One of the first engineers at a new startup, building the initial product end to end and shaping the company's technology and engineering culture. BLS does not publish separate figures for software developers; it counts them within software developer (SOC 15-1252), whose median pay is $135,980 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 15-1252
- Computer and Mathematical
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Founding Engineer in four numbers
- Median pay
- $135,980a year, or $65.38/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $82KTop 10% $215K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +10.2%Much faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+10.2%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +10.2% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 95,3001,717,800 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 20251.7M
- Projected 20351.9M
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 1.7M Projected 2035 1.9M - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- High school3.1%
- Certificate1.7%
- Associate's5.1%
- Bachelor's84.8%
- Post-bacc certificate0.8%
- Master's4.5%
Highest education held by software developers Segment Value High school 3.1% Certificate 1.7% Associate's 5.1% Bachelor's 84.8% Post-bacc certificate 0.8% Master's 4.5%
Also advertised as: First Engineer, Founding Software Engineer, Founding Full-Stack Engineer, Early-Stage Startup Engineer.
Pay
How much do Software Developers make?
Every founding engineer in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$135,980
Middle half earn $105,210 to $171,980
- 10th
- $82,460
- 25th
- $105,210
- 75th
- $171,980
- 90th
- $214,670
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $82,460 |
| 25th | $105,210 |
| Median | $135,980 |
| 75th | $171,980 |
| 90th | $214,670 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $135,980
- Median hourly wage
- $65.38/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $148,100
- People employed
- 1,687,890
Versus all US occupations
At $135,980, Software Developers earn 167% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $85,000 a year.
Versus computer and mathematical occupations
Inside the Computer and Mathematical group, where the middle occupation pays $116,580, this is 17% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $214,670 or more while the bottom 10% earn $82,460, a gap of 2.6×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 90% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
California pays the most at $174,410, and still leads at $157,523 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Software Developers the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1California | $174,410 | $157,523 | 284,390 |
| 2Washington | $166,540 | $155,626 | 107,030 |
| 3New York | $166,180 | $153,983 | 113,510 |
| 4Massachusetts | $165,210 | $156,217 | 48,190 |
| 5Oregon | $142,720 | $138,079 | 21,830 |
| 6New Hampshire | $139,720 | $134,133 | 10,840 |
| 7Maryland | $138,680 | $132,128 | 31,350 |
| 8Colorado | $138,390 | $134,291 | 43,320 |
| 9District of Columbia | $136,880 | $124,548 | 6,120 |
| 10Virginia | $136,460 | $134,970 | 88,280 |
Job outlook
Is Founding Engineer a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Much faster than average. +10.2% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Software Developers | +10.2% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Software Developers to change 10.2% over 2025–2035, roughly 2.9× the 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 174,700 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 95,300 openings are projected each year, 5.5% of the 1,717,800 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Founding Engineer
Founding engineers typically have a bachelor's degree in computer science or equivalent experience, plus several years as a software engineer, ideally including work at another startup. Startups look for people who can ship a whole product alone, learn quickly and work with little structure.
Many find roles through startup accelerators and their job boards, founder networks, and personal connections. A portfolio of shipped products, side projects or open-source work helps. Resources from accelerators such as Y Combinator explain how early-stage companies hire and how equity works, which is important to understand before accepting an offer.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as software developers.
- Bachelor's Degree84.8%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree5.1%
- Master's Degree4.5%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)3.1%
- Post-Secondary Certificate1.7%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 84.8% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 5.1% |
| Master's Degree | 4.5% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 3.1% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 1.7% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Founding Engineer do?
Founding engineers are among the first technical hires at a startup, often joining before the product exists or soon after. They build the first versions of the product end to end: backend, frontend, infrastructure and whatever else is needed. They make early technology choices that the company may live with for years, such as programming languages, cloud providers and data models.
Beyond code, founding engineers talk with early customers, help decide what to build next, set up deployment and monitoring, and interview future engineers. Because the team is tiny, they move between roles constantly. Their compensation usually includes a meaningful equity stake, which can be worth a great deal or nothing depending on how the company fares.
Day-to-day tasks
- Build the first versions of a product across the full stack
- Choose core technologies, cloud services and data models
- Set up deployment, monitoring and on-call practices
- Talk with early customers and turn feedback into features
- Interview and help hire the next engineers
- Fix production problems quickly as the product grows
- Work with founders on product priorities and roadmap
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Founding engineers work at early-stage startups, often in small offices or fully remote teams in technology hubs. Hours can be long and unpredictable, especially before launches or fundraising. The work is desk-based, informal and fast-moving, with high risk and a lot of personal ownership.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantLittle or no dealing with customers or the public.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayConflict situations are rare.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Reading Comprehension3.5
- Active Learning3.5
- Active Listening3.4
- Writing3.3
- Speaking3.1
- Monitoring3.0
- Mathematics2.8
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.5 |
| Active Learning | 3.5 |
| Active Listening | 3.4 |
| Writing | 3.3 |
| Speaking | 3.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 |
| Mathematics | 2.8 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Programming4.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.6
- Systems Analysis3.5
- Complex Problem Solving3.4
- Technology Design3.4
- Systems Evaluation3.4
- Operations Analysis3.3
- Time Management3.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Programming | 4.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.6 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.5 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.4 |
| Technology Design | 3.4 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.4 |
| Operations Analysis | 3.3 |
| Time Management | 3.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Application server software · in demand
- Business intelligence and data analysis software · in demand
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software · in demand
- Cloud-based management software · in demand
- Configuration management software · in demand
- Content workflow software · in demand
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data base management system software · in demand
- Data base reporting software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Data mining software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Founding Engineer?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code IER) built on O*NET's Software Developer profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Founding Engineer |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 4 |
| Investigative | 6 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 3 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Investigative6.0
- Conventional5.2
- Realistic4.0
- Enterprising2.9
- Artistic2.4
- Social1.8
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Founding Engineer
O*NET related occupations
- Computer and Mathematical
- Computer and Mathematical
- Computer and Mathematical
- Computer and Mathematical
- Computer and Mathematical
- Computer and Mathematical
More computer and mathematical careers
Median annual pay, with software developers highlighted
- Software Developer$135,980
- Founding Engineer$135,980
- Actuary$130,000
- Data Scientist$120,230
- Business Intelligence Analyst$120,230
- Database Administrator$104,620
- Web Designer$104,000
- Computer Programmer$100,390
- Web Developer$92,650
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Software Developer | $135,980 |
| Founding Engineer | $135,980 |
| Actuary | $130,000 |
| Data Scientist | $120,230 |
| Business Intelligence Analyst | $120,230 |
| Database Administrator | $104,620 |
| Web Designer | $104,000 |
| Computer Programmer | $100,390 |
| Web Developer | $92,650 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Founding Engineer appears on
Questions
Founding Engineer: frequently asked questions
How much do Software Developers make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for software developers. It counts them within software developer, whose median pay is $135,980 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $105,210 and $171,980, and the top 10% earn $214,670 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Founding Engineer?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Software Developers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 84.8% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Founding Engineer a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 10.2% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 95,300 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Founding Engineer do?
Founding engineers are among the first technical hires at a startup, often joining before the product exists or soon after. A typical task: build the first versions of a product across the full stack. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Application server software, Business intelligence and data analysis software.
Which states pay Software Developers the most?
The highest state medians for Software Developers are California ($174,410), Washington ($166,540), New York ($166,180) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Founding Engineer?
O*NET scores Software Developers highest on the Investigative, Conventional and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, INTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.