By Aijaz Alam
How much do software developers make in the US?
The median yearly pay of US software developers, quality assurance analysts and testers was $134,040 in May 2025 ($64.44 an hour), according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Software developers alone earned a median $135,980, against $92,650 for web developers. BLS employment projections count 1,905,400 jobs in the group in 2025 and expect 10% growth by 2035.
- $134,040Median yearly pay, US software developers, QA analysts and testersBLS, May 2025
- $135,980Median yearly pay, software developers aloneBLS OEWS, May 2025
- $99,520Median yearly pay, US web developers and digital designersBLS, May 2025
- 1,905,400US jobs for software developers, QA analysts and testersBLS employment projections, 2025
The numbers
The full breakdown
US median pay and jobs by occupation, May 2025
| Occupation | Median yearly pay | Median hourly pay | Jobs, 2025 (projections) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software developers | $135,980 | $65.38 | 1,717,800 |
| Software developers, QA analysts and testers (group) | $134,040 | $64.44 | 1,905,400 |
| Software quality assurance analysts and testers | $104,300 | $50.14 | 187,600 |
| Web and digital interface designers | $104,000 | $50.00 | 132,700 |
| Web developers and digital designers (group) | $99,520 | $47.85 | 220,100 |
| Web developers | $92,650 | $44.54 | 87,400 |
| All computer occupations | $109,470 | Not published | Not published |
| All US occupations | $50,980 | Not published | Not published |
Pay from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025; jobs from the BLS employment projections for 2025 (they differ from the OEWS employment counts). Hourly figures are the OEWS median hourly wage. The group rows are the Occupational Outlook Handbook categories.
Pay range: US yearly wage percentiles, May 2025
| Percentile | Software developers | QA analysts and testers | Web developers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th (lowest-paid tenth earn less) | $82,460 | $61,440 | $48,100 |
| 25th | $105,210 | $80,310 | $64,230 |
| 50th (median) | $135,980 | $104,300 | $92,650 |
| 75th | $171,980 | $133,180 | $126,230 |
| 90th (top tenth earn more) | $214,670 | $167,010 | $162,290 |
| Mean (average) | $148,100 | $111,490 | $98,770 |
BLS OEWS occupation profiles, May 2025. The 10th percentile is the wage below which the lowest-paid tenth of workers fall; the 90th is the wage above which the top tenth fall.
States with the highest median pay, May 2025
| Occupation | State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Software developers | California | $174,410 |
| Software developers | Washington | $166,540 |
| Software developers | New York | $166,180 |
| Software developers | Massachusetts | $165,210 |
| Software developers | Oregon | $142,720 |
| Web developers | Washington | $130,440 |
| Web developers | Virginia | $128,380 |
| Web developers | California | $119,570 |
| Web developers | District of Columbia | $114,690 |
| Web developers | Maryland | $112,690 |
Top five states by annual median wage in the BLS OEWS profiles, May 2025. California also has the most software developer jobs (284,390 in OEWS), ahead of Texas (163,880).
Median pay of software developers in their top industries, May 2025
| Industry | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Software publishers | $164,550 |
| Manufacturing | $136,330 |
| Management of companies and enterprises | $135,680 |
| Finance and insurance | $135,460 |
| Computer systems design and related services | $132,050 |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, software developers only.
US jobs and projected growth, 2025 to 2035
| Occupation | Jobs, 2025 (projections) | Projected jobs, 2035 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software developers | 1,717,800 | 1,892,600 | +10% |
| Software quality assurance analysts and testers | 187,600 | 198,200 | +6% |
| Web developers | 87,400 | 90,600 | +4% |
| Web and digital interface designers | 132,700 | 140,800 | +6% |
| All US occupations | Not published | Not published | +3% |
BLS employment projections. BLS expects about 106,100 openings a year for software developers, QA analysts and testers over the decade, most of them to replace workers who leave.
Over time
US median yearly pay by year, BLS OEWS
| May of | Software developers | Web developers | Software developers employed (OEWS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $120,730 | $77,030 | 1,364,180 |
| 2022 | $127,260 | $78,580 | 1,534,790 |
| 2023 | $132,270 | $84,960 | 1,656,880 |
| 2025 | $135,980 | $92,650 | 1,687,890 |
Current dollars, not adjusted for inflation. May 2024 is missing: the BLS May 2024 occupation pages now redirect and the OEWS profile tool offers only May 2025. OEWS employment counts differ from the projection job counts in the tables above.
