Software Developers salary in Winston-Salem, NC
Median pay for software developers in Winston-Salem, NC: $124,880/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $76,940 – $170,610 · about 1,440 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($111,055) by +$13,825 (+12%).
What it's really worth in Winston-Salem
With Winston-Salem's cost of living at 92 (US=100), that $124,880 has the buying power of about $136,329 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $60,145 · median home $283,871 · median rent $1,546/mo.
How Winston-Salem ranks for this job
On raw pay, Winston-Salem, NC is 49th of the 186 metros we hold software developers wages for. Once Winston-Salem's cost of living is applied, it ranks 9th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Winston-Salem is one of the places where software developers gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Winston-Salem
A median home in Winston-Salem, NC costs $283,871 — about 2.3× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,546/mo works out at 15% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where software developers earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Winston-Salem.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Winston-Salem | Rent vs Winston-Salem |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $199,100 | +59% | 2.3× |
| San Francisco, CA | $172,340 | +38% | 2.1× |
| Seattle, WA | $167,030 | +34% | 1.4× |
| Santa Maria, CA | $154,200 | +23% | 2.2× |
Same job elsewhere in NC
| Metro | Median pay | vs Winston-Salem | Rent vs Winston-Salem |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte, NC | $135,750 | +9% | 1.1× |
| Durham, NC | $135,710 | +9% | 1.1× |
| Raleigh, NC | $132,000 | +6% | 1.1× |
| Wilmington, NC | $124,110 | −1% | 1.1× |
Staying in NC keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires software developers around Winston-Salem
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Truist Financial Corp · Finance
Other jobs in Winston-Salem
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.