By Alpit Patel and the aibrevo team · November 1, 2026 · 22 min read
Software Developer Salary by State 2026: Wages, Hourly Rates and Employer Cost for All 50 States, DC and 35 Cities
Software developer salary by state from the newest BLS data (OEWS May 2025, published 2026): mean and median annual wage, mean hourly wage, location quotient and loaded employer cost per hour for all 50 states, DC and 35 metro areas, plus web developer wages, every row computed from the BLS files and linked to that place.
Key takeaways
- The US mean software developer wage was $148,100 a year ($71.20 an hour) in May 2025, the newest BLS data, published in 2026. The median was $135,980.
- California pays the most at a $186,770 mean, followed by Washington ($171,040), New York ($163,820), Massachusetts ($161,730) and Maryland ($151,560). Only 7 of the 50 states with published wages sit above the national mean.
- Mississippi pays the least at $99,840, 32.6% below the national mean. The gap between the highest and lowest paying state is $86,930 a year; California pays 1.87 times Mississippi.
- By city, San Jose leads at $221,710 (49.7% above the US mean) with a location quotient of 7.09, meaning software developers are about 7 times as common in its workforce as nationally. Indianapolis is lowest of the 35 metros at $114,120.
- With benefits added at the BLS June 2026 private-industry ratio (wages are 70.0% of employer cost), the US mean works out to about $101.71 an hour of employer cost, from $68.57 in Mississippi to $128.29 in California.
- Eight states pay below the national mean while having more software developers than average (location quotient 1.0 or higher): Minnesota, Utah, Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Virginia. Utah combines a mean 12.3% below the US with a 1.70 quotient.
- Web developers earned a $98,770 mean nationally, 66.7% of the software developer mean. The state gap ranges from Oregon, where web developers earn 51.8% of the software developer mean, to Virginia at 88.5%.
Short answer: the US mean software developer salary was $148,100 a year in May 2025, the newest Bureau of Labor Statistics data, published in 2026. By state it runs from $99,840 in Mississippi to $186,770 in California, and by city from $114,120 in Indianapolis to $221,710 in San Jose. The mean hourly wage is $71.20 nationally, which comes to about $101.71 an hour of employer cost once benefits are added.
Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025, checked Oct 31, 2026; BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026, checked Oct 31, 2026. Employer cost is our arithmetic.
What this page adds: most salary-by-state lists show one wage column. This one joins four numbers for every state and 35 metro areas in a single table: the BLS wage, the location quotient (how deep the local developer pool is), the mean hourly wage and a loaded employer cost per hour. Each row links to our page for that place. All figures were computed by script from the BLS files, not typed by hand.
What are the highest paying states for software developers?
California is the highest paying state for software developers, with a mean annual wage of $186,770 in May 2025, 26.1% above the US mean of $148,100. Washington ($171,040), New York ($163,820), Massachusetts ($161,730) and Maryland ($151,560) complete the top five. Only seven states sit above the national mean, partly because California alone employs 284,390 software developers, 16.8% of the US total, which lifts the national average.
| Rank | State | Mean annual wage | vs US mean | Mean hourly wage | Employer cost per hour | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $186,770 | +26.1% | $89.80 | $128.29 | 1.44 |
| 2 | Washington | $171,040 | +15.5% | $82.23 | $117.47 | 2.78 |
| 3 | New York | $163,820 | +10.6% | $78.76 | $112.51 | 1.08 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $161,730 | +9.2% | $77.76 | $111.09 | 1.22 |
| 5 | Maryland | $151,560 | +2.3% | $72.87 | $104.10 | 1.05 |
| 6 | Colorado | $150,940 | +1.9% | $72.57 | $103.67 | 1.39 |
| 7 | Oregon | $149,060 | +0.6% | $71.66 | $102.37 | 1.02 |
| 8 | Virginia | $146,340 | -1.2% | $70.36 | $100.51 | 1.98 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $144,530 | -2.4% | $69.48 | $99.26 | 1.46 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $144,430 | -2.5% | $69.44 | $99.20 | 0.80 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 15-1252 software developers), checked Oct 31, 2026. Employer cost per hour = mean hourly wage / 0.70, our arithmetic.
