Software statistics
Software Developer Statistics 2026
This page collects current figures on software developers: how many there are, what they earn, how they work and how they use AI, each linked to the agency, survey or research group that published it. Employment and pay data come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, while developer behavior comes from the Stack Overflow, JetBrains and DORA surveys and from GitHub platform data. A final section covers research on whether AI tools make developers faster.
By the Mojolin research desk · Updated November 2, 2026 · Next review by December 17, 2026
51 of 51 source quotes re-checked against the original pages on November 3, 2026
- Figures
- 51
- Primary sources
- 19
- Official or research
- 22%
- Charts
- 5
Key takeaways
- 1,905,400Software developers, quality assurance analysts and testers held 1,905,400 jobs in the US in 2025.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- 10%BLS projects employment of software developers, QA analysts and testers to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- $135,980The median annual wage for US software developers was $135,980 in May 2025.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- 80%80% of 2026 Stack Overflow survey respondents used AI for at least an hour per day.Stack Overflow
- 40%By September 2026, more than 40% of pull requests on GitHub started with an AI agent's first draft, up from 17% in March.GitHub
- 19%In METR's randomized trial of experienced open-source developers in early 2025, tasks took 19% longer when AI tools were allowed.METR
Research overview
What the numbers say
Software development is a large and still growing occupation in the US. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 1,905,400 software developers, quality assurance analysts and testers in 2025 and projects 10% growth through 2035, against 3% for all occupations. That works out to about 106,100 openings a year, most of them replacing people who retire or change careers. The median software developer earned $135,980 in May 2025, roughly 2.7 times the median for all US workers, and the top 10% earned more than $214,670.
The day-to-day work has changed faster than the headcount. In the 2026 Stack Overflow survey, 80% of respondents used AI for at least an hour a day and 73% used coding assistants or agents daily. Google's DORA research put AI use at work at 90%, and JetBrains at 85%. GitHub reports that agents started more than 40% of pull requests by September 2026, up from 17% in March, and that pushes in the past year exceeded 2024 and 2025 combined.
Trust has grown but stays conditional. More than 87% of Stack Overflow respondents now trust AI output to some degree, up from 31% a year earlier, yet the most common answer is that they trust it only when they can easily verify it. In 2025, 66% named "almost right" AI answers as their top frustration. The productivity evidence is less settled than adoption suggests: METR's randomized trial found experienced developers were 19% slower with early 2025 tools while believing they were 20% faster, and its late 2025 follow-up points to a speedup with a wide margin of error.
Job conditions are softer than the long-term outlook. A third of 2026 Stack Overflow respondents said they were not happy at work, self-employment jumped from 3.9% to 10.5% of respondents, and JetBrains found 61% of junior developers describe the job market as challenging. Remote work holds up, especially in the US, where 48% of surveyed developers work fully remotely. Pay for AI-exposed jobs, software development included, has risen faster than for other work according to Indeed.
01
Employment and job outlook in the US
Chart
Largest employers of US software developers, 2025
Share of software developer employment by industry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Computer systems design | 29% |
| Finance and insurance | 11% |
| Software publishers | 10% |
| Manufacturing | 8% |
| Management of companies | 6% |
- 11,905,4001,905,400
Software developers, quality assurance analysts and testers held 1,905,400 jobs in the US in 2025.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers2026
- 21.7 million1.7 million
Software developers alone held about 1.7 million US jobs in 2025, and 29% of them worked in computer systems design and related services.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers2026
- 3187,600187,600
Software quality assurance analysts and testers held about 187,600 US jobs in 2025.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers2026
- 410%10%
BLS projects employment of software developers, QA analysts and testers to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers2026
- 5106,100106,100
About 106,100 openings for software developers, QA analysts and testers are projected each year, on average, through 2035.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers2026
- 6185,400185,400
The occupation group is projected to add 185,400 jobs, rising from 1,905,400 in 2025 to 2,090,800 in 2035.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers2026
- 76%6%
Employment of software QA analysts and testers is projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 10% for software developers and 3% for all occupations.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers2026
What these figures suggest
BLS counts about 1.9 million software developers, quality assurance analysts and testers in the US, and expects the group to grow 10% between 2025 and 2035, more than three times the rate for all occupations. Most of the projected 106,100 yearly openings come from people retiring or changing careers, not from new positions. Testing roles are projected to grow more slowly than development roles.
