Software Developer Salary by State
How much software developers earn in each state. SOC code 15-1252 (Software Developers). Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025.
- National median wage$135,980Half earn more, half less
- National mean wage$148,100Average of all workers
- Median hourly wage$65.38Mean $71.20/hour
- U.S. employment1,687,890Wage & salary jobs
- Top-paying stateCalifornia$186,770 mean
- States with data50 / 51Others not published by BLS
How much do software developers make?
Nationally, software developers earn a median of $135,980 a year and a mean of $148,100 (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle half of the occupation earns between $105,210 (25th percentile) and $171,980 (75th percentile); the bottom 10% earn under $82,460 and the top 10% more than $214,670.
That median is 2.7× the median for all U.S. occupations ($50,980).
By state, the mean wage ranges from $186,770 in California (highest) to $99,840 in Mississippi (lowest). After adjusting the median for each state’s price level, California comes out on top at $157,552 in national-average dollars.
BLS did not publish wage estimates for this occupation in: Alaska.
National pay distribution
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $82,460 | $6,872 | $39.64 |
| 25th | $105,210 | $8,768 | $50.58 |
| Median | $135,980 | $11,332 | $65.38 |
| 75th | $171,980 | $14,332 | $82.68 |
| 90th | $214,670 | $17,889 | $103.21 |
| Mean | $148,100 | $12,342 | $71.20 |
25th and 75th percentile hourly figures are annual ÷ 2,080 hours.
Software Developer salary in every state
Click a column heading to sort. Adjusted median = median × 100 ÷ BEA regional price parity (2024).
| State | Mean wage | Median wage | Median hourly | 10th pct | 90th pct | Adjusted median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $186,770 | $174,410 | $83.85 | $105,060 | $272,670 | $157,552 | 284,390 |
| Washington | $171,040 | $166,540 | $80.07 | $96,810 | $255,350 | $155,645 | 107,030 |
| New York | $163,820 | $166,180 | $79.89 | $97,430 | $224,590 | $154,013 | 113,510 |
| Massachusetts | $161,730 | $165,210 | $79.43 | $102,810 | $213,970 | $156,153 | 48,190 |
| Maryland | $151,560 | $138,680 | $66.67 | $87,690 | $222,610 | $132,076 | 31,350 |
| Colorado | $150,940 | $138,390 | $66.53 | $96,480 | $213,010 | $134,229 | 43,320 |
| Oregon | $149,060 | $142,720 | $68.62 | $83,070 | $213,540 | $138,027 | 21,830 |
| Virginia | $146,340 | $136,460 | $65.61 | $83,350 | $211,930 | $134,975 | 88,280 |
| New Hampshire | $144,530 | $139,720 | $67.17 | $92,510 | $205,370 | $134,088 | 10,840 |
| District of Columbia | $144,430 | $136,880 | $65.81 | $85,140 | $197,000 | $124,550 | 6,120 |
| New Jersey | $143,800 | $135,940 | $65.36 | $84,880 | $207,200 | $124,945 | 51,570 |
| Connecticut | $141,260 | $134,120 | $64.48 | $85,930 | $205,160 | $129,459 | 13,660 |
| Delaware | $138,110 | $133,020 | $63.95 | $96,620 | $174,390 | $133,287 | 3,380 |
| Nevada | $137,350 | $128,810 | $61.93 | $73,990 | $194,470 | $128,810 | 4,520 |
| Florida | $137,010 | $130,980 | $62.97 | $80,050 | $204,400 | $126,673 | 87,890 |
| North Carolina | $136,940 | $134,710 | $64.76 | $83,840 | $179,310 | $142,853 | 58,470 |
| Illinois | $136,540 | $132,110 | $63.52 | $80,980 | $194,740 | $132,110 | 56,310 |
| Texas | $136,450 | $132,150 | $63.54 | $82,600 | $183,680 | $136,097 | 163,880 |
| South Carolina | $136,240 | $129,450 | $62.24 | $76,010 | $212,460 | $138,154 | 13,230 |
| Vermont | $136,100 | $125,280 | $60.23 | $82,480 | $209,420 | $127,837 | 1,740 |
| Hawaii | $134,600 | $124,040 | $59.64 | $64,690 | $238,930 | $112,764 | 1,600 |
| Idaho | $134,370 | $131,590 | $63.26 | $71,030 | $178,980 | $137,791 | 5,750 |
