Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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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.
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 |
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 |
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 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for 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 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
64,460 |
28.75 |
2.97 |
$ 76.12 |
$ 158,320 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
73,860 |
38.52 |
3.98 |
$ 71.26 |
$ 148,220 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD |
13,060 |
10.40 |
1.07 |
$ 66.11 |
$ 137,510 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA |
490 |
5.29 |
0.55 |
$ 64.75 |
$ 134,680 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
63,360 |
21.61 |
2.23 |
$ 64.35 |
$ 133,850 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
93,100 |
10.73 |
1.11 |
$ 64.24 |
$ 133,620 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
16,510 |
11.87 |
1.23 |
$ 64.22 |
$ 133,580 |
| Napa, CA |
150 |
2.14 |
0.22 |
$ 63.43 |
$ 131,930 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
6,440 |
6.56 |
0.68 |
$ 62.83 |
$ 130,690 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Software Developers:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Software Developers:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Software Developers:
About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
