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The national median salary for Computer Programmers is $98,675 per year ($47.44/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $71,864 and $128,960 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $162,094 per year. There are approximately 109,870 computer programmers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Create, modify, and test the code and scripts that allow computer applications to run. Work from specifications drawn up by software and web developers or other individuals. May develop and write computer programs to store, locate, and retrieve specific documents, data, and information.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-6.0%
Much slower than average
Annual openings
6K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
121K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Computer Systems Design and Related Services
NAICS 541500
38K
$92,850
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
7K
$88,550
Software Publishers
NAICS 513200
5K
$112,110
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
5K
$97,080
Scientific Research and Development Services
NAICS 541700
4K
$149,350
Wage range across top 5 industries: $88,550 to $149,350 (69% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$25.09
$52,187
P25
$34.55
$71,864
P50MEDIAN
$47.44
$98,675
P75
$62.00
$128,960
P90
$77.93
$162,094
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · tech sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
2.8%
Quits Rate
1.1%
Information sector openings held flat at 81K in March, but layoffs jumped to 66K (+13K, rate 2.4%) -- the highest layoff rate among major sectors. Quit rates dropped to 1.1%. Tech employers retain maximum leverage; cuts continue in pockets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average computer programmers salary?
The national median salary for Computer Programmers is $98,675 per year ($47.44/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $71,864 and $128,960 annually.
How much do top-earning computer programmers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Computer Programmers is $162,094 per year ($77.93/hr). The 75th percentile is $128,960 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for computer programmers?
Entry-level Computer Programmers (10th percentile) earn approximately $52,187 per year ($25.09/hr). The 25th percentile is $71,864 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.