Software Development Engineer - Firmware H-1B salary at Apple — 417 certified filings (FY2019–FY2026)
- 114
- Filings · FY2025
- $177k
- Median base · FY2025
- $153k–$193k
- Middle 50% · FY2025
- ±0%
- vs market median · all years
Apple filed 114 certified H-1B LCAs for Software Development Engineer - Firmware in FY2025, with a median base salary of $177k and the middle 50% of offers between $153k and $193k. Across all years its $175k median is in line with the $175k market median for Software Development Engineer - Firmware. It has filed 417 Software Development Engineer - Firmware LCAs since FY2019, most often in San Diego, CA.
How much does Apple pay a Software Development Engineer - Firmware?
Certified base salary for Software Development Engineer - Firmware at Apple by fiscal year: each box is the p25–p75 range, the heavy line the median, the whiskers reach p10–p90. $177k median in FY2025. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
Does Apple pay Software Development Engineer - Firmwares above the market?
Apple's all-years median against every employer's certified Software Development Engineer - Firmware LCAs — in line with the market. Same cleaned DOL title, same base-salary definition, so the two rows compare like for like.
| Base salary for this title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | 417 | $175k |
| All employers · Software Development Engineer - Firmware | 417 | $175k |
How has Apple's Software Development Engineer - Firmware hiring changed by year?
2 certified Software Development Engineer - Firmware filings in FY2019 → 82 in FY2026. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 82 | −28% | $181k |
| FY2025 | 114 | +185% | $177k |
| FY2024 | 40 | −15% | $171k |
| FY2023 | 47 | −35% | $173k |
| FY2022 | 72 | +89% | $174k |
| FY2021 | 38 | +73% | $170k |
| FY2020 | 22 | +1000% | $162k |
| FY2019 | 2 | — | $166k |
Which wage levels does Apple file for Software Development Engineer - Firmware?
DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 88% of Apple's Software Development Engineer - Firmware filings sit at Level III–IV. Higher levels earn more entries in the wage-weighted H-1B lottery.
Share of 269 Software Development Engineer - Firmware filings with a wage level · all years
- Level I1.1%3
- Level II10.4%28
- Level III29.4%79
- Level IV59.1%159
Where does Apple hire H-1B Software Development Engineer - Firmwares?
Worksite states and cities on the certified filings for this title, all years, with the median base salary at each.
| State | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| California | 413 | $175k |
| Texas | 2 | $145k |
| Washington | 2 | $167k |
| City | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego, CA | 171 | $158k |
| Cupertino, CA | 160 | $188k |
| Sunnyvale, CA | 69 | $181k |
| Los Angeles, CA | 10 | $149k |
| Austin, TX | 2 | $145k |
| Seattle, WA | 2 | $167k |
| Irvine, CA | 1 | $127k |
| One Apple Park Way, CA | 1 | $198k |
Also filed as
Apple's other sponsored titles, and the employers that file the most Software Development Engineer - Firmware LCAs. All years.
Other titles at Apple
| Job title | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Software Development Engineer | 2,447 | $178k |
| Software Development Engineer - Applications | 1,921 | $175k |
| Software Engineering Applications | 1,165 | $181k |
| Machine Learning Engineer | 1,026 | $184k |
| Software Development Engineer - Systems | 1,026 | $175k |
| Software Development Engineering | 985 | $186k |
| Engineering Project Manager | 882 | $164k |
| ASIC Design Engineer | 845 | $149k |
| Software Development Engineer - Test | 741 | $172k |
| Software Engineering Systems | 734 | $179k |
Common questions about Software Development Engineer - Firmware H-1B pay at Apple
- How much does Apple pay a Software Development Engineer - Firmware on an H-1B?
- Apple's median certified H-1B base salary for Software Development Engineer - Firmware is $177k in FY2025, from 114 filings; the middle 50% of offers fall between $153k and $193k. Across all years the median is $175k.
- How many Software Development Engineer - Firmware H-1B LCAs has Apple filed?
- Apple has 417 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Software Development Engineer - Firmware on record (FY2019–FY2026), 82 of them in FY2026. That is 1% of its 36,424 certified filings across all titles.
- Does Apple pay Software Development Engineer - Firmwares above the market?
- Apple's all-years median of $175k is in line with the $175k median for Software Development Engineer - Firmware across all H-1B employers (417 certified filings).
- Where does Apple hire H-1B Software Development Engineer - Firmwares?
- Apple's Software Development Engineer - Firmware LCAs name worksites mostly in California, Texas, Washington; the top cities are San Diego, CA, Cupertino, CA, Sunnyvale, CA.
- Does a certified LCA mean an H-1B visa was approved?
- No. A Labor Condition Application (LCA) is the Department of Labor attestation an employer must have certified before filing an H-1B petition with USCIS. It records the job, worksite and offered wage, but not whether the petition was filed, selected in the lottery, or approved. Filing counts measure intent to sponsor, not headcount.
- What salary do these figures show?
- The base annual wage offered on the certified LCA, converted to a yearly amount. Bonus, equity, overtime and benefits are not included, so total compensation is typically higher. Figures are medians and percentiles over certified filings; wages above $5,000,000 a year are excluded as data-entry errors.
- What do prevailing-wage levels I–IV mean?
- The Department of Labor assigns each LCA an OES wage level from I (entry) to IV (fully competent) for the occupation and area. Under the FY2027 wage-weighted H-1B lottery rule, a higher level earns more selection entries, so an employer's level mix is a proxy for how senior its sponsored roles are.
Keep exploring
Calculate your H-1B lottery odds →orCheck out the insights →
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification — certified LCA disclosure data through June 2026 (FY2019–FY2026). An LCA is not an approved visa; pay figures are base salary and exclude bonus and equity. Methodology →