Video game programmer demographics and statistics in the US
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Video game programmer demographics by:
Video game programmer gender statistics
11.1% of video game programmers are women and 88.9% of video game programmers are men.
- Male, 88.9%
- Female, 11.1%
Video game programmer gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Male | 88.9% |
| Female | 11.1% |
Video game programmer gender pay gap
Women earn 93¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$77,626
Female income
$72,016
Video game programmer gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in video game programmer positions over time. Currently, 11.1% of video game programmers are female.
Video game programmer gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 86.16% | 13.84% |
| 2011 | 86.14% | 13.86% |
| 2012 | 86.52% | 13.48% |
| 2013 | 87.79% | 12.21% |
| 2014 | 87.49% | 12.51% |
| 2015 | 87.01% | 12.99% |
| 2016 | 87.49% | 12.51% |
| 2017 | 87.65% | 12.35% |
| 2018 | 87.25% | 12.75% |
| 2019 | 87.60% | 12.40% |
| 2020 | 88.49% | 11.51% |
| 2021 | 88.89% | 11.11% |
Video game programmer related jobs gender ratio
We compared video game 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% |
| Video Game Programmer | 89% | 11% |
| 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%
Video game programmer demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among video game programmers is White, which makes up 69.2% of all video game programmers. Comparatively, 16.1% of video game programmers are Asian and 6.5% of video game programmers are Hispanic or Latino.
- White, 69.2%
- Asian, 16.1%
- Hispanic or Latino, 6.5%
- Unknown, 4.3%
- Black or African American, 3.7%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
Video game programmer race
| Video game programmer race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 69.2% |
| Asian | 16.1% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 6.5% |
| Unknown | 4.3% |
| Black or African American | 3.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.2% |
Video game programmer race and ethnicity over time
See how video game programmer racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Video game programmer race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 74.54% | 3.49% | 15.77% | 4.34% |
| 2011 | 75.12% | 3.67% | 14.82% | 4.67% |
| 2012 | 74.83% | 3.62% | 14.77% | 4.85% |
| 2013 | 73.91% | 3.90% | 15.24% | 4.72% |
| 2014 | 73.71% | 3.36% | 16.32% | 4.48% |
| 2015 | 72.06% | 3.77% | 17.28% | 4.67% |
| 2016 | 70.99% | 3.87% | 17.65% | 5.34% |
| 2017 | 71.29% | 3.13% | 17.19% | 6.35% |
| 2018 | 72.22% | 3.55% | 17.04% | 5.07% |
| 2019 | 72.44% | 3.24% | 16.33% | 5.72% |
| 2020 | 69.16% | 3.85% | 16.15% | 6.20% |
| 2021 | 69.16% | 3.72% | 16.13% | 6.54% |
Video game programmer wage gap by race
According to our data, asian video game programmers have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or african american video game programmers have the lowest average salary at $75,747.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $76,229 |
| White | $77,868 |
| Black or African American | $75,747 |
| Asian | $82,412 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $76,066 |
Average video game programmer age
See how the average age of video game programmers varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Video game 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 |
Video game programmer age breakdown
The average age of video game programmers is 40+ years years old, representing 72% of the video game programmer population.
Video game programmer age breakdown
| Video Game Programmer Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 72% |
| 30-40 years | 21% |
| 20-30 years | 7% |
Video game programmer educational attainment
The most common degree for video game programmers is bachelor's degree, with 69% of video game programmers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 16% and associate degree degree at 13%.
- Bachelor's, 69%
- Associate, 16%
- Master's, 13%
- Other Degrees, 2%
Video game programmers by degree level
| Video game programmer degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 69% |
| Associate | 16% |
| Master's | 13% |
| Other Degrees | 2% |
Video game programmer jobs you might like
Video game programmer wage gap by degree level
According to the data, video game programmers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $86,740 annually. With a Master's degree, video game programmers earn a median annual income of $84,476 compared to $80,895 for video game programmers with an Bachelor's degree.
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $84,476 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $80,895 |
| Doctorate Degree | $86,740 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $70,794 |
Video game programmer employment statistics
Most video game programmers work for a public in the media industry.
Company size where video game programmers work
Below, you can see the size of companies where video game programmers work.
Video game programmer jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 14% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 36% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 29% |
| > 10,000 employees | 21% |
Video game programmer jobs by company type
Employees with the video game programmer job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most video game programmers prefer to work at public companies over private companies.
Video game programmer jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 15% |
| Public | 46% |
| Private | 38% |
Video game programmer jobs by industry
The most common industries for video game programmers are media, technology and professional.
Video game programmer industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Media | 18% |
| Fortune 500 | 18% |
| Technology | 18% |
| Professional | 12% |
| Education | 12% |
| Internet | 6% |
| Real Estate | 6% |
| Hospitality | 6% |
| Insurance | 6% |
Video game programmer turnover and employment statistics
Video game programmer unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for video game programmers between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Video game programmer unemployment rate by year
| Year | Video game 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 video game programmer tenure
The average video game programmer stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 52 video game programmers resumes in Zippia's database.
Video game programmer tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 31% |
| 1-2 years | 33% |
| 3-4 years | 13% |
| 5-7 years | 13% |
| 8-10 years | 2% |
| 11+ years | 7% |
Video game programmer LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of video game 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Computer Network Analyst | 7.31% | 48,364 |
| Advanced Software Engineer | 8.46% | 263,252 |
| Information Security Administrator | 8.59% | 157,160 |
| Network Architect | 9.03% | 96,500 |
| Senior Technical Architect | 10.54% | 154,635 |
| Video Game Programmer | 10.69% | - |
| Help Desk Manager | 10.88% | 75,971 |
Similar video game programmer jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Computer Network Analyst | 7.31% | 48,364 |
| Advanced Software Engineer | 8.46% | 263,252 |
| Information Security Administrator | 8.59% | 157,160 |
| Network Architect | 9.03% | 96,500 |
| Senior Technical Architect | 10.54% | 154,635 |
| Help Desk Manager | 10.88% | 75,971 |
Foreign languages spoken by video game programmers
- Spanish, 100.0%
Video game programmer languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 100.0% |