Software Developers
Also called: Developer, Software Architect, Software Developer, Software EngineerResearch, 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. Update software or enhance existing software capabilities. May work with computer hardware engineers to integrate hardware and software systems, and develop specifications and performance requirements. May maintain databases within an application area, working individually or coordinating database development as part of a team.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 15 of its 17 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 10.2% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.0% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 51% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $122,540 | $86,990 to $154,290 | 17,450 |
| Alaska | not published | not published | 530 |
| Arizona | $129,690 | $102,310 to $159,680 | 38,050 |
| Arkansas | $104,490 | $81,480 to $127,740 | 6,050 |
| California | $174,410 | $136,990 to $216,670 | 284,390 |
| Colorado | $138,390 | $122,470 to $173,000 | 43,320 |
| Connecticut | $134,120 | $105,750 to $166,440 | 13,660 |
| Delaware | $133,020 | $113,600 to $164,640 | 3,380 |
| District of Columbia | $136,880 | $117,120 to $169,580 | 6,120 |
| Florida | $130,980 | $101,970 to $164,800 | 87,890 |
| Georgia | $131,010 | $103,410 to $162,240 | 49,700 |
| Hawaii | $124,040 | $82,830 to $170,970 | 1,600 |
| Idaho | $131,590 | $93,740 to $160,570 | 5,750 |
| Illinois | $132,110 | $101,540 to $166,420 | 56,310 |
| Indiana | $105,920 | $83,650 to $135,630 | 14,130 |
| Iowa | $114,890 | $95,600 to $137,090 | 9,040 |
| Kansas | $113,420 | $86,460 to $136,510 | 13,580 |
| Kentucky | $109,010 | $91,960 to $136,090 | 7,660 |
| Louisiana | $102,800 | $82,930 to $122,740 | 4,080 |
| Maine | $123,120 | $99,200 to $163,150 | 2,790 |
| Maryland | $138,680 | $109,120 to $178,000 | 31,350 |
| Massachusetts | $165,210 | $131,370 to $190,280 | 48,190 |
| Michigan | $125,570 | $97,300 to $140,100 | 43,460 |
| Minnesota | $130,050 | $101,670 to $156,750 | 35,890 |
| Mississippi | $95,330 | $70,030 to $127,570 | 1,880 |
| Missouri | $126,120 | $97,540 to $155,010 | 20,020 |
| Montana | $121,990 | $94,800 to $169,180 | 2,160 |
| Nebraska | $110,900 | $91,000 to $135,600 | 7,260 |
| Nevada | $128,810 | $100,680 to $167,820 | 4,520 |
| New Hampshire | $139,720 | $107,240 to $167,880 | 10,840 |
| New Jersey | $135,940 | $107,020 to $170,130 | 51,570 |
| New Mexico | $124,520 | $95,690 to $158,390 | 3,960 |
| New York | $166,180 | $127,160 to $205,540 | 113,510 |
| North Carolina | $134,710 | $104,530 to $164,750 | 58,470 |
| North Dakota | $105,600 | $78,870 to $126,510 | 1,450 |
| Ohio | $114,090 | $96,200 to $135,490 | 44,790 |
| Oklahoma | $118,100 | $94,360 to $138,940 | 6,880 |
| Oregon | $142,720 | $111,750 to $170,600 | 21,830 |
| Pennsylvania | $126,550 | $98,590 to $158,390 | 55,920 |
| Puerto Rico | $79,380 | $63,700 to $97,600 | 2,020 |
| Rhode Island | $130,590 | $101,640 to $154,040 | 5,070 |
| South Carolina | $129,450 | $95,750 to $167,750 | 13,230 |
| South Dakota | $96,310 | $79,810 to $121,190 | 2,380 |
| Tennessee | $122,430 | $90,750 to $138,890 | 19,030 |
| Texas | $132,150 | $103,350 to $162,530 | 163,880 |
| Utah | $128,810 | $100,530 to $160,570 | 31,940 |
| Vermont | $125,280 | $102,820 to $166,610 | 1,740 |
| Virginia | $136,460 | $106,600 to $171,090 | 88,280 |
| Washington | $166,540 | $132,290 to $211,860 | 107,030 |
| West Virginia | $121,000 | $82,700 to $142,610 | 2,650 |
| Wisconsin | $122,660 | $97,740 to $138,590 | 21,730 |
| Wyoming | $115,170 | $100,560 to $153,090 | 1,510 |
Nationally: $135,980. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 15 of its 17 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Develop or direct software system testing or validation procedures, programming, or documentation. | Not published |
| AI + software | Confer with systems analysts, engineers, programmers and others to design systems and to obtain information on project limitations and capabilities, performance requirements and interfaces. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan installation of a new system or modification of an existing system. | 0.03% |
| AI + software | Modify existing software to correct errors, adapt it to new hardware, or upgrade interfaces and improve performance. | 0.20% |
| AI + software | Determine system performance standards. | Not published |
See all 17 tasks
| AI alone | Consult with customers or other departments on project status, proposals, or technical issues, such as software system design or maintenance. | 0.04% |
| AI + software | Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements. | Not published |
| Not much | Confer with data processing or project managers to obtain information on limitations or capabilities for data processing projects. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare reports or correspondence concerning project specifications, activities, or status. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | 0.05% |