02
Software developer pay
Chart
Median annual wage, May 2025 (US)
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Software developers | $135,980 |
| Developers, QA analysts and testers | $134,040 |
| Computer occupations | $109,470 |
| QA analysts and testers | $104,300 |
| All occupations | $50,980 |
- 8$135,980$135,980
The median annual wage for US software developers was $135,980 in May 2025.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers2026
- 9$104,300$104,300
The median annual wage for software quality assurance analysts and testers was $104,300 in May 2025.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers2026
- 10$214,670$214,670
The top 10% of US software developers earned more than $214,670 in May 2025, while the lowest 10% earned less than $82,460.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers2026
- 11$164,550$164,550
Software publishers paid the highest median wage among the top industries for software developers, at $164,550 in May 2025.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers2026
- 12$200,000$200,000
The median engineering manager salary reported to Stack Overflow was $200,000 in the US, compared with $118,000 in Germany and $52,000 in India.
IndustryStack Overflow2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: WorkJul 2025
- 13$175,000$175,000
US back-end developers reported a median total compensation of $175,000 in the 2025 Stack Overflow survey, behind managers, AI/ML engineers, cloud engineers and architects.
IndustryStack Overflow2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: WorkJul 2025
- 145.7%5.7%
Indeed found a 5.7% post-ChatGPT advertised pay premium for AI-exposed occupations such as software development, after controlling for occupation mix.
IndustryIndeed Hiring LabAI Exposure Isn't Squeezing Advertised Pay in the US, It's Boosting ItSep 2026
What these figures suggest
The median US software developer earned $135,980 in May 2025, about 2.7 times the median for all occupations. Pay varies widely: the top 10% earned more than $214,670, and developers at software publishers had the highest industry median. Survey data from Stack Overflow show how much role and country matter, with US engineering managers earning several times what the same role pays in India.
03
Work arrangements and job satisfaction
Chart
Developer work arrangements, 2026
All Stack Overflow survey respondents, n = 24,602.
Source Stack Overflow, 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: Work data
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Remote | 34.8% |
| Hybrid, mostly in person | 19.9% |
| In person | 17.6% |
| Hybrid, mostly remote | 15.5% |
| Fully flexible | 12.2% |
- 1535%35%
35% of 2026 Stack Overflow survey respondents work fully remotely, while 18% work fully in person.
IndustryStack Overflow2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: Work data2026
- 1648%48%
Fully remote work is reported by 48% of US developers in the 2026 Stack Overflow survey, compared with 21% in France.
IndustryStack Overflow2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: Work data2026
- 1710.5%10.5%
The share of Stack Overflow respondents who are freelance or self-employed jumped from 3.9% to 10.5% in 2026.
IndustryStack Overflow2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey2026
- 1833%33%
33% of 2026 Stack Overflow respondents said they are not happy at work, while 22% said they are happy.
IndustryStack Overflow2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey2026
- 1917%17%
Unclear priorities (17%) and inefficient processes (15%) were the most common reasons developers gave for their jobs getting harder.
IndustryStack Overflow2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: Work2026
- 2061%61%
61% of junior developers find the job market challenging, compared with 54% of senior developers.
IndustryJetBrainsThe State of Developer Ecosystem 2025Oct 2025
- 2166%66%
66% of developers do not believe current productivity metrics reflect their true contributions.
IndustryJetBrainsThe State of Developer Ecosystem 2025Oct 2025
What these figures suggest
Remote work remains common among developers, especially in the US, where nearly half of Stack Overflow respondents work fully remotely. Satisfaction slipped in 2026: a third of respondents said they were not happy at work, and self-employment more than doubled in a year. JetBrains data show junior developers find the job market harder than seniors do.
04
AI adoption among developers
Chart
Top tasks developers use AI for, 2026
Source Stack Overflow, 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: AI
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Generating code in a familiar area | 69.3% |
| Debugging or refactoring | 63.8% |
| Answering technical questions | 59.4% |
| Writing or improving tests | 58.1% |
| Generating code in an unfamiliar area | 56% |
- 2280%80%
80% of 2026 Stack Overflow survey respondents used AI for at least an hour per day.
IndustryStack Overflow2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey2026
- 2373%73%
73% of 2026 Stack Overflow respondents use AI coding assistants and agents daily.
