Software Developers salary

What Software Developers earn across the United States and in the largest metro areas — the official BLS OEWS May 2025 figures.

National wages — United States

Nationally, BLS estimates 1,687,890 Software Developers jobs — 1.1% of all US employment. The national median wage is $135,980 a year ($65.38 an hour) and the mean is $148,100 a year, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026.

Wage level	Hourly	Annual
Mean	$71.20	$148,100
10th percentile	$39.64	$82,460
25th percentile	$50.58	$105,210
Median (50th percentile)	$65.38	$135,980
75th percentile	$82.68	$171,980
90th percentile	$103.21	$214,670

Median pay by metro area

Metro area	Median annual	Median hourly	Employment	vs US median
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$186,640	$89.73	69,030	+37.3%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$167,280	$80.42	92,770	+23.0%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$166,830	$80.21	121,000	+22.7%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$166,090	$79.85	42,310	+22.1%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$163,270	$78.49	20,610	+20.1%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$160,920	$77.37	55,540	+18.3%
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$156,000	$75.00	18,260	+14.7%
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$154,930	$74.49	69,060	+13.9%
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	$138,900	$66.78	16,850	+2.1%
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$137,610	$66.16	27,010	+1.2%
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	$135,920	$65.35	20,820	-0.0%
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$134,380	$64.60	40,370	-1.2%
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX	$134,120	$64.48	31,960	-1.4%
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$133,290	$64.08	67,030	-2.0%
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	$133,270	$64.07	4,150	-2.0%
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	$133,040	$63.96	28,480	-2.2%
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	$132,960	$63.92	36,300	-2.2%
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	$132,650	$63.77	18,900	-2.4%
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$131,750	$63.34	29,380	-3.1%
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$130,920	$62.94	27,410	-3.7%
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	$130,760	$62.87	24,870	-3.8%
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	$130,450	$62.71	14,230	-4.1%
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	$129,620	$62.32	13,440	-4.7%
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	$129,440	$62.23	22,940	-4.8%
St. Louis, MO-IL	$129,030	$62.03	9,820	-5.1%

Each metro page carries the full OEWS wage distribution, the employment figures, and the estimated take-home pay on that metro's median under 2026 tax rules.

Sources

Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. Take-home estimates are computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 rules.