Software development engineer demographics and statistics in the US
Software development engineer demographics research summary. Zippia estimates software development engineer demographics and statistics in the United States by using a database of 30 million profiles. Our software development 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 development engineers after extensive research and analysis:
- There are over 128,265 software development engineers currently employed in the United States.
- 20.4% of all software development engineers are women, while 79.6% are men.
- The average software development engineer age is 39 years old.
- The most common ethnicity of software development engineers is White (49.2%), followed by Asian (32.7%), Hispanic or Latino (8.4%) and Unknown (4.9%).
- Software development engineers are most in-demand in Seattle, WA.
- San Francisco, CA pays an annual average wage of $128,246, the highest in the US.
- In 2022, women software development engineers earned 93% of what men earned.
- Washington is the best state for software development engineers to live.
- Software development engineers are 51% more likely to work at public companies in comparison to private companies.
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Software development engineer demographics by:
Software development engineer gender statistics
20.4% of software development engineers are women and 79.6% of software development engineers are men.
- Male, 79.6%
- Female, 20.4%
Software development engineer gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Male | 79.6% |
| Female | 20.4% |
Software development engineer gender pay gap
Women earn 93¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$106,513
Female income
$99,531
Software development engineer gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in software development engineer positions over time. Currently, 20.4% of software development engineers are female.
Software development engineer gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 76.88% | 23.12% |
| 2011 | 76.64% | 23.36% |
| 2012 | 78.01% | 21.99% |
| 2013 | 77.91% | 22.09% |
| 2014 | 79.01% | 20.99% |
| 2015 | 78.72% | 21.28% |
| 2016 | 80.27% | 19.73% |
| 2017 | 79.73% | 20.27% |
| 2018 | 79.77% | 20.23% |
| 2019 | 79.51% | 20.49% |
| 2020 | 79.44% | 20.56% |
| 2021 | 79.55% | 20.45% |
Software development engineer related jobs gender ratio
We compared software development 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 Development Engineer | 80% | 20% |
| 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 development engineer demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among software development engineers is White, which makes up 49.2% of all software development engineers. Comparatively, 32.7% of software development engineers are Asian and 8.4% of software development engineers are Hispanic or Latino.
- White, 49.2%
- Asian, 32.7%
- Hispanic or Latino, 8.4%
- Unknown, 4.9%
- Black or African American, 4.7%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
Software development engineer race
| Software development engineer race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 49.2% |
| Asian | 32.7% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 8.4% |
| Unknown | 4.9% |
| Black or African American | 4.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.1% |
Software development engineer race and ethnicity over time
See how software development engineer racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Software development engineer race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 57.30% | 5.73% | 28.49% | 5.95% |
| 2011 | 57.76% | 5.96% | 27.99% | 5.66% |
| 2012 | 56.67% | 5.50% | 29.37% | 6.11% |
| 2013 | 57.06% | 5.02% | 29.19% | 5.92% |
| 2014 | 55.94% | 5.53% | 29.83% | 6.04% |
| 2015 | 55.11% | 5.34% | 29.96% | 6.62% |
| 2016 | 54.62% | 5.33% | 30.67% | 6.62% |
| 2017 | 53.19% | 5.21% | 31.22% | 6.99% |
| 2018 | 53.84% | 5.06% | 30.45% | 7.60% |
| 2019 | 53.01% | 5.16% | 31.64% | 7.22% |
| 2020 | 51.21% | 4.90% | 31.40% | 8.04% |
| 2021 | 49.20% | 4.65% | 32.70% | 8.42% |
Software development engineer wage gap by race
According to our data, asian software development engineers have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or african american software development engineers have the lowest average salary at $102,374.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $107,311 |
| White | $106,962 |
| Black or African American | $102,374 |
| Asian | $112,295 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $103,893 |
Average software development engineer age
See how the average age of software development engineers varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Software development 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 development engineer age breakdown
The average age of software development engineers is 40+ years years old, representing 45% of the software development engineer population.
Software development engineer age breakdown
| Software Development Engineer Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 45% |
| 30-40 years | 36% |
| 20-30 years | 18% |
Software development engineer educational attainment
The most common degree for software development engineers is bachelor's degree, with 70% of software development engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 23% and master's degree degree at 4%.
- Bachelor's, 70%
- Master's, 23%
- Associate, 4%
- Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 1%
Software development engineers by degree level
| Software development engineer degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 70% |
| Master's | 23% |
| Associate | 4% |
| Diploma | 2% |
| Other Degrees | 1% |
Software development engineer jobs you might like
Software development engineer wage gap by degree level
According to the data, software development engineers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $126,205 annually. With a Master's degree, software development engineers earn a median annual income of $116,544 compared to $107,002 for software development engineers with an Bachelor's degree.
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $116,544 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $107,002 |
| Doctorate Degree | $126,205 |
Software development engineer employment statistics
Most software development engineers work for a public in the technology industry.
Company size where software development engineers work
Below, you can see the size of companies where software development engineers work.
Software development engineer jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 4% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 8% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 17% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 6% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 32% |
| > 10,000 employees | 34% |
Software development engineer jobs by company type
Employees with the software development engineer job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most software development engineers prefer to work at public companies over private companies.
Software development engineer jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 1% |
| Public | 51% |
| Private | 47% |
| Government | 1% |
Software development engineer jobs by industry
The most common industries for software development engineers are technology, internet and finance.
Software development engineer industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Technology | 39% |
| Fortune 500 | 15% |
| Internet | 6% |
| Finance | 6% |
| Start-up | 5% |
| Telecommunication | 4% |
| Health Care | 4% |
| Professional | 4% |
| Media | 3% |
| Manufacturing | 3% |
| Retail | 3% |
| Hospitality | 2% |
| Insurance | 2% |
| Transportation | 1% |
| Automotive | 1% |
| Real Estate | 1% |
| Education | 1% |
Software development engineer turnover and employment statistics
Software development engineer unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for software development engineers between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Software development engineer unemployment rate by year
| Year | Software development 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 development engineer tenure
The average software development engineer stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 7,750 software development engineers resumes in Zippia's database.
Software development engineer tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 24% |
| 1-2 years | 39% |
| 3-4 years | 12% |
| 5-7 years | 14% |
| 8-10 years | 5% |
| 11+ years | 6% |
Software development engineer LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of software development 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Specialist | 7.31% | 74,442 |
| Technical System Analyst | 8.42% | 178,133 |
| Software Development Engineer | 8.46% | - |
| Senior Network Security Analyst | 8.59% | 79,631 |
| Unix Administrator | 9.03% | 56,547 |
| Quality Assurance | 10.54% | 69,366 |
| Booker | 10.88% | 1,282 |
Similar software development engineer jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Specialist | 7.31% | 74,442 |
| Technical System Analyst | 8.42% | 178,133 |
| Senior Network Security Analyst | 8.59% | 79,631 |
| Unix Administrator | 9.03% | 56,547 |
| Quality Assurance | 10.54% | 69,366 |
| Booker | 10.88% | 1,282 |
Foreign languages spoken by software development engineers
The most common foreign language among software development engineers is Spanish at 23.2%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 15.5% and German is the third-most popular at 10.1%.
- Spanish, 23.2%
- French, 15.5%
- German, 10.1%
- Japanese, 10.1%
- Chinese, 7.1%
- Other, 34.0%
Software development engineer languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 23.2% |
| French | 15.5% |
| German | 10.1% |
| Japanese | 10.1% |
| Chinese | 7.1% |
| Other | 34.0% |
