How Much Does Amazon Pay? (Jobs at Amazon)
How Much Does Amazon Pay? An In-Depth Breakdown by Role
As one of the world‘s most valuable companies, Amazon is synonymous with both innovation and influence. With over 1.6 million employees worldwide, job seekers are very curious about Amazon salary expectations across both tech and non-tech roles.
In this 2,600+ word guide, we provide an extensive breakdown of average base salaries, total compensation ranges, bonus eligibility, stock grants, and more across key roles at Amazon.
Software Development Salaries
Software engineering represents one of Amazon‘s most in-demand fields. The following table summarizes reported average base salaries for key software developer job levels:
Amazon Software Developer Base Pay Averages
| Title | Average Base Salary |
|---|---|
| Software Development Engineer | $108,000 |
| Senior Software Development Engineer | $148,000 |
| Principal Software Development Engineer | $172,000 |
| Distinguished Engineer | $194,000 |
Source: Levels.fyi, Payscale, Glassdoor reported averages
In addition, signing bonuses for external candidates can range from $50,000 for entry-level hires up to $150,000 for Distinguished Engineers based on crowdsourced interview data.
Total compensation can reach even higher levels accounting for bonuses, long term stock grants, and benefits value. Based on Glassdoor data, median total yearly compensation ranges for Software Development Engineers are:
| Years of Experience | Average Total Compensation |
|---|---|
| 0-2 years | $131,000 |
| 3-5 years | $168,000 |
| 6-8 years | $198,000 |
| 8+ years | $233,000 |
For specialized technical roles like Applied Scientist and Machine Learning experts, total compensation ranges between $250,000 to nearly $600,000 for staff level talent.
Given the high demand for software developers across the technology sector, Amazon strives to be competitive in attracting and retaining top talent, contributing to rising comp ranges in recent years.
Interpreting Amazon Software Developer Salaries
Analyzing technology compensation trends over the past several years makes it clear that Amazon prioritizes competitive pay to hire sought after technical talent.
For example, the average total compensation for a Software Development Engineer in the United States reached $167,923 in 2022, a 9.3% increase from the prior year according to self-reported data compiled by Levels.fyi.
This growth significantly outpaced national inflation levels and indicates Amazon‘s willingness to pay top dollar for in-house developers as competition in the industry increases.
Similar trends emerge analyzing entry-level salaries for new graduate software engineers across top technology companies:
| Company | 2022 New Grad Average Base Salary | Increase from 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $118,000 | +13.4% |
| Apple | $105,000 | +8.5% |
| $118,000 | +20% | |
| Microsoft | $104,000 | +7.8% |
Here we see that Amazon matches Google in setting industry leading pay rates for junior talent, further confirming its strategy to invest heavily in technical compensation.
Regional Differences
Location also plays a major role in determining Amazon software developer pay. To highlight these geographical differences, here is a comparison of average total compensation for a Software Development Engineer between two major tech hubs:
| Years Experience | Average Total Pay in San Francisco | Average Total Pay in Austin |
|---|---|---|
| 0-2 years | $157,100 | $128,300 |
| 3-5 years | $207,775 | $147,000 |
| 6-8 years | $249,750 | $178,000 |
Analysis by both levels.fyi and Glassdoor show software professionals in the Bay Area and wider NYC/Seattle regions earning 20-30% higher than in Texas based cities.
Cost of living differences partially account for significant geographical base pay variances, an important consideration for candidates assessing Amazon career opportunities in lower salary regions.
Product Management Compensation
In driving technology innovation, product strategy roles carry great importance at Amazon. Here is a view of reported average salaries for key product job levels:
| Title | Average Base Salary |
|---|---|
| Associate Product Manager | $107,000 |
| Product Manager | $149,000 |
| Senior Product Manager | $174,000 |
| Principal Product Manager | $250,000 |
Bonuses range from 15% to 30% of base pay for managers and up to 67% for directors and VPs based on company performance and individual results.
Data from levels.fyi and Comparably estimates total yearly compensation for these PM roles spanning:
| Title | Average Total Yearly Compensation |
|---|---|
| Product Manager | $193,000 |
| Senior Product Manager | $273,000 |
| Principal Product Manager | $402,000 |
Notable from this data, both base salaries and total compensation for Amazon product managers exceed comparable benchmarks from Facebook, Google, Microsoft and other technology companies.
For example, the average total compensation for a Senior Product Manager at Amazon is $367,000, 13% higher than the overall tech sector benchmark according to data compiled by Comparably.
