How Much Do Software Developers Make?
Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary software developers make, you've come to the right place.
Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for software developers and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of software developers are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much software developers can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Software Developers
According to data from 2023, there were about 1,666,488 positions for software developers in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for software developers was reported to be $132,267. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 580,720 job postings related to positions for software developers.
How Much Money Do Software Developers Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money software developers and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.
Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for software developers.
Annual Salary for Software Developers
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for software developers and related professions earned about $77,022 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $208,624 annually.
As mentioned previously, the median salary for software developers in the United States in 2023 was $132,267.
Annual Salary Range For Software Developers In 2023
Hourly Salary for Software Developers
The BLS also breaks down compensation for software developers by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for software developers in 2023 was $64. Lowest hourly earners took home $37 while the highest reported hourly salaries for software developers was $100.
Hourly Salary Range For Software Developers In 2023
Advertised Compensation for Software Developers
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for software developers, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for software developers.
Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™
Annual Salary from Job Postings for Software Developers
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 764,542 job postings related to software developers, advertised salary was included in 265,351 of them, which was 35%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for software developers was $135,040 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Software Developers
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for software developers. Based on 46% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for software developers in the United States is about $65.
Salary Trend for Software Developers
If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for software developers. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.
Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for software developers dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for software developers have increased 12%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Software Developers
What's the Job Growth for Software Developers?
Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for software developers over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 1,670,153 jobs for software developers in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 487,213 jobs will be added. That's a 29.2% increase over the next 10-year period.
Employment Projections For Software Developers
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about software developers? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for software developers.
What do software developers do?
Software Developers: How do you become one?
All Occupations
The Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled data for dozens of in-demand jobs. Explore our full catalog of occupation data by visiting the link below.