Software design engineer demographics and statistics in the US
Software design engineer demographics research summary. Zippia estimates software design engineer demographics and statistics in the United States by using a database of 30 million profiles. Our software design engineer estimates are verified against BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. Zippia's data science team found the following key facts about software design engineers after extensive research and analysis:
- There are over 121,427 software design engineers currently employed in the United States.
- 18.4% of all software design engineers are women, while 81.6% are men.
- The average software design engineer age is 39 years old.
- The most common ethnicity of software design engineers is White (52.4%), followed by Asian (29.9%), Hispanic or Latino (8.2%) and Unknown (4.8%).
- Software design engineers are most in-demand in Orlando, FL.
- San Francisco, CA pays an annual average wage of $127,960, the highest in the US.
- In 2022, women software design engineers earned 94% of what men earned.
- Washington is the best state for software design engineers to live.
- Software design engineers are 53% more likely to work at private companies in comparison to public companies.
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Software design engineer demographics by:
Software design engineer gender statistics
18.4% of software design engineers are women and 81.6% of software design engineers are men.
- Male, 81.6%
- Female, 18.4%
Software design engineer gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Male | 81.6% |
| Female | 18.4% |
Software design engineer gender pay gap
Women earn 94¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$96,595
Female income
$90,732
Software design engineer gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in software design engineer positions over time. Currently, 18.4% of software design engineers are female.
Software design engineer gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 79.18% | 20.82% |
| 2011 | 78.95% | 21.05% |
| 2012 | 80.22% | 19.78% |
| 2013 | 80.13% | 19.87% |
| 2014 | 81.14% | 18.86% |
| 2015 | 80.87% | 19.13% |
| 2016 | 82.30% | 17.70% |
| 2017 | 81.81% | 18.19% |
| 2018 | 81.85% | 18.15% |
| 2019 | 81.60% | 18.40% |
| 2020 | 81.54% | 18.46% |
| 2021 | 81.65% | 18.35% |
Software design engineer related jobs gender ratio
We compared software design engineers with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, dell certified systems expert and software applications architect have the biggest gender ratio gaps.
| Job title | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Informatics Nurse Specialist | 13% | 87% |
| Clinical Support Specialist | 22% | 78% |
| Clinic Administrator | 23% | 77% |
| Software Design Engineer | 82% | 18% |
| Senior Data Center Engineer | 98% | 2% |
| Software Applications Architect | 98% | 2% |
| Dell Certified Systems Expert | 99% | 1% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Software design engineer demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among software design engineers is White, which makes up 52.4% of all software design engineers. Comparatively, 29.9% of software design engineers are Asian and 8.2% of software design engineers are Hispanic or Latino.
- White, 52.4%
- Asian, 29.9%
- Hispanic or Latino, 8.2%
- Unknown, 4.8%
- Black or African American, 4.5%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
Software design engineer race
| Software design engineer race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 52.4% |
| Asian | 29.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 8.2% |
| Unknown | 4.8% |
| Black or African American | 4.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.2% |
Software design engineer race and ethnicity over time
See how software design engineer racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Software design engineer race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 60.49% | 5.58% | 25.67% | 5.78% |
| 2011 | 60.96% | 5.81% | 25.17% | 5.49% |
| 2012 | 59.87% | 5.34% | 26.55% | 5.93% |
| 2013 | 60.26% | 4.87% | 26.37% | 5.74% |
| 2014 | 59.14% | 5.38% | 27.01% | 5.87% |
| 2015 | 58.31% | 5.19% | 27.14% | 6.45% |
| 2016 | 57.81% | 5.18% | 27.85% | 6.44% |
| 2017 | 56.39% | 5.06% | 28.40% | 6.81% |
| 2018 | 57.03% | 4.91% | 27.62% | 7.42% |
| 2019 | 56.20% | 5.00% | 28.82% | 7.05% |
| 2020 | 54.41% | 4.74% | 28.58% | 7.86% |
| 2021 | 52.39% | 4.50% | 29.88% | 8.25% |
Software design engineer wage gap by race
According to our data, asian software design engineers have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or african american software design engineers have the lowest average salary at $93,123.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $97,263 |
| White | $96,971 |
| Black or African American | $93,123 |
| Asian | $101,428 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $94,398 |
Average software design engineer age
See how the average age of software design engineers varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Software design engineer age by race and gender
| Race | Male age | Female age |
|---|---|---|
| Black or African American | 37 | 46 |
| Unknown | 37 | 34 |
| Asian | 38 | 37 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 36 | 34 |
| White | 39 | 40 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 41 |
Software design engineer age breakdown
The average age of software design engineers is 40+ years years old, representing 45% of the software design engineer population.
