Software programmer demographics and statistics in the US
Software programmer demographics research summary. Zippia estimates software programmer demographics and statistics in the United States by using a database of 30 million profiles. Our software programmer 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 programmers after extensive research and analysis:
- There are over 184,090 software programmers currently employed in the United States.
- 28.7% of all software programmers are women, while 71.3% are men.
- The average software programmer age is 47 years old.
- The most common ethnicity of software programmers is White (58.8%), followed by Asian (25.2%), Hispanic or Latino (7.2%) and Unknown (4.4%).
- Software programmers are most in-demand in Milwaukee, WI.
- San Francisco, CA pays an annual average wage of $90,884, the highest in the US.
- In 2022, women software programmers earned 94% of what men earned.
- Washington is the best state for software programmers to live.
- Software programmers are 74% more likely to work at private companies in comparison to public companies.
On this page
Software programmer demographics by:
Software programmer gender statistics
28.7% of software programmers are women and 71.3% of software programmers are men.
- Male, 71.3%
- Female, 28.7%
Software programmer gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Male | 71.3% |
| Female | 28.7% |
Software programmer gender pay gap
Women earn 94¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$71,283
Female income
$67,344
Software programmer gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in software programmer positions over time. Currently, 28.7% of software programmers are female.
Software programmer gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 65.90% | 34.10% |
| 2011 | 65.85% | 34.15% |
| 2012 | 66.57% | 33.43% |
| 2013 | 69.06% | 30.94% |
| 2014 | 68.46% | 31.54% |
| 2015 | 67.52% | 32.48% |
| 2016 | 68.47% | 31.53% |
| 2017 | 68.77% | 31.23% |
| 2018 | 67.99% | 32.01% |
| 2019 | 68.67% | 31.33% |
| 2020 | 70.46% | 29.54% |
| 2021 | 71.29% | 28.71% |
Software programmer related jobs gender ratio
We compared software programmers 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 Programmer | 71% | 29% |
| 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 programmer demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among software programmers is White, which makes up 58.8% of all software programmers. Comparatively, 25.2% of software programmers are Asian and 7.2% of software programmers are Hispanic or Latino.
- White, 58.8%
- Asian, 25.2%
- Hispanic or Latino, 7.2%
- Unknown, 4.4%
- Black or African American, 4.1%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
Software programmer race
| Software programmer race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 58.8% |
| Asian | 25.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 7.2% |
| Unknown | 4.4% |
| Black or African American | 4.1% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3% |
Software programmer race and ethnicity over time
See how software programmer racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Software programmer race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 64.22% | 3.88% | 24.89% | 5.02% |
| 2011 | 64.81% | 4.06% | 23.94% | 5.36% |
| 2012 | 64.51% | 4.00% | 23.89% | 5.53% |
| 2013 | 63.59% | 4.29% | 24.36% | 5.41% |
| 2014 | 63.40% | 3.74% | 25.44% | 5.17% |
| 2015 | 61.74% | 4.15% | 26.40% | 5.36% |
| 2016 | 60.67% | 4.26% | 26.77% | 6.03% |
| 2017 | 60.97% | 3.51% | 26.30% | 7.03% |
| 2018 | 61.90% | 3.94% | 26.16% | 5.75% |
| 2019 | 62.13% | 3.62% | 25.45% | 6.41% |
| 2020 | 58.85% | 4.23% | 25.27% | 6.88% |
| 2021 | 58.84% | 4.10% | 25.24% | 7.23% |
Software programmer wage gap by race
According to our data, asian software programmers have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or african american software programmers have the lowest average salary at $69,972.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $70,309 |
| White | $71,452 |
| Black or African American | $69,972 |
| Asian | $74,589 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $70,195 |
Average software programmer age
See how the average age of software programmers varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Software programmer age by race and gender
| Race | Male age | Female age |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 45.5 | 52 |
| White | 49 | 51 |
| Black or African American | 43 | 42 |
| Asian | 45.5 | 47 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 42 | 41 |
Software programmer age breakdown
The average age of software programmers is 40+ years years old, representing 72% of the software programmer population.