Two of the top 10, Virginia and New Hampshire, pay slightly below the national mean yet rank high because so few states clear it. Virginia also has the second highest concentration of software developers in the country, a location quotient of 1.98, behind only Washington at 2.78.
Which states pay software developers the least?
Mississippi pays software developers the least, a mean of $99,840 a year in May 2025, 32.6% below the national mean. South Dakota ($104,790), North Dakota ($107,000), Louisiana ($108,270) and Arkansas ($109,590) follow. The gap between the top and bottom state is $86,930 a year, and California pays 1.87 times what Mississippi pays.
| Rank (lowest first) | State | Mean annual wage | vs US mean | Mean hourly wage | Employer cost per hour | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | $99,840 | -32.6% | $48.00 | $68.57 | 0.15 |
| 2 | South Dakota | $104,790 | -29.2% | $50.38 | $71.97 | 0.48 |
| 3 | North Dakota | $107,000 | -27.8% | $51.44 | $73.49 | 0.31 |
| 4 | Louisiana | $108,270 | -26.9% | $52.06 | $74.37 | 0.19 |
| 5 | Arkansas | $109,590 | -26.0% | $52.69 | $75.27 | 0.43 |
| 6 | Indiana | $113,980 | -23.0% | $54.80 | $78.29 | 0.41 |
| 7 | Nebraska | $115,590 | -22.0% | $55.57 | $79.39 | 0.65 |
| 8 | Kansas | $116,560 | -21.3% | $56.04 | $80.06 | 0.87 |
| 9 | West Virginia | $118,410 | -20.0% | $56.93 | $81.33 | 0.35 |
| 10 | Oklahoma | $118,510 | -20.0% | $56.98 | $81.40 | 0.37 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, checked Oct 31, 2026. Alaska is excluded because BLS did not release a wage estimate for it.
Low pay and a thin pool usually go together. Every state in the bottom 10 has a location quotient below 1.0, and Mississippi and Louisiana sit at 0.15 and 0.19, meaning software developers are about a fifth as common in their workforces as nationally. A lower wage there does not always mean an easier hire, because there are fewer local candidates to choose from.
Where are software developers paid below average but more common than average?
Eight states pay below the national mean while having more software developers than average, a location quotient of 1.0 or higher. For an employer, these combine a lower wage with a deeper hiring pool.
| State | Mean annual wage | vs US mean | Location quotient | Employer cost per hour | Software developer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | $127,530 | -13.9% | 1.12 | $87.59 | 35,890 |
| Utah | $129,860 | -12.3% | 1.70 | $89.19 | 31,940 |
| Arizona | $132,530 | -10.5% | 1.08 | $91.03 | 38,050 |
| Texas | $136,450 | -7.9% | 1.07 | $93.71 | 163,880 |
| North Carolina | $136,940 | -7.5% | 1.09 | $94.06 | 58,470 |
| New Jersey | $143,800 | -2.9% | 1.11 | $98.77 | 51,570 |
| New Hampshire | $144,530 | -2.4% | 1.46 | $99.26 | 10,840 |
| Virginia | $146,340 | -1.2% | 1.98 | $100.51 | 88,280 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, checked Oct 31, 2026. Filter: mean wage below $148,100 and location quotient 1.0 or higher. Employer cost per hour is our arithmetic.
Utah stands out: a mean 12.3% below the national figure with a 1.70 quotient, the third highest in the country. Texas is the volume case, with 163,880 software developers, second only to California. At the metro level the same pattern shows up in Austin (quotient 2.28, mean 3.0% below the US), Salt Lake City (2.12, 11.3% below), Raleigh (1.56) and Dallas-Fort Worth (1.52).
What is the software developer salary by city in 2026?
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara is the highest paying of the 35 metro areas we tracked, with a mean of $221,710 a year, 49.7% above the national mean. San Francisco ($193,430), Seattle ($174,920), New York ($165,870) and San Diego ($163,300) follow. Indianapolis is the lowest of the 35 at $114,120. Eleven of the 35 pay above the US mean.