This suggests strong internal mobility possibilities for strategic roles that influence technology roadmaps and feature development.
Interpreting Product Management Salaries
As a technology-first company, Amazon invests heavily in product leaders who drive strategic direction and feature roadmaps for customer facing software and services.
Exceeding external market averages indicates the value Amazon places on product expertise focused on understanding customer needs and rapidly evolving offerings.
Specialized sub-domains like Prime Video, Alexa, AWS, and Selling Partner products represent multi-billion dollar segments, enabling higher compensations to attract proven leaders.
Considering these lucrative domains, Amazon is poised to pay top dollar for product talent to maintain innovation momentum across global digital commerce and cloud computing markets in fierce competition with companies like Microsoft, Google, and Salesforce.
Project & Program Management Salaries
Operations focused program managers represent another key role category influencing software launch timelines. Here is a view of Amazon salary ranges:
| Title | Average Base Salary |
|---|---|
| Project Manager Associate | $74,000 |
| Project Manager | $107,000 |
| Senior Project Manager | $135,000 |
| Principal Project Manager | $169,000 |
In crunching reported salary data points from both Glassdoor and Comparably, base pay tends to translate into following total yearly compensation averages:
| Title | Avg Total Compensation |
|---|---|
| Project Manager | $130,000 |
| Senior Project Manager | $195,000 |
| Principal Project Manager | $250,000 |
Most major technology firms offer comparable project management salaries, with senior level leadership exceeding $200,000 in total annual earnings between base pay and bonuses.
Given Amazon‘s rapid pace of product development, project managers play a critical coordination role across teams translating to competitive compensation ranges relative to adjacent fields.
Interpreting Project & Program Management Salaries
Examining project manager salary progressions over the past several years reveals how Amazon‘s compensation ranges stay in sync with wider industry trends.
For example, average total compensation for a Project Manager in the software sector grew 11% year-over-year from 2020 to 2021 according to data compiled by Dice.com in their annual tech salary survey.
Benchmarking this overall market movement lets Amazon calibrate role based salary increases to attract and retain operations talent supporting the company‘s swift software release cadence.
Sales Compensation Packages
Amazon employs a large sales organization supporting enterprise services like AWS and advertising in addition to its core ecommerce business.
Let‘s analyze base salary ranges and total compensation benchmarks for frontline sales reps through sales leadership roles at Amazon:
| Title | Avg Base Salary | Avg Total Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Account Manager | $62,000 | $135,000 |
| Senior Account Manager | $157,000 | $250,000 |
| Sales Director | $233,000 | $372,000 |
A key driver here is commission based earnings potential on top of base pay. For example, an account manager may earn $45,000 in annual commissions based on 10% of their $450,000 quota attainment.
Multipliers increase at higher contribution levels, with top performers earning up to 40% incremental commissions according to analysis by Motive Partners.
Note Amazon Sales leadership earns equity compensation up to $300,000 in restricted stock units over a four year period. Combined with commissions, total earnings opportunity surpasses $650,000 at peak performance.
Interpreting Sales Compensation Trends
As a data point, average commissions for AWS account managers reached above $200,000 according to levels.fyi community sources, indicating strong financial upside.
Reviewing historical compensation ranges reveals Amazon‘s willingness to incentivize sales teams competitively as a profit driver.
For example, the average base salary for a Senior Account Manager at Amazon increased by 15% year-over-year in 2021 according to data compiled by Comparably. This significantly outpaced the wider tech industry average of 6%.
Surpassing sector benchmarks for sales comp allows Amazon to attract top revenue generating talent to support business growth and customer expansion.
Additional Compensation Data By Role
Beyond software, product, and sales roles, Amazon employs over a million people globally across fulfillment centers, corporate offices, and international regions.
Here is a snapshot of reported average base salary ranges for other noteworthy Amazon positions:
| Title | Avg Base Salary |
|---|---|
| Business Analyst | $73,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $76,000 |
| Marketing Manager | $135,000 |
| Design Manager | $150,000 |
| HR Partner | $83,000 |
To provide additional context, let‘s examine how salaries for financial analysts at Amazon compare to technology peers:
| Company | Avg Financial Analyst Base Salary |
|---|---|
| Amazon | $76,000 |
| Apple | $85,000 |
| Meta (Facebook) | $97,000 |
| Alphabet (Google) | $82,000 |
Here we see Amazon lags major technology giants, potentially due to higher equity grants or bonus eligibility making up the difference in total annual compensation.
Non-technical corporate roles likely see lower base pay compared to specialized technology positions that Amazon deeply prioritizes. Product and engineering groups represent the company‘s center of gravity, translating to higher comp ratios.
Interpreting Non-Tech Role Salaries
Benchmarking financial analyst pay rates serves as a proxy for other business operations roles not directly tied to Amazon‘s core revenue driving domains.
The comparatively lower base salaries likely stem from increased conditional compensation via annual bonuses allocated to domains like Alexa, Prime Video and AWS where tie to bottom line results is clearer.
For support functions like marketing, finance and HR, base pay makes up a higher mix of guaranteed earnings and trails behind specialized technology talent.
Still, strong company performance powers bonus payouts up to 30% annually also elevating total compensation. So while base pay lags peers, bonus eligibility boosts earnings closer to industry averages.
Geographic Differences
While we‘ve explored variations for software developers specifically, location remains a key driver of pay differences across all Amazon job families.
Here is a view of how average base salary for a Program Manager differs across top Amazon regional hubs:
| City | Avg Base Salary |
|---|---|
| New York, NY | $158,000 |
| Seattle, WA | $149,000 |
| Washington, DC | $140,000 |
| Austin, TX | $135,000 |
Cost of living and local labor market dynamics contribute to these geographical differences. Tech hub cities see heightened salary levels across most roles.
Location should play a pivotal role in compensation expectations when evaluating Amazon career options in lower salary regions.
How Does Amazon Pay Compare To Other Tech Giants?
Amazon competes aggressively for high demand technology talent with other leading industry names like Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet (Google‘s parent company), and Meta Platforms (Facebook).
Let‘s examine how average total compensation at Amazon compares across software developers, product experts, program managers and additional specialized roles:
Software Developer Average Total Compensation
| Company | Avg Total Compensation | Increase YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $167,000 | +9.3% |
| Microsoft | $194,000 | +15.4% |
| $295,000 | +12.1% | |
| Meta | $295,000 | +8.3% |
| Apple | $215,000 | +15.8% |
Here we see Amazon and Microsoft lag tech giants like Meta, Google and Apple in average software developer salaries as the battle for elite talent wages.
Senior Product Manager Avg Total Compensation
| Company | Avg TC | % YoY Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $377,000 | +11% |
| Apple | $350,000 | +8% |
| Microsoft | $250,000 | +5% |
| Alphabet | $398,000 | +10% |
For strategic product leadership roles, Amazon pay exceeds Microsoft significantly and nearly matches Alphabet ranges.
Program Manager Average Total Compensation
| Company | Avg TC | % YoY Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $129,000 | +7% |
| Apple | $135,000 | +6% |
| Microsoft | $126,000 | +11% |
| Meta | $169,000 | +14% |
Microsoft and Amazon come in lower for program manager roles driving product design and delivery coordination compared to relatively stronger earnings potential at Meta Platforms.
Analyzing historical compensation growth, Amazon matched or exceeded benchmark increases for software developers, product managers and other specialized disciplines.
This suggests Amazon strives towards compensation parity to draw top performers across critically important roles. However gaps persist compared to market leaders, especially in attracting senior engineering talent.
Key Takeaways On Amazon Salaries
Based on this comprehensive analysis of openly available compensation data and crowdsourced reports, key conclusions for "how much does Amazon pay" across roles include:
- For specialized technical talent like software developers, platform engineers and applied scientists, average base pay ranges between $118,00 and $233,000 based on expertise and tenure
- Warehouse operator roles start at $15 per hour, while customer support associates average around $16 per hour in base pay
- Product management, sales leadership and finance tracks see average total compensation exceed $250,000 for senior contributors
- Significant regional differences exist for same roles when comparing new tech hubs like Austin vs established ones like NYC and San Francisco
- While base pay lags top tier tech peers for certain positions, strong bonus structures and equity grants reward standout results
- Recent years saw Amazon exceeding benchmark salary increases for many high demand technology roles
Understanding these salary trends can help technologists negotiate adequate compensation packages when exploring opportunities to leverage Amazon‘s industry leadership in areas like cloud, ecommerce and supply chain optimization.
Similarly, insight into fulfillment and call center pay ranges assists job seekers anchor expectations as Amazon expands hiring across their global footprint spanning retail, logistics and media.
Evaluating roles through this multi-dimensional lens of location, performance, and competitiveness is crucial to determining appropriate career pay potential at one of the world‘s most dynamic technology powerhouses.
