Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

15-1133 Software Developers, Systems Software

Research, design, develop, and test operating systems-level software, compilers, and network distribution software for medical, industrial, military, communications, aerospace, business, scientific, and general computing applications. Set operational specifications and formulate and analyze software requirements. May design embedded systems software. Apply principles and techniques of computer science, engineering, and mathematical analysis.

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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)
405,330	1.3 %	$54.81	$114,000	0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$32.09	$41.16	$52.89	$67.09	$80.27
Annual Wage (2)	$66,740	$85,610	$110,000	$139,550	$166,960

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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	126,960	6.06	$54.23	$112,810
Software Publishers	21,790	5.53	$54.59	$113,540
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing	21,300	5.26	$59.07	$122,860
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	19,190	1.32	$56.40	$117,310
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing	17,810	3.67	$60.27	$125,360

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 and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing	16,720	10.67	$59.29	$123,330
Communications Equipment Manufacturing	5,550	6.72	$55.82	$116,100
Computer Systems Design and Related Services	126,960	6.06	$54.23	$112,810
Software Publishers	21,790	5.53	$54.59	$113,540
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing	21,300	5.26	$59.07	$122,860

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services	590	0.12	$63.18	$131,410
Technical and Trade Schools	250	0.19	$61.71	$128,350
Other Information Services	5,850	1.98	$61.62	$128,170
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing	7,300	1.99	$61.45	$127,810
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank	260	1.41	$60.35	$125,530

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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	88,910	5.23	1.87	$63.32	$131,700
Texas	28,720	2.37	0.85	$53.24	$110,740
Virginia	27,800	7.25	2.59	$57.62	$119,860
Massachusetts	25,540	7.15	2.55	$56.62	$117,760
New York	19,690	2.10	0.75	$55.35	$115,120

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)
Virginia	27,800	7.25	2.59	$57.62	$119,860
Massachusetts	25,540	7.15	2.55	$56.62	$117,760
Maryland	15,430	5.75	2.05	$57.63	$119,860
California	88,910	5.23	1.87	$63.32	$131,700
Washington	16,130	4.95	1.77	$58.29	$121,250

Top paying States for this occupation:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
California	88,910	5.23	1.87	$63.32	$131,700
New Hampshire	1,510	2.31	0.82	$60.96	$126,790
Colorado	11,170	4.26	1.52	$59.81	$124,410
New Jersey	8,960	2.21	0.79	$59.31	$123,370
Washington	16,130	4.95	1.77	$58.29	$121,250

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)
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	30,230	9.64	3.44	$58.86	$122,420
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	28,290	25.28	9.03	$70.92	$147,520
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	24,870	9.01	3.22	$57.18	$118,920
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	23,300	3.81	1.36	$60.47	$125,770
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	20,270	2.13	0.76	$59.15	$123,030
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	17,090	7.06	2.52	$65.99	$137,260
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	15,230	3.28	1.17	$52.73	$109,670
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	14,820	7.47	2.67	$59.06	$122,840
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	11,870	3.33	1.19	$53.56	$111,410
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	11,080	4.13	1.47	$50.98	$106,050

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)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	28,290	25.28	9.03	$70.92	$147,520
California-Lexington Park, MD	740	15.78	5.63	$53.62	$111,540
Huntsville, AL	2,760	12.19	4.35	$54.26	$112,860
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL	2,270	10.61	3.79	$56.32	$117,140
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	30,230	9.64	3.44	$58.86	$122,420
Tucson, AZ	3,520	9.54	3.40	$51.22	$106,530
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	24,870	9.01	3.22	$57.18	$118,920
Colorado Springs, CO	2,250	7.99	2.85	$56.76	$118,070
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	14,820	7.47	2.67	$59.06	$122,840
Austin-Round Rock, TX	7,640	7.43	2.65	$53.94	$112,180