgia’s growing appeal as a tech destination. Despite industry shifts, the highest-paying jobs remain in big tech and high-margin companies. While AI companies are growing, they haven’t overtaken traditional top payers like Google, Meta, or hedge funds in terms of total compensation packages.
These organizations span diverse industry sectors including cloud computing, cybersecurity, automotive technology, and specialized technical services, indicating strong demand for software engineering expertise across multiple industries in Georgia. It’s worth noting that these companies often offer substantial stock options and bonuses in addition to base salaries, significantly increasing the total compensation for top performers.
For a general insight on software engineering salaries for the United States, you can checkout 2025 Software Engineer Salary in US
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 Georgia and avoid being underpaid:
- Master In-Demand Technologies: The fields of machine learning, artificial intelligence, data analysis, data privacy, cloud computing, and cybersecurity will drive demand for software engineers.
- Focus on the 2-3 Year Experience Mark: The most significant salary increase occurs at this career stage
- Consider Geographic Opportunities: Cities like Macon and Fort Gordon offer premium compensation packages
- Develop Leadership Skills: Progression to senior and management roles offers the highest total compensation potential
Explore our article on the software engineering skills required in 2025
The data presented in this article was compiled through an analysis of 393 publicly available software engineering salaries in Georgia. Salaries, required education levels, experience expectations, seniority titles, and locations were extracted and analyzed to identify trends and calculate average and median figures. The data analysis was completed in 2025, providing the most up-to-date information on how much software engineers make in Georgia, including their total compensation packages.
Conclusion
The software engineering profession offers strong earning potential across Georgia, with the median software engineer salary reaching $127,750 USD annually. While education provides a foundation, experience, specialisation, and location significantly influence salary levels and total compensation. Georgia’s unique market dynamics mean that opportunities for competitive compensation exist throughout the state, not just in Atlanta.
The future looks bright for Georgia’s software engineers, with growing demand for specialised skills, continued remote work flexibility, and strong representation from major tech companies establishing operations in the state. By staying informed and strategically developing your skills, you can position yourself for a rewarding and lucrative career in software engineering in Georgia.
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