Software systems engineer demographics and statistics in the US
Software systems engineer demographics research summary. Zippia estimates software systems engineer demographics and statistics in the United States by using a database of 30 million profiles. Our software systems 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 systems engineers after extensive research and analysis:
- There are over 141,942 software systems engineers currently employed in the United States.
- 18.9% of all software systems engineers are women, while 81.1% are men.
- The average software systems engineer age is 39 years old.
- The most common ethnicity of software systems engineers is White (52.3%), followed by Asian (29.8%), Hispanic or Latino (8.3%) and Unknown (4.8%).
- Software systems engineers are most in-demand in Menlo Park, CA.
- The start-up industry is the highest-paying for software systems engineers.
- San Francisco, CA pays an annual average wage of $137,871, the highest in the US.
- In 2022, women software systems engineers earned 94% of what men earned.
- 8% of all software systems engineers are LGBT.
- Washington is the best state for software systems engineers to live.
- Software systems engineers are 56% more likely to work at private companies in comparison to public companies.
On this page
Software systems engineer demographics by:
Software systems engineer gender statistics
18.9% of software systems engineers are women and 81.1% of software systems engineers are men.
- Male, 81.1%
- Female, 18.9%
Software systems engineer gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Male | 81.1% |
| Female | 18.9% |
Software systems engineer gender pay gap
Women earn 94¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$104,687
Female income
$98,264
Software systems engineer gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in software systems engineer positions over time. Currently, 18.9% of software systems engineers are female.
Software systems engineer gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 78.58% | 21.42% |
| 2011 | 78.35% | 21.65% |
| 2012 | 79.65% | 20.35% |
| 2013 | 79.55% | 20.45% |
| 2014 | 80.59% | 19.41% |
| 2015 | 80.31% | 19.69% |
| 2016 | 81.77% | 18.23% |
| 2017 | 81.27% | 18.73% |
| 2018 | 81.31% | 18.69% |
| 2019 | 81.06% | 18.94% |
| 2020 | 81.00% | 19.00% |
| 2021 | 81.10% | 18.90% |
Software systems engineer related jobs gender ratio
We compared software systems 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 Systems Engineer | 81% | 19% |
| 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 systems engineer demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among software systems engineers is White, which makes up 52.3% of all software systems engineers. Comparatively, 29.8% of software systems engineers are Asian and 8.3% of software systems engineers are Hispanic or Latino.
- White, 52.3%
- Asian, 29.8%
- Hispanic or Latino, 8.3%
- Unknown, 4.8%
- Black or African American, 4.6%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
Software systems engineer race
| Software systems engineer race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 52.3% |
| Asian | 29.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 8.3% |
| Unknown | 4.8% |
| Black or African American | 4.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.2% |
Software systems engineer race and ethnicity over time
See how software systems engineer racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Software systems engineer race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 60.38% | 5.65% | 25.61% | 5.86% |
| 2011 | 60.85% | 5.88% | 25.11% | 5.57% |
| 2012 | 59.76% | 5.41% | 26.49% | 6.01% |
| 2013 | 60.15% | 4.94% | 26.31% | 5.82% |
| 2014 | 59.03% | 5.45% | 26.95% | 5.95% |
| 2015 | 58.20% | 5.25% | 27.08% | 6.53% |
| 2016 | 57.70% | 5.25% | 27.79% | 6.52% |
| 2017 | 56.28% | 5.12% | 28.34% | 6.89% |
| 2018 | 56.93% | 4.98% | 27.56% | 7.50% |
| 2019 | 56.10% | 5.07% | 28.76% | 7.12% |
| 2020 | 54.30% | 4.81% | 28.52% | 7.94% |
| 2021 | 52.28% | 4.57% | 29.82% | 8.32% |
Software systems engineer wage gap by race
According to our data, asian software systems engineers have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or african american software systems engineers have the lowest average salary at $100,883.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $105,419 |
| White | $105,099 |
| Black or African American | $100,883 |
| Asian | $109,984 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $102,280 |
Average software systems engineer age
See how the average age of software systems engineers varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Software systems 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 systems engineer age breakdown
The average age of software systems engineers is 40+ years years old, representing 45% of the software systems engineer population.
