Software Developers
Information TechnologyO*NET 15-1252.00United States
Research, design, and develop computer and network software or specialized utility programs. Analyze user needs and develop software solutions, applying principles and techniques of computer science, engineering, and mathematical analysis.
- Median annual earnings
- $135,242
- Projected change
- +18.3%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 1.74M jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
85.6% of the workforce
Growing to 2.06M by 2035
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The work
What software developers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints.
- Develop or direct software system testing or validation procedures, programming, or documentation.
- Confer with systems analysts, engineers, programmers and others to design systems and to obtain information on project limitations and capabilities, performance requirements and interfaces.
- Modify existing software to correct errors, adapt it to new hardware, or upgrade interfaces and improve performance.
- Prepare reports or correspondence concerning project specifications, activities, or status.
- Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan installation of a new system or modification of an existing system.
- Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements.
- Design, develop and modify software systems, using scientific analysis and mathematical models to predict and measure outcomes and consequences of design.
- Determine system performance standards.
- Consult with customers or other departments on project status, proposals, or technical issues, such as software system design or maintenance.
- Confer with data processing or project managers to obtain information on limitations or capabilities for data processing projects.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $81,040
- 25th percentile
- $103,930
- 50th percentile
- $135,242
- 75th percentile
- $172,361
- 90th percentile
- $218,383
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $135,242 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+18.3%much faster than average
20251,742,688 jobs
2035 projected2,061,593 jobs
318,905 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 85.6%
- Associate degree
- 5.1%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 4.5%
- High school diploma or less
- 3.1%
- Certificate
- 1.7%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Programming
- Writing computer programs for various purposes.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Technology Design
- Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Software Engineers47,789 postings
- 02Solutions Architects13,136 postings
- 03Software Developers11,114 postings
- 04DevOps Engineers10,140 postings
- 05Full Stack Developers8,836 postings
- 06Principal Software Engineers8,054 postings
- 07Full Stack Software Engineers7,843 postings
- 08Staff Software Engineers7,430 postings
- 09Full Stack Engineers6,664 postings
- 10Java Developers6,274 postings
- 11Artificial Intelligence Engineers6,164 postings
- 12Lead Software Engineers6,032 postings
- 13Developers5,814 postings
- 14Software Engineering Managers5,797 postings
- 15Embedded Software Engineers5,520 postings
- 16Application Engineers5,238 postings
- 17Software Development Engineers4,873 postings
- 18Salesforce Developers4,667 postings
- 19Java Engineers4,389 postings
- 20Solutions Engineers4,387 postings
Top employers
- 01Capital One6,947 postings
- 02Amazon6,182 postings
- 03Accenture6,142 postings
- 04Lockheed Martin4,554 postings
- 05Insight Global4,500 postings
- 06JPMorgan Chase4,162 postings
- 07Apple3,698 postings
- 08Cognizant Technology Solutions3,643 postings
- 09Google3,222 postings
- 10CVS Health3,192 postings
- 11GovCIO3,094 postings
- 12Deloitte3,074 postings
- 13Robert Half3,062 postings
- 14Northrop Grumman2,830 postings
- 15Leidos2,608 postings
- 16PricewaterhouseCoopers2,592 postings
- 17IBM2,559 postings
- 18General Motors2,525 postings
- 19Genesis102,489 postings
- 20Ford2,458 postings
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