Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
15-1251 Computer Programmers
Create, modify, and test the code and scripts that allow computer applications to run. Work from specifications drawn up by software and web developers or other individuals. May develop and write computer programs to store, locate, and retrieve specific documents, data, and information.
National estimates for Computer Programmers
Industry profile for Computer Programmers
Geographic profile for Computer Programmers
National estimates for Computer Programmers:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Computer Programmers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 152,610 |
2.0 % |
$ 46.46 |
$ 96,650 |
1.1 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Computer Programmers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 22.86 |
$ 30.21 |
$ 44.71 |
$ 58.94 |
$ 74.64 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 47,560 |
$ 62,840 |
$ 93,000 |
$ 122,600 |
$ 155,240 |
Industry profile for Computer Programmers:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Computer Programmers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Computer Programmers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Computer Programmers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services |
54,340 |
2.40 |
$ 42.38 |
$ 88,150 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
10,410 |
1.31 |
$ 63.80 |
$ 132,700 |
| Software Publishers |
8,700 |
1.65 |
$ 63.19 |
$ 131,430 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
7,550 |
0.25 |
$ 40.50 |
$ 84,240 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
6,380 |
0.25 |
$ 49.25 |
$ 102,430 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Computer Programmers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services |
54,340 |
2.40 |
$ 42.38 |
$ 88,150 |
| Software Publishers |
8,700 |
1.65 |
$ 63.19 |
$ 131,430 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
10,410 |
1.31 |
$ 63.80 |
$ 132,700 |
| Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services |
4,150 |
1.10 |
$ 40.64 |
$ 84,540 |
| Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing |
1,970 |
0.55 |
$ 61.68 |
$ 128,300 |
Top paying industries for Computer Programmers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing |
40 |
0.04 |
$ 67.58 |
$ 140,560 |
| Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) |
120 |
0.03 |
$ 66.09 |
$ 137,470 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
10,410 |
1.31 |
$ 63.80 |
$ 132,700 |
| Software Publishers |
8,700 |
1.65 |
$ 63.19 |
$ 131,430 |
| Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing |
1,970 |
0.55 |
$ 61.68 |
$ 128,300 |
Geographic profile for Computer Programmers:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Computer Programmers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Computer Programmers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Computer Programmers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
23,960 |
1.45 |
1.34 |
$ 55.16 |
$ 114,740 |
| Texas |
14,220 |
1.16 |
1.07 |
$ 38.92 |
$ 80,950 |
| New York |
12,610 |
1.46 |
1.34 |
$ 44.96 |
$ 93,510 |
| Florida |
7,110 |
0.83 |
0.76 |
$ 39.92 |
$ 83,040 |
| New Jersey |
6,520 |
1.69 |
1.56 |
$ 51.67 |
$ 107,480 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Computer Programmers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Montana |
1,050 |
2.24 |
2.07 |
$ 39.49 |
$ 82,130 |
| Maryland |
4,940 |
1.94 |
1.79 |
$ 46.07 |
$ 95,830 |
| Nebraska |
1,860 |
1.94 |
1.79 |
$ 35.34 |
$ 73,510 |
| Utah |
2,700 |
1.74 |
1.60 |
$ 46.66 |
$ 97,050 |
| New Jersey |
6,520 |
1.69 |
1.56 |
$ 51.67 |
$ 107,480 |
Top paying states for Computer Programmers:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Computer Programmers:
| 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 |
12,330 |
1.42 |
1.31 |
$ 51.10 |
$ 106,280 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
5,720 |
2.55 |
2.35 |
$ 60.68 |
$ 126,220 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
4,910 |
1.68 |
1.55 |
$ 56.67 |
$ 117,870 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
4,900 |
0.86 |
0.79 |
$ 50.13 |
$ 104,260 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
4,640 |
1.29 |
1.19 |
$ 42.36 |
$ 88,110 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
4,480 |
1.73 |
1.60 |
$ 53.08 |
$ 110,410 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
3,970 |
2.85 |
2.63 |
$ 56.29 |
$ 117,080 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
3,840 |
3.59 |
3.32 |
$ 69.29 |
$ 144,130 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
3,460 |
1.80 |
1.67 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
2,740 |
1.03 |
0.95 |
$ 44.65 |
$ 92,870 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Computer Programmers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Bloomington, IN |
320 |
4.62 |
4.27 |
$ 34.16 |
$ 71,050 |
| Missoula, MT |
280 |
4.61 |
4.26 |
$ 35.28 |
$ 73,390 |
| Tallahassee, FL |
720 |
4.23 |
3.91 |
$ 30.79 |
$ 64,030 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY |
1,650 |
3.93 |
3.63 |
$ 39.56 |
$ 82,290 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
3,840 |
3.59 |
3.32 |
$ 69.29 |
$ 144,130 |
| Madison, WI |
1,160 |
3.06 |
2.83 |
$ 50.98 |
$ 106,040 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
3,970 |
2.85 |
2.63 |
$ 56.29 |
$ 117,080 |
| California-Lexington Park, MD |
120 |
2.59 |
2.39 |
$ 41.40 |
$ 86,110 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
5,720 |
2.55 |
2.35 |
$ 60.68 |
$ 126,220 |
| Montgomery, AL |
390 |
2.51 |
2.31 |
$ 38.56 |
$ 80,190 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Computer Programmers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
3,840 |
3.59 |
3.32 |
$ 69.29 |
$ 144,130 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
5,720 |
2.55 |
2.35 |
$ 60.68 |
$ 126,220 |
| Dalton, GA |
40 |
0.60 |
0.56 |
$ 59.37 |
$ 123,500 |
| Boulder, CO |
300 |
1.67 |
1.55 |
$ 57.20 |
$ 118,970 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
4,910 |
1.68 |
1.55 |
$ 56.67 |
$ 117,870 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
3,970 |
2.85 |
2.63 |
$ 56.29 |
$ 117,080 |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO |
500 |
2.04 |
1.88 |
$ 53.12 |
$ 110,490 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
4,480 |
1.73 |
1.60 |
$ 53.08 |
$ 110,410 |
| Green Bay, WI |
230 |
1.37 |
1.27 |
$ 52.93 |
$ 110,090 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC |
1,170 |
0.96 |
0.89 |
$ 52.85 |
$ 109,940 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Computer Programmers:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Computer Programmers:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Computer Programmers:
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