Software systems engineer age breakdown
| Software Systems Engineer Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 45% |
| 30-40 years | 36% |
| 20-30 years | 18% |
Software systems engineer educational attainment
The most common degree for software systems engineers is bachelor's degree, with 73% of software systems engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 16% and master's degree degree at 8%.
- Bachelor's, 73%
- Master's, 16%
- Associate, 8%
- Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
Software systems engineers by degree level
| Software systems engineer degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 73% |
| Master's | 16% |
| Associate | 8% |
| Diploma | 1% |
| Other Degrees | 2% |
Software systems engineer jobs you might like
Software systems engineer wage gap by degree level
According to the data, software systems engineers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $122,657 annually. With a Master's degree, software systems engineers earn a median annual income of $113,866 compared to $105,136 for software systems engineers with an Bachelor's degree.
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $113,866 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $105,136 |
| Doctorate Degree | $122,657 |
Software systems engineer employment statistics
Most software systems engineers work for a private in the technology industry.
Company size where software systems engineers work
Below, you can see the size of companies where software systems engineers work.
Software systems engineer jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 5% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 11% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 19% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 7% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 27% |
| > 10,000 employees | 32% |
Software systems engineer jobs by company type
Employees with the software systems engineer job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most software systems engineers prefer to work at private companies over public companies.
Software systems engineer jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 2% |
| Public | 41% |
| Private | 56% |
| Government | 1% |
Software systems engineer jobs by industry
The most common industries for software systems engineers are technology, telecommunication and manufacturing.
Software systems engineer industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Technology | 42% |
| Fortune 500 | 13% |
| Telecommunication | 7% |
| Start-up | 7% |
| Manufacturing | 5% |
| Professional | 5% |
| Internet | 4% |
| Finance | 4% |
| Transportation | 2% |
| Automotive | 2% |
| Health Care | 2% |
| Retail | 2% |
| Education | 2% |
| Media | 1% |
| Hospitality | 1% |
| Utilities | 1% |
| Energy | 1% |
| Insurance | 1% |
Software systems engineer turnover and employment statistics
Software systems engineer unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for software systems engineers between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Software systems engineer unemployment rate by year
| Year | Software systems 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 systems engineer tenure
The average software systems engineer stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 2,859 software systems engineers resumes in Zippia's database.
Software systems engineer tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 13% |
| 1-2 years | 37% |
| 3-4 years | 19% |
| 5-7 years | 15% |
| 8-10 years | 6% |
| 11+ years | 10% |
Software systems engineer LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of software systems 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 |
| Interface Analyst | 8.42% | 61,697 |
| Software Systems Engineer | 8.46% | - |
| Computer Security Coordinator | 8.59% | 70,787 |
| Exchange Engineer | 9.03% | 52,693 |
| Internet Marketer | 10.54% | 7,327 |
| Technician Support Team Leader | 10.88% | 142,576 |
Similar software systems engineer jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Specialist | 7.31% | 74,442 |
| Interface Analyst | 8.42% | 61,697 |
| Computer Security Coordinator | 8.59% | 70,787 |
| Exchange Engineer | 9.03% | 52,693 |
| Internet Marketer | 10.54% | 7,327 |
| Technician Support Team Leader | 10.88% | 142,576 |
Foreign languages spoken by software systems engineers
The most common foreign language among software systems engineers is Spanish at 25.8%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 12.1% and Chinese is the third-most popular at 9.1%.
- Spanish, 25.8%
- French, 12.1%
- Chinese, 9.1%
- German, 6.1%
- Korean, 6.1%
- Other, 40.8%
Software systems engineer languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 25.8% |
| French | 12.1% |
| Chinese | 9.1% |
| German | 6.1% |
| Korean | 6.1% |
| Other | 40.8% |