These are the newest official figures: BLS publishes each May reference period about a year later, so the May 2025 estimates released in 2026 are what a “2026” salary search is really asking for. San Jose’s location quotient of 7.09 is the highest in the table; Seattle (4.10) and San Francisco (2.68) are next. New York has the most software developers of any metro, 121,000.
Full metro table, sorted by mean annual wage. Each city name links to our page for that place.
| Rank | Place | Software dev jobs | Mean annual wage | vs US mean | Median annual wage | Mean hourly wage | Employer cost per hour (wage / 0.70) | Location quotient | Web dev mean annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 87,350 | $221,710 | +49.7% | $213,110 | $106.59 | $152.27 | 7.09 | $167,300 |
| 2 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 69,030 | $193,430 | +30.6% | $186,640 | $93.00 | $132.86 | 2.68 | $151,450 |
| 3 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 92,770 | $174,920 | +18.1% | $167,280 | $84.09 | $120.13 | 4.10 | $128,940 |
| 4 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 121,000 | $165,870 | +12.0% | $166,830 | $79.75 | $113.93 | 1.17 | $109,450 |
| 5 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 20,610 | $163,300 | +10.3% | $163,270 | $78.51 | $112.16 | 1.23 | $109,160 |
| 6 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 42,310 | $162,440 | +9.7% | $166,090 | $78.10 | $111.57 | 1.44 | $115,910 |
| 7 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 55,540 | $161,900 | +9.3% | $160,920 | $77.84 | $111.20 | 0.82 | $112,710 |
| 8 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 18,260 | $154,200 | +4.1% | $156,000 | $74.14 | $105.91 | 1.39 | $88,210 |
| 9 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 69,060 | $153,100 | +3.4% | $154,930 | $73.61 | $105.16 | 2.03 | $135,690 |
| 10 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 7,460 | $152,930 | +3.3% | $139,640 | $73.53 | $105.04 | 0.64 | $106,400 |
| 11 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 27,010 | $149,400 | +0.9% | $137,610 | $71.83 | $102.61 | 1.55 | $97,380 |
| 12 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 18,900 | $144,730 | -2.3% | $132,650 | $69.58 | $99.40 | 0.62 | n/a |
| 13 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 31,960 | $143,630 | -3.0% | $134,120 | $69.05 | $98.64 | 2.28 | $99,000 |
| 14 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 40,370 | $141,640 | -4.4% | $134,380 | $68.10 | $97.29 | 0.82 | $101,800 |
| 15 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 20,820 | $139,030 | -6.1% | $135,920 | $66.84 | $95.49 | 1.41 | $107,420 |
| 16 | Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 2,900 | $139,010 | -6.1% | $129,940 | $66.83 | $95.47 | 0.23 | $87,530 |
| 17 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 67,030 | $138,810 | -6.3% | $133,290 | $66.74 | $95.34 | 1.52 | $101,890 |
| 18 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | 12,580 | $136,640 | -7.7% | $132,770 | $65.69 | $93.84 | 1.56 | $92,200 |
| 19 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 28,480 | $136,050 | -8.1% | $133,040 | $65.41 | $93.44 | 0.91 | $98,500 |
| 20 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 36,300 | $135,870 | -8.3% | $132,960 | $65.32 | $93.31 | 1.16 | $97,800 |
| 21 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 29,380 | $135,520 | -8.5% | $131,750 | $65.15 | $93.07 | 1.14 | $83,050 |
| 22 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 14,230 | $133,630 | -9.8% | $130,450 | $64.24 | $91.77 | 0.91 | $85,840 |
