• Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

15-1252 Software Developers

Research, design, and develop computer and network software or specialized utility programs. Analyze user needs and develop software solutions, applying principles and techniques of computer science, engineering, and mathematical analysis. Update software or enhance existing software capabilities. May work with computer hardware engineers to integrate hardware and software systems, and develop specifications and performance requirements. May maintain databases within an application area, working individually or coordinating database development as part of a team.

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National estimates for Software Developers
Industry profile for Software Developers
Geographic profile for Software Developers

National estimates for Software Developers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Software Developers:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
1,364,180	0.7 %	$ 58.17	$ 120,990	0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for Software Developers:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 30.99	$ 43.69	$ 58.05	$ 73.06	$ 81.04
Annual Wage (2)	$ 64,470	$ 90,870	$ 120,730	$ 151,960	$ 168,570

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Industry profile for Software Developers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Software Developers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Software Developers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Software Developers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Computer Systems Design and Related Services	455,050	20.08	$ 55.56	$ 115,550
Software Publishers	133,340	25.34	$ 62.99	$ 131,020
Management of Companies and Enterprises	70,070	2.76	$ 56.92	$ 118,380
Other Information Services	58,420	16.10	$ 75.39	$ 156,800
Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services	52,690	13.91	$ 59.63	$ 124,040

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Software Developers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Software Publishers	133,340	25.34	$ 62.99	$ 131,020
Computer Systems Design and Related Services	455,050	20.08	$ 55.56	$ 115,550
Other Information Services	58,420	16.10	$ 75.39	$ 156,800
Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing	23,080	14.82	$ 73.48	$ 152,840
Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services	52,690	13.91	$ 59.63	$ 124,040

Top paying industries for Software Developers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Other Information Services	58,420	16.10	$ 75.39	$ 156,800
Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing	23,080	14.82	$ 73.48	$ 152,840
Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers	(8)	(8)	$ 72.13	$ 150,030
Scientific Research and Development Services	39,960	5.02	$ 68.30	$ 142,070
Personal Care Services	90	0.01	$ 67.35	$ 140,080

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Geographic profile for Software Developers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Software Developers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Software Developers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest employment level in Software Developers:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
California	228,240	13.81	1.43	$ 70.56	$ 146,770
Texas	103,510	8.47	0.87	$ 53.77	$ 111,830
Washington	81,520	25.43	2.63	$ 69.78	$ 145,150
New York	75,790	8.74	0.90	$ 62.48	$ 129,950
Virginia	68,250	18.18	1.88	$ 61.46	$ 127,830

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Software Developers:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Washington	81,520	25.43	2.63	$ 69.78	$ 145,150
Virginia	68,250	18.18	1.88	$ 61.46	$ 127,830
Massachusetts	58,980	17.38	1.79	$ 61.63	$ 128,190
Colorado	38,860	14.83	1.53	$ 57.76	$ 120,140
District of Columbia	9,460	14.29	1.48	$ 59.99	$ 124,770

Top paying states for Software Developers:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
California	228,240	13.81	1.43	$ 70.56	$ 146,770
Washington	81,520	25.43	2.63	$ 69.78	$ 145,150
Maryland	25,710	10.10	1.04	$ 63.09	$ 131,240
New York	75,790	8.74	0.90	$ 62.48	$ 129,950
Rhode Island	3,490	7.63	0.79	$ 61.92	$ 128,790

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Software Developers:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	93,100	10.73	1.11	$ 64.24	$ 133,620
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	73,860	38.52	3.98	$ 71.26	$ 148,220
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	67,780	63.43	6.55	$ 80.49	$ 167,420
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	64,460	28.75	2.97	$ 76.12	$ 158,320
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	63,360	21.61	2.23	$ 64.35	$ 133,850
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	55,690	21.54	2.22	$ 62.21	$ 129,400
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	49,020	8.57	0.89	$ 60.20	$ 125,210
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	42,880	11.95	1.23	$ 56.30	$ 117,100
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	38,110	9.00	0.93	$ 54.81	$ 114,000
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	36,080	13.94	1.44	$ 56.78	$ 118,100

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Software Developers:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	67,780	63.43	6.55	$ 80.49	$ 167,420
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	73,860	38.52	3.98	$ 71.26	$ 148,220
Boulder, CO	5,480	30.14	3.11	$ 60.09	$ 124,990
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	64,460	28.75	2.97	$ 76.12	$ 158,320
Huntsville, AL	6,540	28.39	2.93	$ 54.60	$ 113,570
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC	8,260	26.47	2.73	$ 58.16	$ 120,980
Cedar Rapids, IA	3,010	22.11	2.28	$ 54.69	$ 113,750
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	63,360	21.61	2.23	$ 64.35	$ 133,850
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	55,690	21.54	2.22	$ 62.21	$ 129,400
Raleigh, NC	13,110	20.70	2.14	$ 58.36	$ 121,400