Software Developers salary in the US
SOC 2018 code 15-1252 · all employees · reference year 2025
Median annual pay (gross)
$135,980
Mean annual pay (gross)
$148,100
The median for this occupation is 2.7× the all-occupation US median ($50,980) in the same 2025 release.
Pay range
| 10th percentile | $82,460 |
|---|---|
| 25th percentile | $105,210 |
| Median (50th) | $135,980 |
| 75th percentile | $171,980 |
| 90th percentile | $214,670 |
About this occupation
Software developers design and build applications and systems, from mobile apps to back-end platforms. It is the largest single computer occupation in the United States.
Pay is strongly shaped by industry and location: software publishers and large technology employers in metro areas such as San Jose, San Francisco and Seattle report some of the highest wages in the OEWS data. Stock-based compensation, which can be substantial at large tech firms, is not part of these wage figures.
Source and notes
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, national estimates.
- National estimates for wage-and-salary employees; self-employed workers are excluded. Annual figures are published by BLS and include some bonus and tip pay.
- ISCO-08 group 2: Professionals — a broad grouping for loose cross-country orientation only, not an exact match to other countries' job titles.
- Official figures above are gross (before tax). The optional Net view is an estimate: it uses the PolicyEngine US tax model for the state and filing status you choose. The percentile range always shows gross pay.
- No official breakdown by experience level exists for this data, so none is shown.
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