Software programmer age breakdown
| Software Programmer Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 72% |
| 30-40 years | 21% |
| 20-30 years | 7% |
Software programmer educational attainment
The most common degree for software programmers is bachelor's degree, with 69% of software programmers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 20% and master's degree degree at 5%.
- Bachelor's, 69%
- Master's, 20%
- Associate, 5%
- Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 2%
Software programmers by degree level
| Software programmer degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 69% |
| Master's | 20% |
| Associate | 5% |
| Diploma | 4% |
| Other Degrees | 2% |
Software programmer jobs you might like
Software programmer wage gap by degree level
According to the data, software programmers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $77,539 annually. With a Master's degree, software programmers earn a median annual income of $76,000 compared to $73,546 for software programmers with an Bachelor's degree.
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $76,000 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $73,546 |
| Doctorate Degree | $77,539 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $66,477 |
Software programmer employment statistics
Most software programmers work for a private in the technology industry.
Company size where software programmers work
Below, you can see the size of companies where software programmers work.
Software programmer jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 7% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 23% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 29% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 5% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 10% |
| > 10,000 employees | 25% |
Software programmer jobs by company type
Employees with the software programmer job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most software programmers prefer to work at private companies over public companies.
Software programmer jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 1% |
| Public | 23% |
| Private | 74% |
| Government | 1% |
Software programmer jobs by industry
The most common industries for software programmers are technology, professional and finance.
Software programmer industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Technology | 47% |
| Fortune 500 | 12% |
| Professional | 10% |
| Finance | 7% |
| Manufacturing | 3% |
| Health Care | 3% |
| Telecommunication | 3% |
| Internet | 2% |
| Start-up | 2% |
| Pharmaceutical | 1% |
| Media | 1% |
| Hospitality | 1% |
| Government | 1% |
| Automotive | 1% |
| Utilities | 1% |
| Construction | 1% |
| Retail | 1% |
| Insurance | 1% |
| Education | 1% |
Software programmer turnover and employment statistics
Software programmer unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for software programmers between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Software programmer unemployment rate by year
| Year | Software programmer unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 5.66% |
| 2011 | 4.88% |
| 2012 | 4.01% |
| 2013 | 3.44% |
| 2014 | 3.52% |
| 2015 | 2.74% |
| 2016 | 2.92% |
| 2017 | 3.10% |
| 2018 | 2.78% |
| 2019 | 3.35% |
| 2020 | 3.32% |
| 2021 | 3.49% |
Average software programmer tenure
The average software programmer stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 2,759 software programmers resumes in Zippia's database.
Software programmer tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 30% |
| 1-2 years | 47% |
| 3-4 years | 10% |
| 5-7 years | 7% |
| 8-10 years | 2% |
| 11+ years | 3% |
Software programmer LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of software programmers 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Telecommunications Coordinator | 7.31% | 8,006 |
| Data Warehousing Engineer | 8.46% | 209,466 |
| Cyber Security Specialist | 8.59% | 65,235 |
| Senior Information Systems Engineer | 9.03% | 168,069 |
| Quality Assurance Coordinator | 10.54% | 79,427 |
| Software Programmer | 10.69% | - |
| Information Systems Specialist | 10.88% | 164,042 |
Similar software programmer jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Telecommunications Coordinator | 7.31% | 8,006 |
| Data Warehousing Engineer | 8.46% | 209,466 |
| Cyber Security Specialist | 8.59% | 65,235 |
| Senior Information Systems Engineer | 9.03% | 168,069 |
| Quality Assurance Coordinator | 10.54% | 79,427 |
| Information Systems Specialist | 10.88% | 164,042 |
Foreign languages spoken by software programmers
The most common foreign language among software programmers is Spanish at 28.1%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 9.4% and Korean is the third-most popular at 9.4%.
- Spanish, 28.1%
- French, 9.4%
- Korean, 9.4%
- Hindi, 7.8%
- Chinese, 6.3%
- Other, 39.0%
Software programmer languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 28.1% |
| French | 9.4% |
| Korean | 9.4% |
| Hindi | 7.8% |
| Chinese | 6.3% |
| Other | 39.0% |