| AI + software | Design, develop and modify software systems, using scientific analysis and mathematical models to predict and measure outcomes and consequences of design. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Supervise the work of programmers, technologists and technicians and other engineering and scientific personnel. | Not published |
| AI + software | Coordinate installation of software system. | Not published |
| AI + software | Monitor functioning of equipment to ensure system operates in conformance with specifications. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Obtain and evaluate information on factors such as reporting formats required, costs, or security needs to determine hardware configuration. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise and assign work to programmers, designers, technologists, technicians, or other engineering or scientific personnel. | Not published |
| AI + software | Train users to use new or modified equipment. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 8 of the 17 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 17 tasks fall under 15 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #15 Evaluate the characteristics, usefulness, or performance of products or technologies
- #25 Communicate with others about specifications or project details
- #28 Analyze scientific or applied data using mathematical principles
- and 2 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evaluate designs, specifications, or other technical data | |||
| Communicate with others about specifications or project details | |||
| Design computer or information systems or applications | |||
| Direct scientific or technical activities | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Evaluate the characteristics, usefulness, or performance of products or technologies | |||
| Analyze scientific or applied data using mathematical principles | |||
| Process digital or online data |
Show all 15 activities
| Advise others on the design or use of technologies | |||
| Coordinate with others to resolve problems | |||
| Develop operational or technical procedures or standards | |||
| Develop technical specifications for products or operations | |||
| Monitor operation of computer or information technologies | |||
| Assign work to others | |||
| Train others to use equipment or products |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Code fixes or debugging39%
- An app or website10%
- A document or report10%
- An email or message9%
- A script or snippet6%
How they worked with Claude
77% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for software developers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 566,432 moves out
- 1 Computer Occupations, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 15%
- 2 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 7%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 4 Computer Systems Analysts Very high +7.9% 6%
- 5 Web Developers (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
Where people moved in from
of 546,327 moves in
- 1 Computer Occupations, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 13%
- 2 Web Developers (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 3 Computer Systems Analysts Very high +7.9% 5%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 5 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 5%
The resume data uses 2010 occupation codes. This occupation comes from “Software Developers, Applications” and “Software Developers, Systems Software”, which today also include “Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers”, so these figures cover it too. Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 3% high school
- 2% postsecondary certificate
- 5% associate's
- 85% bachelor's
- 1% post-bachelor's certificate
- 5% master's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 22 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 3% high school
- 7% some college
- 4% associate's
- 53% bachelor's
- 29% master's
- 1% professional degree
- 3% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 22,488 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
20 programs, such as Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology and Informatics.
See all
- Artificial Intelligence
- Information Technology
- Informatics
- Computer Programming/Programmer, General
- Computer Programming, Specific Applications
- Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification
- Computer Game Programming
- Computer Programming, Specific Platforms
- Information Science/Studies
- Computer Science
- Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation
- Cloud Computing
- Computer Engineering, General
- Computer Software Engineering
- Computer Software Technology/Technician
- Mathematics and Computer Science
- Accounting and Computer Science
- Economics and Computer Science
- Linguistics and Computer Science
- Data Science, General
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
4.9% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | <0.5% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 0.9% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 4 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Software Developers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/15-1252.00