Software Developers Average Salary in United States
$147,665 average · $148,100 median · BLS OEWS 2025
SOC Code: 15-1252What is this?
This page shows employer-reported wages for Software Developers in United States, drawn from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey — median and mean pay, the full percentile distribution, and the industries that employ this occupation locally. Employer type and specialty create most of the spread: product/SaaS companies pay above IT-in-nontech industries; ML, security, platform, and distributed-systems roles sit above generalist full-stack bands. Hub geography still anchors offers even with remote work — SF Bay, Seattle, NYC, and Austin bands remain structurally higher. Leveling (senior/staff/principal) matters more than years alone.
How much do Software Developers make in United States?
The average software developers salary in United States is $147,665 per year, with a median of $148,100. That works out to about $70.99 per hour on average. BLS counts roughly 8,718,010 software developers jobs in United States.
Mean and median are close, so pay is relatively concentrated around $148,100. Entry-level roles (10th percentile) report about $140,210; experienced workers at the 90th percentile report about $158,300 — a 13% spread from bottom to top. Figures are employer-reported wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — not self-reported survey averages — so they are the right baseline for offers, raises, and relocation decisions in this market.
How Software Developers Careers Are Structured
Software developers design, build, and maintain applications and systems across product companies, IT departments, consultancies, and startups. OEWS wages exclude equity — at public tech firms and well-funded startups, stock can add a large share of total compensation on top of the cash figures on this page.
The wage tables and percentile chart on this page show how software developers pay is distributed in United States specifically — and because state-level wages for the same occupation routinely differ by 30% or more, the local figures here are the ones that matter for offers, raises, and relocation decisions in this market.
What Moves Pay in This Field
Employer type and specialty create most of the spread: product/SaaS companies pay above IT-in-nontech industries; ML, security, platform, and distributed-systems roles sit above generalist full-stack bands. Hub geography still anchors offers even with remote work — SF Bay, Seattle, NYC, and Austin bands remain structurally higher. Leveling (senior/staff/principal) matters more than years alone.
Degree requirements are softer than in most professional fields: strong portfolios, open-source work, and coding interviews substitute for credentials. Bootcamps and career-changers remain viable but face a higher bar in soft markets. Treat the 75th percentile on this page as a realistic mid-career target in strong product markets rather than the median.
New to reading wage distributions? Our guide to salary percentiles explains how to place yourself on the chart above, and the negotiation playbook shows how to use these numbers in an actual conversation.
Critical Worker ShortageBright Outlook
Software Developers is experiencing a critical labor shortage. Employers are actively competing for qualified candidates.
What Do Software Developers Do?
Software Developers positions belong to the software developers field. Software developers design, build, and maintain applications and systems across product companies, IT departments, consultancies, and startups. OEWS wages exclude equity — at public tech firms and well-funded startups, stock can add a large share of total compensation on top of the cash figures on this page.
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Code: 15-1252
Software Developers pay in United States
In United States, software developers report a median of $148,100 and an average of $147,665 (about $70.99/hour) across roughly 8,718,010 jobs. The local pay band runs from about $140,210 at the 10th percentile to $158,300 at the 90th.
National figures average across high-cost coastal metros and lower-cost inland markets, so individual state pages on Wage Atlas are usually the better reference for a specific offer.
Income reality check
The median salary for Software Developers in United States of $148,100 falls in the Rich band of this framework - roughly ~18% of the U.S. population and ~2.5% of the global population sit in this band.
Illustrative relative standing for education only - this ladder is a simplified framework, not an official Census, BLS, or World Bank statistical series. Salary figures on Wage Atlas come from official BLS OEWS data.
Salary Overview
Salary Distribution & Your Position
Advance Your Career
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AI Replacement Risk Analysis
Forward-looking analysis of automation and AI impact
- Knowledge-based work - moderate automation risk
- AI augmentation likely, full replacement less likely
Includes risk scoring, timeline estimates, adaptation strategies, and more
Occupation Report Card
Job Outlook 2023-2033
Official BLS Employment Projections for Software Developers
Skills & What You Do
Most occupations require a bachelor's degree; some require advanced degrees
- Design, build, and maintain software applications
- Analyze user needs and software requirements
- Test and debug programs
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams
Top Industries for Software Developers
| $161,980 | $165,321 | $78 | 701,960 | |
| $156,760 | $135,680 | $75 | 206,900 | |
| $145,230 | $135,460 | $70 | 167,990 | |
| $142,768 | $132,605 | $69 | 1,912,250 |
Related Occupations
SOC: 11-2020 • 85% match | $169,260 | $169,490 | $81 | 5,305,750 |
| $167,407 | $168,780 | $80 | 6,060,270 | |
SOC: 11-3000 • 80% match | $164,108 | $165,330 | $79 | 14,843,170 |
SOC: 15-1250 • 89% match | $139,304 | $139,850 | $67 | 11,151,460 |
| Find Software and Web Developers, Programmers, and Testers Jobs | ||||
| $119,662 | $119,640 | $58 | 9,816,310 | |
SOC: 13-1080 • 83% match | $106,641 | $106,740 | $51 | 7,032,710 |
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Software Developers in Other States
Compare salaries for this occupation across different states:
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Career Advancement Strategy
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$147,712 → $199,412
Open Source Contributions
$147,712 → $184,640
Skills to Develop
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Viewing: Software Developers (SOC: 15-1252)