Software Engineer Salary: How Much Do Software Developers Make?
Median pay, percentiles and employment for software developers — nationally, in all 50 states, and by metro.
Short answer: the median software developer salary in the United States is $135,980 a year ($65.38 an hour). The middle of the market runs $105,210 to $171,980, and the 10th to 90th percentile spans $82,460 to $214,670. Location matters more than most people expect: the median is $174,410 in California and $95,330 in Mississippi — a $79,080 gap for the same job. About 1,687,890 people work as software developers nationally.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Public-domain federal data, surveyed from employers.
Software Developer salary by state
Annual wages for Software Developers (BLS occupation code 15-1252). Percentiles show the spread within each state.
| State | 10th percentile | Median | 90th percentile | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $71,590 | $122,540 | $175,330 | 17,450 |
| Alaska | not released | not released | not released | 530 |
| Arizona | $81,740 | $129,690 | $178,500 | 38,050 |
| Arkansas | $60,570 | $104,490 | $162,380 | 6,050 |
| California | $105,060 | $174,410 | $272,670 | 284,390 |
| Colorado | $96,480 | $138,390 | $213,010 | 43,320 |
| Connecticut | $85,930 | $134,120 | $205,160 | 13,660 |
| Delaware | $96,620 | $133,020 | $174,390 | 3,380 |
| District of Columbia | $85,140 | $136,880 | $197,000 | 6,120 |
| Florida | $80,050 | $130,980 | $204,400 | 87,890 |
| Georgia | $80,110 | $131,010 | $176,000 | 49,700 |
| Hawaii | $64,690 | $124,040 | $238,930 | 1,600 |
| Idaho | $71,030 | $131,590 | $178,980 | 5,750 |
| Illinois | $80,980 | $132,110 | $194,740 | 56,310 |
| Indiana | $74,850 | $105,920 | $164,650 | 14,130 |
| Iowa | $74,390 | $114,890 | $165,880 | 9,040 |
| Kansas | $71,690 | $113,420 | $165,740 | 13,580 |
| Kentucky | $76,310 | $109,010 | $168,110 | 7,660 |
| Louisiana | $66,350 | $102,800 | $151,780 | 4,080 |
| Maine | $82,930 | $123,120 | $179,990 | 2,790 |
| Maryland | $87,690 | $138,680 | $222,610 | 31,350 |
| Massachusetts | $102,810 | $165,210 | $213,970 | 48,190 |
| Michigan | $78,930 | $125,570 | $166,510 | 43,460 |
| Minnesota | $79,900 | $130,050 | $169,810 | 35,890 |
| Mississippi | $44,700 | $95,330 | $158,300 | 1,880 |
| Missouri | $72,570 | $126,120 | $169,340 | 20,020 |
| Montana | $73,370 | $121,990 | $221,400 | 2,160 |
| Nebraska | $77,520 | $110,900 | $158,720 | 7,260 |
| Nevada | $73,990 | $128,810 | $194,470 | 4,520 |
| New Hampshire | $92,510 | $139,720 | $205,370 | 10,840 |
| New Jersey | $84,880 | $135,940 | $207,200 | 51,570 |
| New Mexico | $77,110 | $124,520 | $184,710 | 3,960 |
| New York | $97,430 | $166,180 | $224,590 | 113,510 |
| North Carolina | $83,840 | $134,710 | $179,310 | 58,470 |
| North Dakota | $62,900 | $105,600 | $158,060 | 1,450 |
| Ohio | $77,790 | $114,090 | $168,400 | 44,790 |
| Oklahoma | $75,190 | $118,100 | $169,700 | 6,880 |
| Oregon | $83,070 | $142,720 | $213,540 | 21,830 |
| Pennsylvania | $77,750 | $126,550 | $178,080 | 55,920 |
| Rhode Island | $83,540 | $130,590 | $168,630 | 5,070 |
| South Carolina | $76,010 | $129,450 | $212,460 | 13,230 |
| South Dakota | $65,530 | $96,310 | $160,380 | 2,380 |
| Tennessee | $75,280 | $122,430 | $166,380 | 19,030 |
| Texas | $82,600 | $132,150 | $183,680 | 163,880 |
| Utah | $77,810 | $128,810 | $177,970 | 31,940 |
| Vermont | $82,480 | $125,280 | $209,420 | 1,740 |
| Virginia | $83,350 | $136,460 | $211,930 | 88,280 |
| Washington | $96,810 | $166,540 | $255,350 | 107,030 |
| West Virginia | $60,480 | $121,000 | $168,620 | 2,650 |
| Wisconsin | $77,710 | $122,660 | $168,630 | 21,730 |
| Wyoming | $72,950 | $115,170 | $156,620 | 1,510 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. “Not released” means BLS suppressed the estimate, usually because the state sample was too small — this page shows that rather than guessing. Suppressed in: Alaska.
Highest-paying metro areas for software developers
| Metro area | Median | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $213,110 | $289,150 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $186,640 | $273,400 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $167,280 | $257,960 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $166,830 | $224,590 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $166,090 | $214,100 |
| Boulder, CO | $164,560 | $235,660 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $163,270 | $223,260 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $162,650 | $223,320 |
| Manchester-Nashua, NH | $162,090 | $206,180 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $160,920 | $223,150 |
Top 10 of the 393 metro areas BLS publishes. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average software developer salary?
The median software developer salary in the United States is $135,980 a year as of May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Half of software developers earn more than that and half earn less. The 10th percentile is $82,460 and the 90th percentile is $214,670.
Which state pays software developers the most?
California, with a median of $174,410. The lowest of the states BLS publishes is Mississippi at $95,330, a gap of $79,080. Higher-paying states also tend to have higher housing costs, so compare take-home pay and rent rather than the headline figure alone.
How much do software developers make an hour?
The median hourly wage is $65.38 as of May 2025.
Is this data self-reported?
No. These figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, which collects wage data from employers rather than from workers submitting their own salaries. It is public-domain federal data.