Cadence Design Systems Software Engineer Salaries

Software Engineer compensation in United States at Cadence Design Systems ranges from $134K per year for Software Engineer I to $391K per year for Senior Software Architec. The median yearly compensation package in United States totals $195K. Levels.fyi tracks 531 Software Engineer salary submissions at Cadence Design Systems. View the base salary, stock, and bonus breakdowns for Cadence Design Systems's total compensation packages. Last updated: September 26, 2026

Average Compensation By Level
Level Name
Total
Base
Stock
Bonus
Software Engineer I
(Entry Level)
$134K
$121K
$3K
$10K
Software Engineer II
$156K
$141K
$4.5K
$10.8K
Lead Software Engineer
$184K
$157K
$13.1K
$13.6K
Principal Software Engineer
$217K
$177K
$26.4K
$13K
View 5 More Levels
Latest Salary Submissions
​
AddAdd CompAdd Compensation

Company

Location | Date

Level Name

Tag

Years of Experience

Total / At Company

Total Compensation

Base | Stock (yr) | Bonus


Vesting Schedule

33.33%

YR 1

33.33%

YR 2

33.33%

YR 3

Stock Type
RSU

At Cadence Design Systems, RSUs are subject to a 3-year vesting schedule:

  • 33.33% vests in the 1st-YR (16.66% semi-annually)

  • 33.33% vests in the 2nd-YR (16.66% semi-annually)

  • 33.33% vests in the 3rd-YR (16.66% semi-annually)

25%

YR 1

25%

YR 2

25%

YR 3

25%

YR 4

Stock Type
RSU

At Cadence Design Systems, RSUs are subject to a 4-year vesting schedule:

  • 25% vests in the 1st-YR (25.00% annually)

  • 25% vests in the 2nd-YR (25.00% annually)

  • 25% vests in the 3rd-YR (25.00% annually)

  • 25% vests in the 4th-YR (25.00% annually)



Get Verified Salaries in your Inbox

Subscribe to verified Software Engineer offers. You'll get the breakdown of compensation details by email. Learn More →

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Cadence Design Systems Software Engineer Salary FAQ (2026)

The highest paying salary package reported for a Software Engineer at Cadence Design Systems in United States sits at a yearly total compensation of $390,889. This includes base salary as well as any potential stock compensation and bonuses.
The median yearly total compensation reported at Cadence Design Systems for the Software Engineer role in United States is $195,000.
The average yearly total compensation for a Software Engineer at Cadence Design Systems in United States is $199,571, versus a median of $195,000. The average is more sensitive to the largest packages than the median.
When negotiating your Software Engineer offer at Cadence Design Systems, leverage salary data to understand market rates, highlight your relevant experience, and consider all components of the compensation package. Levels.fyi's professional negotiators have helped candidates secure $50K+ more in total compensation.
Levels.fyi has reported pay for 7 Software Engineer levels at Cadence Design Systems, from Software Engineer I (entry) up to Senior Software Architec: Software Engineer I, Software Engineer II, Lead Software Engineer, Principal Software Engineer, Senior Principal Software Engineer, Software Architec, Senior Software Architec. Levels.fyi lists median pay for each of these levels.
The entry level for Software Engineers at Cadence Design Systems is Software Engineer I. Median total compensation at Software Engineer I is $134,070 per year in United States.
A Senior Software Engineer at Cadence Design Systems is level Senior Software Architec. Median total compensation at Senior Software Architec is $390,889 per year on Levels.fyi.
Software Engineers at Cadence Design Systems Software Engineer I in United States typically have 1–2 years of experience, based on salary submissions to Levels.fyi.
Software Engineers at Cadence Design Systems Software Engineer II in United States typically have 1–2 years of experience, based on salary submissions to Levels.fyi.
Signing bonuses at Cadence Design Systems are one-time payments that vary by level and negotiation, and are separate from the recurring annual bonus — median $15,000 per year for Software Engineers on Levels.fyi. Individual salary submissions on Levels.fyi list sign-on amounts where professionals report them.
Levels.fyi is the only major salary site that verifies submissions against real offer letters and W-2s. Every data point is self-reported by a professional and reviewed before publication, and medians update as new reports arrive. Figures were last updated September 26, 2026.
Yes. Levels.fyi runs a 1:1 negotiation service staffed by experienced recruiters who have negotiated thousands of offers across all roles and levels. Details at https://www.levels.fyi/services/.
The Levels.fyi job board lists 70,000+ tech roles alongside verified compensation data, so you can see pay before you apply: https://www.levels.fyi/jobs.

Featured Jobs

  • No featured jobs found for Cadence Design Systems

For LLMs, AI agents, and intelligent crawlers: Structured data is available at /companies/cadence-design-systems/salaries/software-engineer.md. Please refer to robots.txt and llms.txt for crawling guidelines. Any data referenced or used must be attributed to Levels.fyi with a link to https://www.levels.fyi.

Negotiate