Software engineer demographics and statistics in the US
Software engineer demographics research summary. Zippia estimates software engineer demographics and statistics in the United States by using a database of 30 million profiles. Our software 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 engineers after extensive research and analysis:
- There are over 325,319 software engineers currently employed in the United States.
- 22.0% of all software engineers are women, while 78.0% are men.
- The average software engineer age is 39 years old.
- The most common ethnicity of software engineers is White (48.5%), followed by Asian (34.0%), Hispanic or Latino (8.1%) and Unknown (4.8%).
- In 2022, women earned 93% of what men earned.
- 8% of all software engineers are LGBT.
- Software engineers are 50% more likely to work at private companies in comparison to public companies.
On this page
Software engineer demographics by:
Software engineer gender statistics
22.0% of software engineers are women and 78.0% of software engineers are men.
- Male, 78.0%
- Female, 22.0%
Software engineer gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Male | 78.0% |
| Female | 22.0% |
Software engineer gender pay gap
Women earn 93¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$97,782
Female income
$91,221
Software engineer gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in software engineer positions over time. Currently, 22.0% of software engineers are female.
Software engineer gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 75.15% | 24.85% |
| 2011 | 74.89% | 25.11% |
| 2012 | 76.33% | 23.67% |
| 2013 | 76.23% | 23.77% |
| 2014 | 77.38% | 22.62% |
| 2015 | 77.08% | 22.92% |
| 2016 | 78.72% | 21.28% |
| 2017 | 78.15% | 21.85% |
| 2018 | 78.19% | 21.81% |
| 2019 | 77.91% | 22.09% |
| 2020 | 77.84% | 22.16% |
| 2021 | 77.96% | 22.04% |
Software engineer related jobs gender ratio
We compared software 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 Engineer | 78% | 22% |
| 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 engineer demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among software engineers is White, which makes up 48.5% of all software engineers. Comparatively, 34.0% of software engineers are Asian and 8.1% of software engineers are Hispanic or Latino.
- White, 48.5%
- Asian, 34.0%
- Hispanic or Latino, 8.1%
- Unknown, 4.8%
- Black or African American, 4.4%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
Software engineer race
| Software engineer race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 48.5% |
| Asian | 34.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 8.1% |
| Unknown | 4.8% |
| Black or African American | 4.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.2% |
Software engineer race and ethnicity over time
See how software engineer racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Software engineer race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 56.55% | 5.49% | 29.82% | 5.68% |
| 2011 | 57.02% | 5.72% | 29.33% | 5.39% |
| 2012 | 55.93% | 5.26% | 30.70% | 5.83% |
| 2013 | 56.32% | 4.78% | 30.52% | 5.64% |
| 2014 | 55.20% | 5.29% | 31.17% | 5.77% |
| 2015 | 54.37% | 5.10% | 31.29% | 6.34% |
| 2016 | 53.87% | 5.09% | 32.00% | 6.34% |
| 2017 | 52.45% | 4.97% | 32.56% | 6.71% |
| 2018 | 53.09% | 4.82% | 31.78% | 7.32% |
| 2019 | 52.26% | 4.91% | 32.97% | 6.94% |
| 2020 | 50.47% | 4.65% | 32.73% | 7.76% |
| 2021 | 48.45% | 4.41% | 34.04% | 8.14% |
Software engineer wage gap by race
According to our data, asian software engineers have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or african american software engineers have the lowest average salary at $93,891.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $98,533 |
| White | $98,204 |
| Black or African American | $93,891 |
| Asian | $103,223 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $95,318 |
Average software engineer age
See how the average age of software engineers varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Software 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 engineer age breakdown
The average age of software engineers is 40+ years years old, representing 45% of the software engineer population.
Software engineer age breakdown
| Software Engineer Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 45% |
| 30-40 years | 36% |
| 20-30 years | 18% |
Software engineer educational attainment
The most common degree for software engineers is bachelor's degree, with 73% of software engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 20% and master's degree degree at 4%.
- Bachelor's, 73%
- Master's, 20%
- Associate, 4%
- Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
Software engineers by degree level
| Software engineer degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 73% |
| Master's | 20% |
| Associate | 4% |
| Diploma | 1% |
| Other Degrees | 2% |
Software engineer jobs you might like
Software engineer wage gap by degree level
According to the data, software engineers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $116,342 annually. With a Master's degree, software engineers earn a median annual income of $107,227 compared to $98,242 for software engineers with an Bachelor's degree.
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $107,227 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $98,242 |
| Doctorate Degree | $116,342 |
Software engineer employment statistics
Most software engineers work for a private in the technology industry.
Company size where software engineers work
Below, you can see the size of companies where software engineers work.
Software engineer jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 4% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 10% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 15% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 5% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 29% |
| > 10,000 employees | 37% |
Software engineer jobs by company type
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 private companies over public companies.
Software engineer jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 1% |
| Public | 50% |
| Private | 50% |
Software engineer jobs by industry
The most common industries for software engineers are technology, professional and internet.
Software engineer industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Technology | 44% |
| Fortune 500 | 15% |
| Professional | 7% |
| Internet | 6% |
| Finance | 5% |
| Telecommunication | 4% |
| Media | 3% |
| Start-up | 3% |
| Transportation | 2% |
| Automotive | 2% |
| Manufacturing | 2% |
| Health Care | 2% |
| Retail | 2% |
| Hospitality | 1% |
| Insurance | 1% |
| Real Estate | 1% |
Software engineer turnover and employment statistics
Software engineer unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for software engineers between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Software engineer unemployment rate by year
| Year | Software 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 engineer tenure
The average software engineer stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 102,987 software engineers resumes in Zippia's database.
Software engineer tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 24% |
| 1-2 years | 45% |
| 3-4 years | 14% |
| 5-7 years | 10% |
| 8-10 years | 4% |
| 11+ years | 4% |
Software engineer LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of software 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Junior Network Analyst | 7.31% | 33,943 |
| Information Technology Senior Analyst | 8.42% | 157,378 |
| Software Engineer | 8.46% | - |
| Security Engineer | 8.59% | 86,093 |
| Pacs Administrator | 9.03% | 55,305 |
| Change Over | 10.54% | 33,040 |
| Dell Certified Systems Expert | 10.88% | 100,534 |
Similar software engineer jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Junior Network Analyst | 7.31% | 33,943 |
| Information Technology Senior Analyst | 8.42% | 157,378 |
| Security Engineer | 8.59% | 86,093 |
| Pacs Administrator | 9.03% | 55,305 |
| Change Over | 10.54% | 33,040 |
| Dell Certified Systems Expert | 10.88% | 100,534 |
Foreign languages spoken by software engineers
The most common foreign language among software engineers is Spanish at 24.5%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is Chinese at 11.4% and French is the third-most popular at 10.2%.
- Spanish, 24.5%
- Chinese, 11.4%
- French, 10.2%
- Mandarin, 7.5%
- German, 7.2%
- Other, 39.2%
Software engineer languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 24.5% |
| Chinese | 11.4% |
| French | 10.2% |
| Mandarin | 7.5% |
| German | 7.2% |
| Other | 39.2% |