| Montana | $133,550 | $121,990 | $58.65 | $73,370 | $221,400 | $128,953 | 2,160 |
| Arizona | $132,530 | $129,690 | $62.35 | $81,740 | $178,500 | $128,788 | 38,050 |
| Georgia | $132,150 | $131,010 | $62.99 | $80,110 | $176,000 | $136,044 | 49,700 |
| Utah | $129,860 | $128,810 | $61.93 | $77,810 | $177,970 | $130,243 | 31,940 |
| Rhode Island | $129,080 | $130,590 | $62.78 | $83,540 | $168,630 | $127,654 | 5,070 |
| Maine | $129,040 | $123,120 | $59.19 | $82,930 | $179,990 | $126,928 | 2,790 |
| Pennsylvania | $128,110 | $126,550 | $60.84 | $77,750 | $178,080 | $129,662 | 55,920 |
| Minnesota | $127,530 | $130,050 | $62.52 | $79,900 | $169,810 | $131,897 | 35,890 |
| New Mexico | $126,620 | $124,520 | $59.86 | $77,110 | $184,710 | $135,054 | 3,960 |
| Missouri | $123,810 | $126,120 | $60.64 | $72,570 | $169,340 | $138,899 | 20,020 |
| Wyoming | $123,360 | $115,170 | $55.37 | $72,950 | $156,620 | $124,239 | 1,510 |
| Alabama | $122,840 | $122,540 | $58.91 | $71,590 | $175,330 | $137,995 | 17,450 |
| Michigan | $122,720 | $125,570 | $60.37 | $78,930 | $166,510 | $130,530 | 43,460 |
| Wisconsin | $122,620 | $122,660 | $58.97 | $77,710 | $168,630 | $130,351 | 21,730 |
| Kentucky | $120,730 | $109,010 | $52.41 | $76,310 | $168,110 | $120,854 | 7,660 |
| Tennessee | $120,560 | $122,430 | $58.86 | $75,280 | $166,380 | $133,221 | 19,030 |
| Ohio | $119,860 | $114,090 | $54.85 | $77,790 | $168,400 | $122,942 | 44,790 |
| Iowa | $118,780 | $114,890 | $55.24 | $74,390 | $165,880 | $130,854 | 9,040 |
| Oklahoma | $118,510 | $118,100 | $56.78 | $75,190 | $169,700 | $134,510 | 6,880 |
| West Virginia | $118,410 | $121,000 | $58.18 | $60,480 | $168,620 | $135,196 | 2,650 |
| Kansas | $116,560 | $113,420 | $54.53 | $71,690 | $165,740 | $125,882 | 13,580 |
| Nebraska | $115,590 | $110,900 | $53.32 | $77,520 | $158,720 | $123,085 | 7,260 |
| Indiana | $113,980 | $105,920 | $50.92 | $74,850 | $164,650 | $113,526 | 14,130 |
| Arkansas | $109,590 | $104,490 | $50.23 | $60,570 | $162,380 | $120,242 | 6,050 |
| Louisiana | $108,270 | $102,800 | $49.42 | $66,350 | $151,780 | $116,553 | 4,080 |
| North Dakota | $107,000 | $105,600 | $50.77 | $62,900 | $158,060 | $118,652 | 1,450 |
| South Dakota | $104,790 | $96,310 | $46.30 | $65,530 | $160,380 | $108,702 | 2,380 |
| Mississippi | $99,840 | $95,330 | $45.83 | $44,700 | $158,300 | $109,575 | 1,880 |
| Alaska | — | — | — | — | — | — | 530 |
Highest median pay
- California — $174,410
- Washington — $166,540
- New York — $166,180
- Massachusetts — $165,210
- Oregon — $142,720
Lowest median pay
- Mississippi — $95,330
- South Dakota — $96,310
- Louisiana — $102,800
- Arkansas — $104,490
- North Dakota — $105,600
Best pay after cost of living
- California — $157,552
- Massachusetts — $156,153
- Washington — $155,645
- New York — $154,013
- North Carolina — $142,853
The most software developers work in California (284,390 jobs), Texas and New York.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a software developer make?
The national median wage for software developers is $135,980 a year and the mean is $148,100, according to BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
Which state pays software developers the most?
California has the highest mean wage for software developers at $186,770.
Which state pays software developers the least?
Mississippi has the lowest mean wage for software developers among states with published data, at $99,840.
Where do software developers earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state’s median wage by its BEA price level, California ranks first at $157,552 in national-average dollars, followed by Massachusetts and Washington.