U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
PRINT:Print
OEWS OEWS Program Links

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2017

15-1131 Computer Programmers

Create, modify, and test the code, forms, and script that allow computer applications to run. Work from specifications drawn up by software developers or other individuals. May assist software developers by analyzing user needs and designing software solutions. May develop and write computer programs to store, locate, and retrieve specific documents, data, and information.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
247,690 1.9 % $42.08 $87,530 1.0 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $22.64 $30.22 $39.54 $51.24 $63.72
Annual Wage (2) $47,090 $62,860 $82,240 $106,580 $132,530

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Computer Systems Design and Related Services 98,900 4.91 $42.10 $87,570
Software Publishers 17,220 4.69 $48.36 $100,580
Management of Companies and Enterprises 11,010 0.47 $41.44 $86,200
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 6,960 0.32 $35.65 $74,150
Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services 6,670 2.17 $41.78 $86,910

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Computer Systems Design and Related Services 98,900 4.91 $42.10 $87,570
Software Publishers 17,220 4.69 $48.36 $100,580
Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services 6,670 2.17 $41.78 $86,910
Other Information Services 2,340 0.85 $44.34 $92,220
Scientific Research and Development Services 4,420 0.68 $47.10 $97,970

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nonresidential Building Construction 200 0.03 $58.77 $122,240
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities 2,440 0.27 $56.14 $116,770
Other Wood Product Manufacturing 100 0.05 $53.92 $112,150
Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services 840 0.39 $52.89 $110,010
Natural Gas Distribution 470 0.42 $52.38 $108,950

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

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





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 34,050 2.04 1.17 $46.28 $96,270
Texas 20,850 1.75 1.01 $41.44 $86,200
New York 16,420 1.78 1.03 $42.92 $89,260
Illinois 12,060 2.03 1.17 $42.98 $89,390
New Jersey 10,930 2.73 1.57 $44.38 $92,320




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alabama 7,420 3.86 2.22 $42.17 $87,700
Washington 10,500 3.29 1.90 $58.17 $121,000
Connecticut 5,250 3.17 1.83 $42.12 $87,610
New Jersey 10,930 2.73 1.57 $44.38 $92,320
Utah 3,780 2.68 1.54 $38.91 $80,930




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Washington 10,500 3.29 1.90 $58.17 $121,000
District of Columbia 1,200 1.69 0.97 $48.91 $101,740
California 34,050 2.04 1.17 $46.28 $96,270
Colorado 3,260 1.27 0.73 $46.20 $96,100
Virginia (8) (8) (8) $45.92 $95,520



<

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 13,740 2.05 1.18 $46.79 $97,320
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 9,510 5.77 3.32 $59.98 $124,750
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division 8,700 2.37 1.37 $44.41 $92,380
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 7,370 2.96 1.70 $41.55 $86,410
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 6,740 1.52 0.88 $43.98 $91,470
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 6,090 2.42 1.39 $47.77 $99,370
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 5,800 2.21 1.27 $42.12 $87,610
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 5,010 4.60 2.65 $50.22 $104,470
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 4,820 1.65 0.95 $42.18 $87,720
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 4,700 3.28 1.89 $46.71 $97,150


<

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Huntsville, AL 2,730 12.31 7.09 $50.18 $104,380
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 9,510 5.77 3.32 $59.98 $124,750
Ithaca, NY 280 5.50 3.16 $44.55 $92,660
Montgomery, AL 900 5.49 3.16 $37.37 $77,740
State College, PA 340 4.93 2.84 $37.02 $77,000
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 2,210 4.93 2.84 $37.32 $77,630
Bloomington, IN 340 4.92 2.83 $29.71 $61,790
Columbia, MO 440 4.73 2.72 $30.95 $64,390
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL 840 4.65 2.68 $45.59 $94,830
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 5,010 4.60 2.65 $50.22 $104,470