Software design engineer age breakdown
| Software Design Engineer Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 45% |
| 30-40 years | 36% |
| 20-30 years | 18% |
Software design engineer educational attainment
The most common degree for software design engineers is bachelor's degree, with 72% of software design engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 21% and master's degree degree at 4%.
- Bachelor's, 72%
- Master's, 21%
- Associate, 4%
- Doctorate, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
Software design engineers by degree level
| Software design engineer degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 72% |
| Master's | 21% |
| Associate | 4% |
| Doctorate | 1% |
| Other Degrees | 2% |
Software design engineer jobs you might like
Software design engineer wage gap by degree level
According to the data, software design engineers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $112,981 annually. With a Master's degree, software design engineers earn a median annual income of $104,968 compared to $97,005 for software design engineers with an Bachelor's degree.
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $104,968 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $97,005 |
| Doctorate Degree | $112,981 |
Software design engineer employment statistics
Most software design engineers work for a private in the technology industry.
Company size where software design engineers work
Below, you can see the size of companies where software design engineers work.
Software design engineer jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 6% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 11% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 18% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 7% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 24% |
| > 10,000 employees | 35% |
Software design engineer jobs by company type
Employees with the software design engineer job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most software design engineers prefer to work at private companies over public companies.
Software design engineer jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 2% |
| Public | 43% |
| Private | 53% |
| Government | 1% |
Software design engineer jobs by industry
The most common industries for software design engineers are technology, manufacturing and professional.
Software design engineer industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Technology | 33% |
| Fortune 500 | 15% |
| Manufacturing | 10% |
| Professional | 10% |
| Telecommunication | 5% |
| Media | 3% |
| Health Care | 3% |
| Internet | 2% |
| Transportation | 2% |
| Automotive | 2% |
| Retail | 2% |
| Finance | 2% |
| Start-up | 2% |
| Energy | 2% |
| Education | 2% |
| Government | 1% |
| Construction | 1% |
| Hospitality | 1% |
| Insurance | 1% |
Software design engineer turnover and employment statistics
Software design engineer unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for software design engineers between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Software design engineer unemployment rate by year
| Year | Software design engineer unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 4.56% |
| 2011 | 3.25% |
| 2012 | 2.64% |
| 2013 | 2.67% |
| 2014 | 2.07% |
| 2015 | 2.26% |
| 2016 | 2.33% |
| 2017 | 2.17% |
| 2018 | 1.80% |
| 2019 | 1.88% |
| 2020 | 2.40% |
| 2021 | 2.07% |
Average software design engineer tenure
The average software design engineer stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 2,600 software design engineers resumes in Zippia's database.
Software design engineer tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 20% |
| 1-2 years | 39% |
| 3-4 years | 19% |
| 5-7 years | 11% |
| 8-10 years | 5% |
| 11+ years | 7% |
Software design engineer LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of software design engineers that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
| Job title | LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Communications Analyst | 7.31% | 31,641 |
| Integration Consultant | 8.42% | 59,271 |
| Software Design Engineer | 8.46% | - |
| Security Architect | 8.59% | 127,619 |
| Senior Windows Systems Administrator | 9.03% | 122,007 |
| Resource Project Manager | 10.54% | 127,659 |
| Novice | 10.88% | 864 |
Similar software design engineer jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Communications Analyst | 7.31% | 31,641 |
| Integration Consultant | 8.42% | 59,271 |
| Security Architect | 8.59% | 127,619 |
| Senior Windows Systems Administrator | 9.03% | 122,007 |
| Resource Project Manager | 10.54% | 127,659 |
| Novice | 10.88% | 864 |
Foreign languages spoken by software design engineers
The most common foreign language among software design engineers is Spanish at 22.9%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 15.7% and Chinese is the third-most popular at 10.0%.
- Spanish, 22.9%
- French, 15.7%
- Chinese, 10.0%
- Japanese, 7.1%
- German, 5.7%
- Other, 38.6%
Software design engineer languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 22.9% |
| French | 15.7% |
| Chinese | 10.0% |
| Japanese | 7.1% |
| German | 5.7% |
| Other | 38.6% |