Why sources differ
Same question, different answers
| Number | When | Who measured | Why it differs |
|---|---|---|---|
| $134,040 | May 2025 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH) | Median wage of software developers, QA analysts and testers together |
| $135,980 | May 2025 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS) | Median wage of software developers alone |
| $148,100 | May 2025 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS) | Mean (average) wage of software developers, pulled up by the highest earners |
| $154,000 | 2026 survey | Stack Overflow Developer Survey | Median total compensation of US respondents, including bonuses and perks; self-selected, experienced sample |
| $92,650 | May 2025 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS) | Median wage of web developers, a separate occupation |
Developer pay figures differ mainly because they measure different people and different kinds of pay. The BLS $134,040 is the median wage for software developers, quality assurance analysts and testers together; software developers alone earned a median $135,980, and testers pulled the group figure down. The BLS average (mean) wage for software developers, $148,100, is higher than the median because a minority of very high earners lifts the average. Stack Overflow's 2026 survey puts the median for US respondents at $154,000, but it asks for total compensation including bonuses and perks, its US respondents reported about 17 years of experience, and anyone can choose to answer, so it describes survey respondents, not all US developers. BLS wages come from its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, not from developers reporting their own pay. Web developers are a separate BLS occupation with a median of $92,650. Quote the BLS median for a typical US developer, and say whether it covers testers and web developers.
What it means
How to use these numbers
Software development pays well above the US average, and the typical entry route is a bachelor's degree. Half of software developers earned more than $135,980 in May 2025, more than two and a half times the median for all US workers ($50,980). The top tenth earned over $214,670.
Where you work and what you build matter. Software developers at software publishers had a median of $164,550, and California led the states at $174,410. Web developers earn much less, a median of $92,650, with the highest pay in Washington ($130,440) and Virginia ($128,380).
Pay has kept rising, though more slowly: the software developer median went from $120,730 in May 2021 to $135,980 in May 2025, about 13% in current dollars. BLS still expects jobs for software developers to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the 3% for all occupations, so for students and career changers the field remains a strong bet, even as AI coding tools change the work.
Method and sources
How it was measured
Method
- Publisher
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (software developers, QA analysts and testers; web developers and digital designers) and OEWS occupation profiles, May 2025
- Sample
- OEWS program: yearly employment and wage estimates for over 800 occupations, for the nation, states and metropolitan areas
- Definition
- Median annual wage: the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more and half earned less
- Second source
- Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2026: 12,040 respondents answered the pay question (2,885 in the US), collected 23 Jun to 5 Aug 2026; total compensation converted to US dollars
- Released
- OOH pages last modified 27 Aug 2026 (May 2025 wages, 2025-35 projections)
- Checked at source
- 31 Oct 2026: OOH pages for software developers and web developers, OEWS profiles (May 2025) and archived occupation pages (May 2021 to May 2023) on bls.gov, Stack Overflow 2026 work data page
- Next release
- BLS publishes OEWS wages once a year; May 2026 figures were not out on 31 Oct 2026
- Last changed
- 31 Oct 2026
- Data files
- CSV · JSON (stable links)
Sources
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, US Bureau of Labor Statistics Official data
- Stack Overflow Developer Survey, Stack Overflow Survey
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FAQ
More questions people ask
How much does a software developer make an hour?
A median of $65.38 an hour in May 2025 for US software developers, and $64.44 for the wider group that includes QA analysts and testers (BLS).
Which state pays software developers the most?
California, with a median of $174,410 in May 2025, followed by Washington ($166,540), New York ($166,180) and Massachusetts ($165,210).
Do web developers earn less than software developers?
Yes. US web developers had a median of $92,650 in May 2025, about $43,000 less than software developers ($135,980). Web and digital interface designers earned a median $104,000.
How many software developer jobs will there be?
BLS projects 1,892,600 software developer jobs in 2035, up 10% from 1,717,800 in 2025, with about 106,100 openings a year for developers, QA analysts and testers combined.
Every number on this page was checked at its original source (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Stack Overflow). Free to cite with a link to this page.