Federal Software Engineer Hourly Rates
Application and systems software development.
Across 1,032 GSA-awarded software engineer labor rates, the government pays a median of $124/hour, typically ranging from $101 to $180.
Minimum
$29
25th pct
$101
Median
$124
75th pct
$180
Maximum
$450
$2925th–75th percentile$450
By education level
| Education | Rates | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masters | 49 | $230 | $88–$341 |
| Bachelors | 938 | $124 | $31–$450 |
| High School | 11 | $90 | $29–$223 |
| Associates | 30 | $90 | $41–$239 |
Vendors with the most awarded software engineer rates
| Vendor | Rates | Median |
|---|---|---|
| LEIDOS, INC. | 26 | $150 |
| MANTECH ADVANCED SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, INC. | 12 | $87 |
| SWAIN ONLINE INC | 12 | $148 |
| ICF INCORPORATED, L.L.C. | 12 | $222 |
| CORE4CE LLC | 11 | $230 |
| TEC-MASTERS, INC | 9 | $72 |
| WYETECH, LLC | 9 | $223 |
| QUANTECH SERVICES INC. | 9 | $309 |
| CACI NSS, LLC | 8 | $182 |
| GC ASSOCIATES USA, LLC | 8 | $71 |
Source: GSA CALC+ awarded ceiling rates (buy.gsa.gov), matched on labor-category titles containing “software engineer”. These are contract ceiling rates on Multiple Award Schedule vehicles — the not-to-exceed rate a vendor may bill, not necessarily the invoiced rate. Use as a fair-and-reasonable benchmark, not a quote.