| 23 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 22,940 | $133,130 | -10.1% | $129,440 | $64.01 | $91.44 | 0.64 | $94,200 |
| 24 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 13,440 | $132,350 | -10.6% | $129,620 | $63.63 | $90.90 | 0.88 | $89,460 |
| 25 | Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 19,040 | $131,400 | -11.3% | $129,600 | $63.17 | $90.24 | 2.12 | $95,630 |
| 26 | Jacksonville, FL | 7,200 | $130,520 | -11.9% | $130,330 | $62.75 | $89.64 | 0.87 | n/a |
| 27 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 27,410 | $130,410 | -11.9% | $130,920 | $62.70 | $89.57 | 1.29 | $113,040 |
| 28 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 8,010 | $130,080 | -12.2% | $128,430 | $62.54 | $89.34 | 0.65 | $89,130 |
| 29 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 24,870 | $128,200 | -13.4% | $130,760 | $61.63 | $88.04 | 1.20 | $108,840 |
| 30 | Pittsburgh, PA | 10,320 | $126,430 | -14.6% | $124,500 | $60.78 | $86.83 | 0.85 | $81,370 |
| 31 | St. Louis, MO-IL | 9,820 | $126,090 | -14.9% | $129,030 | $60.62 | $86.60 | 0.67 | $105,300 |
| 32 | Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 7,750 | $124,600 | -15.9% | $126,610 | $59.90 | $85.57 | 0.65 | $94,440 |
| 33 | Columbus, OH | 9,880 | $123,630 | -16.5% | $122,340 | $59.44 | $84.91 | 0.82 | $89,560 |
| 34 | Kansas City, MO-KS | 12,160 | $121,940 | -17.7% | $124,990 | $58.63 | $83.76 | 1.02 | $100,490 |
| 35 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 7,140 | $114,120 | -22.9% | $106,870 | $54.87 | $78.39 | 0.60 | $88,410 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas, checked Oct 31, 2026. “n/a” = BLS did not release that estimate. Employer cost per hour = mean hourly wage / 0.70, our arithmetic from the BLS June 2026 ECEC ratio.
Software developer salary by state: the full 51-row table
This is the complete table for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, sorted by mean annual wage. It joins wage, concentration and loaded employer cost in one row, and each state links to our page for that state.
| Rank | Place | Software dev jobs | Mean annual wage | vs US mean | Median annual wage | Mean hourly wage | Employer cost per hour (wage / 0.70) | Location quotient | Web dev mean annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 284,390 | $186,770 | +26.1% | $174,410 | $89.80 | $128.29 | 1.44 | $122,890 |
| 2 | Washington | 107,030 | $171,040 | +15.5% | $166,540 | $82.23 | $117.47 | 2.78 | $124,290 |
| 3 | New York | 113,510 | $163,820 | +10.6% | $166,180 | $78.76 | $112.51 | 1.08 | $102,850 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 48,190 | $161,730 | +9.2% | $165,210 | $77.76 | $111.09 | 1.22 | $108,520 |
| 5 | Maryland | 31,350 | $151,560 | +2.3% | $138,680 | $72.87 | $104.10 | 1.05 | $108,540 |
| 6 | Colorado | 43,320 | $150,940 | +1.9% | $138,390 | $72.57 | $103.67 | 1.39 | $89,940 |
| 7 | Oregon | 21,830 | $149,060 | +0.6% | $142,720 | $71.66 | $102.37 | 1.02 | $77,140 |
| 8 | Virginia | 88,280 | $146,340 | -1.2% | $136,460 | $70.36 | $100.51 | 1.98 | $129,540 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 10,840 | $144,530 | -2.4% | $139,720 | $69.48 | $99.26 | 1.46 | $93,880 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | 6,120 | $144,430 | -2.5% | $136,880 | $69.44 | $99.20 | 0.80 | $119,280 |
| 11 | New Jersey | 51,570 | $143,800 | -2.9% | $135,940 | $69.14 | $98.77 | 1.11 | $94,990 |
| 12 | Connecticut | 13,660 | $141,260 | -4.6% | $134,120 | $67.91 | $97.01 | 0.74 | $91,490 |
