Software Developers pay in the U.S.
$148,100avg. a year
$71.20 an hour · 1,687,890 employed
Software Developers in the U.S. earn an average of $148,100 a year and a median of $135,980. Pay is highest in California ($186,770) and lowest in Mississippi ($99,840).
$135,980Median pay
$71.20Average hourly
+22%Avg. pay since 2021
1,687,890Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for software developers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1284,390 jobs
California
$186,770
$89.80 an hour
2107,030 jobs
Washington
$171,040
$82.23 an hour
3113,510 jobs
New York
$163,820
$78.76 an hour
448,190 jobs
Massachusetts
$161,730
$77.76 an hour
531,350 jobs
Maryland
$151,560
$72.87 an hour
643,320 jobs
Colorado
$150,940
$72.57 an hour
721,830 jobs
Oregon
$149,060
$71.66 an hour
888,280 jobs
Virginia
$146,340
$70.36 an hour
910,840 jobs
New Hampshire
$144,530
$69.48 an hour
106,120 jobs
District of Columbia
$144,430
$69.44 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Software Developers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $121k$121k–$132k$132k–$138k$138k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $221,710 | $106.59 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $193,430 | $93.00 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $174,920 | $84.09 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $174,020 | $83.66 |
| Boulder, CO | $166,480 | $80.04 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $165,870 | $79.75 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $163,540 | $78.63 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $163,300 | $78.51 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Software Developers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $122,840 | $122,540 | 17,450 |
| Arizona | $132,530 | $129,690 | 38,050 |
| Arkansas | $109,590 | $104,490 | 6,050 |
| California | $186,770 | $174,410 | 284,390 |
| Colorado | $150,940 | $138,390 | 43,320 |
| Connecticut | $141,260 | $134,120 | 13,660 |
| Delaware | $138,110 | $133,020 | 3,380 |
| District of Columbia | $144,430 | $136,880 | 6,120 |
| Florida | $137,010 | $130,980 | 87,890 |
| Georgia | $132,150 | $131,010 | 49,700 |
| Hawaii | $134,600 | $124,040 | 1,600 |
| Idaho | $134,370 | $131,590 | 5,750 |
| Illinois | $136,540 | $132,110 | 56,310 |
| Indiana | $113,980 | $105,920 | 14,130 |
| Iowa | $118,780 | $114,890 | 9,040 |
| Kansas | $116,560 | $113,420 | 13,580 |
| Kentucky | $120,730 | $109,010 | 7,660 |
| Louisiana | $108,270 | $102,800 | 4,080 |
| Maine | $129,040 | $123,120 | 2,790 |
| Maryland | $151,560 | $138,680 | 31,350 |
| Massachusetts | $161,730 | $165,210 | 48,190 |
| Michigan | $122,720 | $125,570 | 43,460 |
| Minnesota | $127,530 | $130,050 | 35,890 |
| Mississippi | $99,840 | $95,330 | 1,880 |
| Missouri | $123,810 | $126,120 | 20,020 |
| Montana | $133,550 | $121,990 | 2,160 |
| Nebraska | $115,590 | $110,900 | 7,260 |
| Nevada | $137,350 | $128,810 | 4,520 |
| New Hampshire | $144,530 | $139,720 | 10,840 |
| New Jersey | $143,800 | $135,940 | 51,570 |
| New Mexico | $126,620 | $124,520 | 3,960 |
| New York | $163,820 | $166,180 | 113,510 |
| North Carolina | $136,940 | $134,710 | 58,470 |
| North Dakota | $107,000 | $105,600 | 1,450 |
| Ohio | $119,860 | $114,090 | 44,790 |
| Oklahoma | $118,510 | $118,100 | 6,880 |
| Oregon | $149,060 | $142,720 | 21,830 |
| Pennsylvania | $128,110 | $126,550 | 55,920 |
| Rhode Island | $129,080 | $130,590 | 5,070 |
| South Carolina | $136,240 | $129,450 | 13,230 |
| South Dakota | $104,790 | $96,310 | 2,380 |
| Tennessee | $120,560 | $122,430 | 19,030 |
| Texas | $136,450 | $132,150 | 163,880 |
| Utah | $129,860 | $128,810 | 31,940 |
| Vermont | $136,100 | $125,280 | 1,740 |
| Virginia | $146,340 | $136,460 | 88,280 |
| Washington | $171,040 | $166,540 | 107,030 |
| West Virginia | $118,410 | $121,000 | 2,650 |
| Wisconsin | $122,620 | $122,660 | 21,730 |
| Wyoming | $123,360 | $115,170 | 1,510 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$165,870
121,000 jobsSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$174,920
92,770 jobsSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$221,710
87,350 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$153,100
69,060 jobsSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$193,430
69,030 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$138,810
67,030 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$161,900
55,540 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$162,440
42,310 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do software developers make?
The average is $148,100 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $135,980 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $71.20, and the median is $65.38 an hour.
Which state pays software developers the most?
California, with an average of $186,770 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $221,710.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $82,460 a year, and the top 10% earn over $214,670.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2021–May 2025), occupation code 15-1252. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.