The average employee age for software engineers is 39 years. The software engineer workforce reached a whopping 687,276 in 2020!
Among software engineers, we discovered that 25.1% of them are women, while 67.0% are men. The most common race/ethnicity among software engineers is White, which makes up 53.9% of all software engineers. Comparatively, there are 31.2% of the Asian ethnicity and 7.2% of the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. The majority of software engineers are located in CA, San Diego and NY, New York.
Software Engineer Statistics and Facts in the US
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- There are over 687,276 software engineers currently employed in the United States.
- 25.1% of all software engineers are women, while only 67.0% are men.
- The average age of an employed software engineer is 39 years old.
- The most common ethnicity of software engineers is White (53.9%), followed by Asian (31.2%) and Hispanic or Latino (7.2%).
- The majority of software engineers are located in CA, San Diego and NY, New York.
- Software engineers are most in-demand in New York, NY.
- Software engineers are paid an average annual salary of $86,157.
- The telecommunication industry is the highest-paying for software engineers.
- San Francisco, CA pays an annual average wage of $112,152, the highest in the US.
- Software engineers average starting salary is $65,000.
- In 2021, women earned 91% of what men earned.
- The top 10% of highest-paid software engineers earn as much as $113,000 or more.
- 15% of all software engineers are LGBT.
- Washington is the best state for software engineers to live.
- Software engineers are more likely to work at public companies in comparison to private companies.
Software Engineer Statistics by Race
The most common ethnicity among software engineers is White, which makes up 53.9% of all software engineers. Comparatively, there are 31.2% of the Asian ethnicity and 7.2% of the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.
- White, 53.9%
- Asian, 31.2%
- Hispanic or Latino, 7.3%
- Black or African American, 4.7%
- Unknown, 2.8%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
Foreign Languages Spoken By Software Engineers
The chart below shows that 24.4% of software engineers speak Spanish. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is Chinese at 11.4% and French is the third-most popular at 10.2%.
- Spanish, 24.4%
- Chinese, 11.4%
- French, 10.2%
- Mandarin, 7.4%
- German, 7.2%
- Other, 39.4%
Types of Software Engineer Degree Levels
We assessed our data to determine the typical level of education for software engineers. The most common degree for software engineers is bachelor's degree. In fact, 71% of software engineers earn that degree. A close second is master's degree with 19% and rounding it off is associate degree with 3%.
- Bachelors degree, 71%
- Masters degree, 19%
- Associate degree, 3%
- Diploma degree, 1%
- Other Degrees, 6%
Software Engineer Jobs You Might Like
Software Engineer Employment Statistics
This section highlights the information we gathered about the types of businesses and industries that employ software engineers. We found that the most common company type is public. In addition, the industry that employs the most software engineers is the technology industry.
Company Size
We created this chart to show you the average size of companies that typically hire software engineers.
The Types Of Companies Software Engineer Work In
Employees with the software engineer job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most software engineers prefer to work at public companies over private companies.
Top Industries Hiring Software Engineers
Just based on the number of employees within each industry, we were able to determine the most common industries that employ software engineers. Those industries include technology, telecommunication and finance.
Software Engineer Diversity
From race to gender and even age, we found the average demographic information on those who work as software engineers. Keep reading to find out what the results for software engineers were.
Software Engineer Race And Ethnicity Over Time
Using the Census Bureau data, we found out how the percentage of each ethnic category trended between 2008-2018 among software engineers.
- White
- Asian
- Hispanic or Latino
- Black or African American
Software Engineer Gender Over Time
This data shows how men and women predominate in the software engineer position over time.
Software Engineer Unemployment Rate Over Time
The Bureau of Labor Statistics came in clutch when it came down to figuring out how the unemployment rate has changed over time. Between 2008 and 2018, this is how the number of software engineers changed.
- Unemployment rate
Average Age of a Software Engineer Based On Race And Gender
We determined the average age of software engineers based on ethnicity and gender.
The Average Number of Years That Software Engineer Stay in a Job
By looking over 102,987 software engineers resumes, we figured out that the average software engineer enjoys staying at their job for 1-2 years for a percentage of 45%.
Software Engineer Age Breakdown
This chart breaks down the ages of software engineer employees. Interestingly enough, the average age of software engineers is 40+ years old, which represents 46% of the population.
Software Engineer Male to Female Ratio
We compared this job title with other job titles to see how gender percentages varied. As you can see, senior data center engineer and senior windows engineer have the biggest difference in gender.
Job Title   | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Informatics Nurse Specialist | 14% | 82% |
| Clinical Support Specialist | 21% | 73% |
| Clinic Administrator | 23% | 72% |
| Software Engineer | 67% | 25% |
| Computer Mechanic | 93% | 2% |
| Senior Windows Engineer | 93% | 4% |
| Senior Data Center Engineer | 96% | 2% |
Software Engineer Jobs
Software Engineer Gender Pay Gap
Software Engineer Income By Gender And Race/Ethnicity
We found interesting that Asian men and White men make more money compared to others.
- Male
- Female
Software Engineer Income By Race/Ethnicity And Education
This chart shows the impact that education has on the income level of different ethnicities.
Education | Income |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | $91,526 |
| Master's Degree | $101,147 |
| Doctorate Degree | $114,717 |
Software Engineer Income By Race/Ethnicity And Education
This chart shows the impact that education has on the income level of different ethnicities.
- Asian
- Black or African American
- Hispanic or Latino
- White
