BLS OEWS, May 2025

Software engineer salary in Grand Rapids, MI

What software engineers are paid in Grand Rapids, MI, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with how your own pay compares. Figures from the BLS OEWS release dated May 2025.

Median annual pay

$107,520

Middle half earn

$82,720 to $133,760

People in this job here

4,310

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Software Developers, Grand Rapids, MI, annual pay, May 2025

10th percentile
$75,670
25th percentile
$82,720
Median
$107,520
75th percentile
$133,760
90th percentile
$161,840

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 15-1252. Percentiles across everyone employed in the occupation, not experience levels.

At a glance

How Grand Rapids, MI compares

  • The median here is 21% below the national median of $135,980.
  • Grand Rapids, MI ranks 48th for median pay among the 50 largest US metros with published figures for this occupation.
  • About 4,310 people work in this occupation here, roughly 1 in every 139 jobs in the metro.
  • Pay varies widely within the job: the 90th percentile earns 2.1 times the 10th.

Worked from BLS OEWS, May 2025. Not adjusted for the cost of living.

Grand Rapids, MI against the national figures
PercentileGrand Rapids, MINational
10th percentile$75,670$82,460
25th percentile$82,720$105,210
Median$107,520$135,980
75th percentile$133,760$171,980
90th percentile$161,840$214,670

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 15-1252. National page for software engineers

Skills

What employers look for in a software engineer

The skills our software engineer resume example leads with, written for US employers.

  • Python
  • Java
  • TypeScript
  • Go
  • React
  • Node.js
  • PostgreSQL
  • AWS
  • Docker
  • Kubernetes

See the full software engineer resume example, with bullets and keywords.

Negotiating

Using these numbers

Below $82,720 puts you in the bottom quarter for software engineers in Grand Rapids, MI. That is worth raising, with evidence of what you deliver.

The median, $107,520, is the middle of the market, not a ceiling. An offer at or near it is a fair starting point to negotiate from.

Asking for $133,760 or more puts you in the top quarter, so it needs a reason an employer will accept: a wider scope, a competing offer, or a skill that is hard to hire for.

Percentiles are not experience levels. They describe everyone doing the job, so a senior hire can sit at the median of a market full of senior people.

About the numbers

What these figures are

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys employers for its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and these figures are from the release dated May 2025. They cover wage and salary workers in Software Developers, a category that is often broader than a single job title. Self-employed people are not included.

They are base pay: bonuses, equity and overtime are not included, and they are not adjusted for the cost of living. The metro is Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI as BLS defines it.

Questions

Questions about software engineer pay in Grand Rapids, MI

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