| 13 | Delaware | 3,380 | $138,110 | -6.7% | $133,020 | $66.40 | $94.86 | 0.64 | $82,200 |
| 14 | Nevada | 4,520 | $137,350 | -7.3% | $128,810 | $66.04 | $94.34 | 0.27 | $91,430 |
| 15 | Florida | 87,890 | $137,010 | -7.5% | $130,980 | $65.87 | $94.10 | 0.82 | n/a |
| 16 | North Carolina | 58,470 | $136,940 | -7.5% | $134,710 | $65.84 | $94.06 | 1.09 | $98,380 |
| 17 | Illinois | 56,310 | $136,540 | -7.8% | $132,110 | $65.65 | $93.79 | 0.85 | $95,460 |
| 18 | Texas | 163,880 | $136,450 | -7.9% | $132,150 | $65.60 | $93.71 | 1.07 | $95,560 |
| 19 | South Carolina | 13,230 | $136,240 | -8.0% | $129,450 | $65.50 | $93.57 | 0.53 | $85,160 |
| 20 | Vermont | 1,740 | $136,100 | -8.1% | $125,280 | $65.43 | $93.47 | 0.53 | $96,240 |
| 21 | Hawaii | 1,600 | $134,600 | -9.1% | $124,040 | $64.71 | $92.44 | 0.23 | n/a |
| 22 | Idaho | 5,750 | $134,370 | -9.3% | $131,590 | $64.60 | $92.29 | 0.62 | $81,400 |
| 23 | Montana | 2,160 | $133,550 | -9.8% | $121,990 | $64.21 | $91.73 | 0.39 | $65,850 |
| 24 | Arizona | 38,050 | $132,530 | -10.5% | $129,690 | $63.72 | $91.03 | 1.08 | $85,410 |
| 25 | Georgia | 49,700 | $132,150 | -10.8% | $131,010 | $63.54 | $90.77 | 0.94 | $92,560 |
| 26 | Utah | 31,940 | $129,860 | -12.3% | $128,810 | $62.43 | $89.19 | 1.70 | $98,420 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | 5,070 | $129,080 | -12.8% | $130,590 | $62.06 | $88.66 | 0.93 | $102,540 |
| 28 | Maine | 2,790 | $129,040 | -12.9% | $123,120 | $62.04 | $88.63 | 0.40 | n/a |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | 55,920 | $128,110 | -13.5% | $126,550 | $61.59 | $87.99 | 0.85 | $87,440 |
| 30 | Minnesota | 35,890 | $127,530 | -13.9% | $130,050 | $61.31 | $87.59 | 1.12 | $103,500 |
| 31 | New Mexico | 3,960 | $126,620 | -14.5% | $124,520 | $60.88 | $86.97 | 0.42 | $72,930 |
| 32 | Missouri | 20,020 | $123,810 | -16.4% | $126,120 | $59.52 | $85.03 | 0.63 | $109,420 |
| 33 | Wyoming | 1,510 | $123,360 | -16.7% | $115,170 | $59.31 | $84.73 | 0.49 | $65,550 |
| 34 | Alabama | 17,450 | $122,840 | -17.1% | $122,540 | $59.06 | $84.37 | 0.76 | n/a |
| 35 | Michigan | 43,460 | $122,720 | -17.1% | $125,570 | $59.00 | $84.29 | 0.91 | $97,040 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | 21,730 | $122,620 | -17.2% | $122,660 | $58.95 | $84.21 | 0.68 | $92,490 |
| 37 | Kentucky | 7,660 | $120,730 | -18.5% | $109,010 | $58.04 | $82.91 | 0.35 | $87,160 |
| 38 | Tennessee | 19,030 | $120,560 | -18.6% | $122,430 | $57.96 | $82.80 | 0.53 | $84,720 |
| 39 | Ohio | 44,790 | $119,860 | -19.1% | $114,090 | $57.63 | $82.33 | 0.74 | n/a |
| 40 | Iowa | 9,040 | $118,780 | -19.8% | $114,890 | $57.10 | $81.57 | 0.53 | $74,510 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | 6,880 | $118,510 | -20.0% | $118,100 | $56.98 | $81.40 | 0.37 | $80,560 |
| 42 | West Virginia | 2,650 | $118,410 | -20.0% | $121,000 | $56.93 | $81.33 | 0.35 | $77,270 |
| 43 | Kansas | 13,580 | $116,560 | -21.3% | $113,420 | $56.04 | $80.06 | 0.87 | $81,840 |
| 44 | Nebraska | 7,260 | $115,590 | -22.0% | $110,900 | $55.57 | $79.39 | 0.65 | $82,350 |
| 45 | Indiana | 14,130 | $113,980 | -23.0% | $105,920 | $54.80 | $78.29 | 0.41 | $84,480 |
| 46 | Arkansas | 6,050 | $109,590 | -26.0% | $104,490 | $52.69 | $75.27 | 0.43 | $63,190 |
| 47 | Louisiana | 4,080 | $108,270 | -26.9% | $102,800 | $52.06 | $74.37 | 0.19 | $81,640 |
| 48 | North Dakota | 1,450 | $107,000 | -27.8% | $105,600 | $51.44 | $73.49 | 0.31 | $72,630 |
| 49 | South Dakota | 2,380 | $104,790 | -29.2% | $96,310 | $50.38 | $71.97 | 0.48 | $53,950 |
| 50 | Mississippi | 1,880 | $99,840 | -32.6% | $95,330 | $48.00 | $68.57 | 0.15 | n/a |
