Recent disclosures and company announcements have brought Amazon's salary structures into sharp focus, revealing substantial compensation for its corporate and technology workforce, alongside a new pay strategy for 2025 that emphasizes long-term performance. This comes as data also highlights the contrast with wages for the company's vast warehouse operations.
Filings related to H-1B visas have offered a transparent look into the lucrative salaries for specialized roles within the United States. Software development engineers at Amazon can command salaries ranging from approximately $95,000 to over $260,000. Other high-paying technical positions include applied scientists, with salaries reaching up to $260,000, and data scientists, who can earn as much as $230,900. Technical product managers also see significant compensation, with salaries going up to $235,200. These figures underscore the competitive nature of attracting and retaining top talent in the tech industry.
Adding a new dimension to its compensation approach, Amazon has introduced a revised salary structure for 2025 that rewards consistent high performance. Under this new model, employees who achieve a "Top Tier" performance rating for four consecutive years will be eligible for 110% of their pay range. This marks a shift towards incentivizing long-term excellence over sporadic achievements.
In contrast to these high-end corporate salaries, the wages for Amazon's extensive network of warehouse workers present a different picture. While there have been investments to increase pay, the average hourly wage for a warehouse worker in the U.S. stands at approximately $17.31 as of mid-2025. This figure, while above the federal minimum wage, highlights the significant pay disparity between the company's tech and logistics sectors.
The latest news on Amazon's salaries paints a complex picture of a company willing to pay a premium for in-demand technical skills and long-term corporate performers, while managing a massive workforce with more modest, albeit gradually increasing, wages in its fulfillment and transportation arms. These developments continue to fuel discussions about compensation equity and the value of different roles within the global e-commerce and technology giant.
