Software Developer salary in the United States
Software developers in the U.S. earned a median of $135,980 a year, or $65.38 an hour, in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The highest-paid 10% earned at least 2.6 times as much as the lowest-paid 10%.
Pay data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Job content: O*NET 31.0. Updated 2026-10-26.
- $135,980median annual wage
- $65.38median hourly wage
- $82,460 to $214,67010th to 90th percentile
- 1,687,890employed in the U.S.
Pay range
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $39.64 | $82,460 |
| 25th | $50.58 | $105,210 |
| Median (50th) | $65.38 | $135,980 |
| 75th | $82.68 | $171,980 |
| 90th | $103.21 | $214,670 |
| Mean | $71.20 | $148,100 |
Software Developer salary by state
Median wages and employment for every state where BLS published an estimate. BLS does not publish some estimates for some states, shown as "not published".
| State | Employed | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th to 90th percentile (annual) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 17,450 | $58.91 | $122,540 | $71,590 to $175,330 |
| Alaska | 530 | not published | not published | not published to top-coded |
| Arizona | 38,050 | $62.35 | $129,690 | $81,740 to $178,500 |
| Arkansas | 6,050 | $50.23 | $104,490 | $60,570 to $162,380 |
| California | 284,390 | $83.85 | $174,410 | $105,060 to $272,670 |
| Colorado | 43,320 | $66.53 | $138,390 | $96,480 to $213,010 |
| Connecticut | 13,660 | $64.48 | $134,120 | $85,930 to $205,160 |
| Delaware | 3,380 | $63.95 | $133,020 | $96,620 to $174,390 |
| District of Columbia | 6,120 | $65.81 | $136,880 | $85,140 to $197,000 |
| Florida | 87,890 | $62.97 | $130,980 | $80,050 to $204,400 |
| Georgia | 49,700 | $62.99 | $131,010 | $80,110 to $176,000 |
| Hawaii | 1,600 | $59.64 | $124,040 | $64,690 to $238,930 |
| Idaho | 5,750 | $63.26 | $131,590 | $71,030 to $178,980 |
| Illinois | 56,310 | $63.52 | $132,110 | $80,980 to $194,740 |
| Indiana | 14,130 | $50.92 | $105,920 | $74,850 to $164,650 |
| Iowa | 9,040 | $55.24 | $114,890 | $74,390 to $165,880 |
| Kansas | 13,580 | $54.53 | $113,420 | $71,690 to $165,740 |
| Kentucky | 7,660 | $52.41 | $109,010 | $76,310 to $168,110 |
| Louisiana | 4,080 | $49.42 | $102,800 | $66,350 to $151,780 |
| Maine | 2,790 | $59.19 | $123,120 | $82,930 to $179,990 |
| Maryland | 31,350 | $66.67 | $138,680 | $87,690 to $222,610 |
| Massachusetts | 48,190 | $79.43 | $165,210 | $102,810 to $213,970 |
| Michigan | 43,460 | $60.37 | $125,570 | $78,930 to $166,510 |
| Minnesota | 35,890 | $62.52 | $130,050 | $79,900 to $169,810 |
| Mississippi | 1,880 | $45.83 | $95,330 | $44,700 to $158,300 |
| Missouri | 20,020 | $60.64 | $126,120 | $72,570 to $169,340 |
| Montana | 2,160 | $58.65 | $121,990 | $73,370 to $221,400 |
| Nebraska | 7,260 | $53.32 | $110,900 | $77,520 to $158,720 |
| Nevada | 4,520 | $61.93 | $128,810 | $73,990 to $194,470 |
| New Hampshire | 10,840 | $67.17 | $139,720 | $92,510 to $205,370 |
| New Jersey | 51,570 | $65.36 | $135,940 | $84,880 to $207,200 |
| New Mexico | 3,960 | $59.86 | $124,520 | $77,110 to $184,710 |
| New York | 113,510 | $79.89 | $166,180 | $97,430 to $224,590 |
| North Carolina | 58,470 | $64.76 | $134,710 | $83,840 to $179,310 |
| North Dakota | 1,450 | $50.77 | $105,600 | $62,900 to $158,060 |
| Ohio | 44,790 | $54.85 | $114,090 | $77,790 to $168,400 |
| Oklahoma | 6,880 | $56.78 | $118,100 | $75,190 to $169,700 |
| Oregon | 21,830 | $68.62 | $142,720 | $83,070 to $213,540 |
| Pennsylvania | 55,920 | $60.84 | $126,550 | $77,750 to $178,080 |
| Rhode Island | 5,070 | $62.78 | $130,590 | $83,540 to $168,630 |
| South Carolina | 13,230 | $62.24 | $129,450 | $76,010 to $212,460 |
| South Dakota | 2,380 | $46.30 | $96,310 | $65,530 to $160,380 |
| Tennessee | 19,030 | $58.86 | $122,430 | $75,280 to $166,380 |
| Texas | 163,880 | $63.54 | $132,150 | $82,600 to $183,680 |
| Utah | 31,940 | $61.93 | $128,810 | $77,810 to $177,970 |
| Vermont | 1,740 | $60.23 | $125,280 | $82,480 to $209,420 |
| Virginia | 88,280 | $65.61 | $136,460 | $83,350 to $211,930 |
| Washington | 107,030 | $80.07 | $166,540 | $96,810 to $255,350 |
| West Virginia | 2,650 | $58.18 | $121,000 | $60,480 to $168,620 |
| Wisconsin | 21,730 | $58.97 | $122,660 | $77,710 to $168,630 |
| Wyoming | 1,510 | $55.37 | $115,170 | $72,950 to $156,620 |
Highest-paying states
- California: $174,410, 28% above the national median
- Washington: $166,540, 22% above the national median
- New York: $166,180, 22% above the national median
- Massachusetts: $165,210, 21% above the national median
- Oregon: $142,720, 5% above the national median
Lowest-paying states
- Mississippi: $95,330
- South Dakota: $96,310
- Louisiana: $102,800
- Arkansas: $104,490
- North Dakota: $105,600
States with the most jobs
- California: 284,390 employed
- Texas: 163,880 employed
- New York: 113,510 employed
- Washington: 107,030 employed
- Virginia: 88,280 employed
Where the job is most concentrated
Jobs per 1,000 jobs in the state, a measure of how common the occupation is locally.
- Washington: 30.141 per 1,000 jobs
- Virginia: 21.484 per 1,000 jobs
- Utah: 18.404 per 1,000 jobs
- New Hampshire: 15.871 per 1,000 jobs
- California: 15.614 per 1,000 jobs
More about this role
Software Developer career guide · Software Developer job description and interview questions
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Sources and methodology
Wage and employment estimates: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, cross-industry estimates for all ownerships. Figures are as published; BLS does not publish some estimates for some states. As defined by BLS, wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses, and exclude overtime pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and other premium pay. BLS OEWS
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Jobder has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET Database
Written and maintained by the Jobder team. Last updated 2026-10-26. Questions or corrections: support@jobder.pro.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average software developer salary?
The mean annual wage for software developers in the U.S. was $148,100 in May 2025, and the median was $135,980. The median is the middle value: half of workers earned more, half earned less.
How much does a software developer make an hour?
The median hourly wage was $65.38 in May 2025. The 10th percentile was $39.64 and the 90th percentile was $103.21.
Where do software developers earn the most?
California had the highest median annual wage, at $174,410, 28% above the national median.
Where do software developers earn the least?
Mississippi had the lowest median annual wage, at $95,330.
Where does this data come from?
From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates, which cover wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments.