Software Development Engineer at Tesla
Pay by year, the work locations, and the prevailing-wage level breakdown.
What does Tesla pay a Software Development Engineer on an H-1B?
$142k Tesla has filed 448 H-1B labor condition applications for the role of Software Development Engineer with the U.S. Department of Labor between FY2017 and FY2026 at a median base salary of $142k. Most of those filings fall between $130k and $160k. Base salary is the wage stated on the filing, not total compensation.
H-1B LCA filings
448
Median base salary
$142k
Middle 50%
$130k to $160k
Filings and pay by year
Software Development Engineer at Tesla, by fiscal year
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | Filings | Median base salary |
|---|---|---|
| FY2026 (partial) | 111 | $177k |
| FY2025 | 22 | $153k |
| FY2024 | 51 | $145k |
| FY2023 | 55 | $143k |
| FY2022 | 106 | $134k |
| FY2021 | 72 | $135k |
| FY2020 | 25 | $120k |
| FY2019 | 5 | $118k |
| FY2017 | 1 | $108k |
A fiscal year marked partial is still in progress, so its total is lower than a complete year and the two are not comparable.
Where this work is
Work locations named on the filings, most common first
| Location | Filings | Median base salary |
|---|---|---|
| Fremont, CA | 268 | $141k |
| Palo Alto, CA | 103 | $150k |
| Austin, TX | 42 | $140k |
| Bellevue, WA | 14 | $140k |
| San Jose, CA | 5 | $135k |
| Milpitas, CA | 4 | $140k |
| San Diego, CA | 2 | $140k |
| Sparks, NV | 2 | $129k |
| Brookshire, TX | 1 | $175k |
| Buffalo, NY | 1 | $135k |
| Fermont, CA | 1 | $173k |
| Hayward, CA | 1 | $140k |
Prevailing-wage level
The experience level DOL assigns the role, I (entry) to IV (expert)
| Level | Filings | Median base salary |
|---|---|---|
| Level I | 41 | $145k |
| Level II | 275 | $140k |
| Level III | 16 | $229k |
| Level IV | 3 | $231k |
Other roles Tesla sponsors
Mechanical Design Engineer 379Process Engineer 317Manufacturing Engineer 305Senior Software Development Engineer 287Manufacturing Equipment Engineer 259Staff Software Development Engineer 240Sr Software Development Engineer 234Software Engineer 180Staff Manufacturing Engineer 164Sr Manufacturing Engineer 163Global Supply Manager 146Sourcing Engineer 144