occupation · 15-1252 · detailed
Software Developers — wages and employment
Software Developers earned a median annual wage of $133,080 in the United States in May 2024, with 1,654,440 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Software Developers earned a median annual wage of $133,080 in the United States in May 2024, with 1,654,440 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $79,850 or less, the best-paid tenth $211,450 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $132,270 to $133,080, +0.6 %. The best-paying state is California at $170,910; the lowest Puerto Rico at $64,350. Among metropolitan areas, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA pays the highest median, $208,270. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 1,654,440 | $133,080 | $144,570 | $79,850 | $103,050 | $169,000 | $211,450 | $63.98 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 1,656,880 | $132,270 | $138,110 | $77,020 | $101,200 | $167,540 | $208,620 | $63.59 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| California | $170,910 | 292,630 |
| Washington | $166,910 | 91,470 |
| Virgin Islands | $162,820 | 40 |
| New York | $161,260 | 104,130 |
| Massachusetts | $150,520 | 54,260 |
| Maryland | $137,890 | 31,940 |
| District of Columbia | $136,040 | 8,250 |
| Oregon | $135,260 | 21,100 |
| Delaware | $135,160 | 3,850 |
| Colorado | $134,540 | 48,980 |
| Virginia | $134,470 | 83,290 |
| New Hampshire | $132,420 | 8,010 |
| New Jersey | $132,400 | 57,120 |
| North Carolina | $131,000 | 57,590 |
| Connecticut | $130,870 | 16,490 |
| Vermont | $130,720 | — |
| Texas | $130,500 | 151,460 |
| Nevada | $129,030 | 4,640 |
| Georgia | $128,920 | 47,350 |
| Arizona | $128,690 | 35,650 |
| Rhode Island | $128,660 | 6,010 |
| Illinois | $127,770 | 54,490 |
| Utah | $127,390 | 29,160 |
| Florida | $126,550 | 82,610 |
| Minnesota | $124,540 | 39,580 |
| Pennsylvania | $123,740 | 47,350 |
| New Mexico | $120,820 | 4,810 |
| Hawaii | $119,880 | 1,940 |
| Alaska | $119,600 | 430 |
| Tennessee | $117,340 | 18,750 |
| Nebraska | $116,420 | 8,940 |
| Missouri | $114,550 | 17,060 |
| Maine | $113,800 | 2,740 |
| Alabama | $113,020 | 18,020 |
| Wyoming | $112,590 | 1,020 |
| Iowa | $109,850 | 9,840 |
| South Carolina | $108,690 | 12,230 |
| Idaho | $107,900 | 4,960 |
| Michigan | $107,820 | 41,490 |
| Ohio | $107,690 | 44,280 |
| Oklahoma | $107,420 | 7,150 |
| Kansas | $106,660 | 15,850 |
| Kentucky | $106,200 | 7,070 |
| Indiana | $103,570 | 12,690 |
| West Virginia | $103,550 | 2,280 |
| Wisconsin | $103,360 | 22,170 |
| Louisiana | $102,290 | 3,870 |
| Montana | $100,190 | 2,070 |
| North Dakota | $98,550 | 1,510 |
| Arkansas | $96,820 | 6,390 |
| South Dakota | $87,770 | 2,190 |
| Mississippi | $86,460 | 3,200 |
| Puerto Rico | $64,350 | 1,580 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $208,270 | 90,280 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $174,910 | 76,900 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $169,340 | 72,730 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $163,020 | 2,030 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $161,970 | 119,610 |
| Boulder, CO | $159,670 | 7,790 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $159,240 | 21,080 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $157,540 | 3,800 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $155,330 | 54,650 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $154,240 | 48,200 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $150,880 | 68,210 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $149,010 | 16,620 |
| Yuba City, CA | $145,550 | 70 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $141,140 | 630 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $141,030 | 7,410 |
| Manchester-Nashua, NH | $140,820 | 3,740 |
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $139,650 | 120 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $139,060 | 620 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $138,740 | 580 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $138,480 | 2,420 |
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