| n/a | Alaska | 530 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0.15 | n/a |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 state estimates, SOC 15-1252 (software developers) and 15-1254 (web developers), checked Oct 31, 2026. “n/a” = BLS did not release that estimate (Alaska’s software wages, and web developer wages in several smaller states). Employer cost per hour = mean hourly wage / 0.70, our arithmetic.
What is the software developer hourly rate by state?
The US mean hourly wage for software developers was $71.20 in May 2025. By state it runs from $48.00 in Mississippi to $89.80 in California; Washington ($82.23), New York ($78.76) and Massachusetts ($77.76) are next. The national median, converted at BLS’s 2,080-hour year, is $65.38 an hour.
Two things to keep in mind when you compare these to a quote:
- These are employee wages, not billing rates. BLS measures what employers pay their own staff. Freelancers and agencies set rates that also cover benefits, unbilled time and overhead, so they sit above the wage.
- The mean is above the median nationally. A minority of very high earners lifts the mean ($148,100) above the median ($135,980). In some states the median is higher than the mean, for example New York and Massachusetts, so check both columns in the full table.
Do web developers earn less than software developers by state?
Yes. Web developers earned a $98,770 mean nationally in May 2025, 66.7% of the $148,100 software developer mean, and their mean hourly wage was $47.49. In every state where BLS published both figures, web developers earn less than software developers.
The highest paying states for web developers are Virginia ($129,540), Washington ($124,290), California ($122,890), the District of Columbia ($119,280) and Missouri ($109,420). The lowest published are South Dakota ($53,950), Arkansas ($63,190), Wyoming ($65,550), Montana ($65,850) and North Dakota ($72,630). The gap varies a lot: in Oregon web developers earn 51.8% of the software developer mean, while in Virginia and Missouri they earn about 88%.
BLS also counts far fewer of them: 70,190 web developers against 1,687,890 software developers nationally, and the web developer wage is unpublished in 7 states. BLS’s own handbook notes that 18% of web developers were self-employed in 2025, and those workers are outside these wage figures.
What does a software developer cost an employer, with benefits?
A software developer at the US mean wage costs an employer about $101.71 an hour, or about $211,571 a year, once benefits are added. We get that by dividing the wage by 0.70, because BLS reports that in June 2026 wages were 70.0% of private-industry employer compensation cost and benefits the other 30.0%.
| Place | Mean annual wage | Loaded yearly cost (wage / 0.70) | Mean hourly wage | Loaded cost per hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States (software developers) | $148,100 | $211,571 | $71.20 | $101.71 |
| California | $186,770 | $266,814 | $89.80 | $128.29 |
| Washington | $171,040 | $244,343 | $82.23 | $117.47 |
| New York | $163,820 | $234,029 | $78.76 | $112.51 |
| Texas | $136,450 | $194,929 | $65.60 | $93.71 |
| Utah | $129,860 | $185,514 | $62.43 | $89.19 |
| Mississippi | $99,840 | $142,629 | $48.00 | $68.57 |
| United States (web developers) | $98,770 | $141,100 | $47.49 | $67.84 |
Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025, checked Oct 31, 2026; BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026, checked Oct 31, 2026. Loaded columns are our arithmetic.
The 0.70 ratio is an all-industry average applied to a tech role, so treat it as an approximation. It still leaves out recruiting fees, equipment, software licences, office space, management time and the weeks when a developer is ramping up. To run these numbers for your own state, team size and salary, use our developer hiring cost calculator.
Should you hire in-house or use an outside team?
It depends on how long you need the work. A full-time hire makes sense for ongoing product work that will keep a developer busy year round; at the US mean that is roughly $211,571 a year of employer cost before recruiting. For a defined build with an end date, an outside team bills only for the weeks of the project, so compare its quote against the employer cost of a hire over those same weeks plus recruiting time.
For comparison, Clutch’s custom software development pricing page (updated Sep 21, 2026, checked Oct 31, 2026) lists an average agency rate of $50 to $99 an hour, which sits below the $101.71 loaded US mean employer cost above and below the loaded cost in every one of the seven states that pay above the national mean. Our app development cost study works through that comparison in detail using the same BLS data plus the build weeks of 44 real projects, and the app cost estimator turns it into a range for your own scope.
Our app and web app builds typically cost $7,000 to around $25,000 to $30,000, depending on features, and we work project-based or hourly. Our 16 in-house engineers in San Francisco, plus 30+ remote specialists, work with clients in every state, and every custom software project is scoped and quoted in writing after a free 30-minute call. The client owns the code. You can see 44 of our builds, with their timeframes, in our work, or browse by place on our app development company by state and city hub.
How we built this table, and its limits
Every number on this page comes from one dataset and one ratio, both from BLS:
- Wages, employment and location quotients from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 reference period, downloaded from the national, state and metro files on the BLS OEWS tables page and checked Oct 31, 2026. Our copy of the data was cross-checked value by value against the BLS public API (608 values, 0 mismatches). Occupations: software developers (SOC 15-1252) and web developers (SOC 15-1254).
- Employer cost ratio from the BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation release for June 2026: wages were 70.0% of private-industry compensation cost.
A script read the data file and produced every table, ranking, percentage and loaded cost on this page; we then spot-checked values against the source file by hand.
What the data does not tell you:
- It is May 2025. OEWS describes wages in the May 2025 pay period. It is the newest official release as of November 1, 2026, but it does not include raises since then.
- It excludes the self-employed. OEWS surveys employers, so freelancers and independent contractors are not in these figures.
- Location quotient is relative, not absolute. A quotient compares an occupation’s share of local jobs to its national share. A high quotient means a concentrated pool, not necessarily a large one: New Hampshire’s 1.46 represents 10,840 developers, while Texas’s 1.07 represents 163,880.
- Metro areas cross state lines. The Washington DC metro includes parts of Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia, and New York includes Newark and Jersey City, so a metro figure is not a subset of one state’s figure.
- Means hide the spread. A state mean mixes junior and senior roles and every industry. BLS publishes percentiles too; the national 10th and 90th percentiles are in our app development cost study.
- Missing cells are BLS’s, not ours. Where BLS did not release an estimate (marked n/a), we left it blank rather than estimate it.
Changelog for this page
- November 1, 2026: first version. BLS OEWS May 2025 national, state and metro data (checked Oct 31, 2026) and the BLS June 2026 ECEC wage share.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 tables: national, state and metropolitan area files, checked Oct 31, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS data query: United States, 2025, checked Oct 31, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026, released Sep 9, 2026, checked Oct 31, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Web Developers and Digital Designers, self-employment share, page last modified Aug 27, 2026, checked Oct 31, 2026.
- Clutch, Custom software development pricing, updated Sep 21, 2026, checked Oct 31, 2026.