IndustryStack Overflow2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: AI2026
- 2466%66%
Claude Code (66%) and GitHub Copilot (59%) were the most used coding agents in the 2026 Stack Overflow survey.
IndustryStack Overflow2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: AI2026
- 2584%84%
84% of 2025 Stack Overflow respondents were using or planning to use AI tools in development, up from 76% the year before.
IndustryStack Overflow2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: AIJul 2025
- 2690%90%
90% of respondents to Google's 2025 DORA survey reported using AI at work.
IndustryGoogle Cloud (DORA)Announcing the 2025 DORA Report: State of AI-assisted Software DevelopmentSep 2025
- 2785%85%
85% of developers regularly use AI tools for coding and development, and 62% rely on at least one AI coding assistant, agent or code editor.
IndustryJetBrainsThe State of Developer Ecosystem 2025Oct 2025
- 2840%40%
By September 2026, more than 40% of pull requests on GitHub started with an AI agent's first draft, up from 17% in March.
IndustryGitHubOctoverse 2026: Commits, pushes reach new highs as developers build with agentsOct 2026
- 2955%55%
55% of GitHub Copilot monthly active users now use agentic features, up from 35% a year earlier.
IndustryGitHubOctoverse 2026: Commits, pushes reach new highs as developers build with agentsOct 2026
- 3080%80%
80% of new developers on GitHub used Copilot in their first week, according to Octoverse 2025.
IndustryGitHubOctoverse 2025: A new developer joins GitHub every second as AI leads TypeScript to #1Oct 2025
What these figures suggest
AI coding tools are now standard: surveys from Stack Overflow, Google DORA and JetBrains all put regular use between 80% and 90% of developers. Use is also heavy, with most Stack Overflow respondents using coding assistants or agents every day. GitHub data show agents moving from autocomplete to authorship, starting more than 40% of pull requests by September 2026.
05
Trust in AI-generated code
- 3187%87%
More than 87% of 2026 Stack Overflow respondents had some level of trust in AI output, up from 31% the year before.
IndustryStack Overflow2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey2026
- 3248%48%
48% of developers say they trust AI when they can easily validate the answer, and only 16% trust it for most tasks that are not important work decisions.
IndustryStack Overflow2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: AI2026
- 3346%46%
In 2025, more developers distrusted the accuracy of AI tools (46%) than trusted it (33%).
IndustryStack Overflow2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: AIJul 2025
- 3466%66%
66% of developers said their biggest frustration is AI solutions that are almost right, but not quite.
IndustryStack Overflow2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: AIJul 2025
- 3530%30%
30% of DORA 2025 respondents reported little or no trust in code generated by AI.
IndustryGoogle Cloud (DORA)Announcing the 2025 DORA Report: State of AI-assisted Software DevelopmentSep 2025
- 3693%93%
93% of 2026 Stack Overflow respondents called source attribution at least somewhat important when deciding whether to trust an AI answer.
IndustryStack Overflow2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: Knowledge2026
- 3764%64%
64% of 2025 Stack Overflow respondents believed AI is not a threat to their job, down from 68% a year earlier.
IndustryStack Overflow2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: WorkJul 2025
What these figures suggest
Trust in AI output rose sharply between the 2025 and 2026 Stack Overflow surveys, but it is conditional: the most common answer is that developers trust AI when they can easily verify the result. Near misses remain the main frustration, and source attribution matters to almost everyone. Fewer developers than before see AI as no threat to their job.
06
AI and developer productivity research
- 3819%19%
In METR's randomized trial of experienced open-source developers in early 2025, tasks took 19% longer when AI tools were allowed.
IndustryMETRMeasuring the Impact of Early-2025 AI on Experienced Open-Source Developer ProductivityJul 2025
- 3924%24%
Developers in the METR study expected AI to speed them up by 24% and still believed it had sped them up by 20% after the slowdown.
IndustryMETRMeasuring the Impact of Early-2025 AI on Experienced Open-Source Developer ProductivityJul 2025
- 4018%18%
In METR's late-2025 follow-up, returning developers showed an estimated task time change of -18% with AI, a speedup, though the confidence interval ran from -38% to +9%.
IndustryMETRUpdate on the productivity impact of late-2025 AI toolsFeb 2026
- 413x3x
Technical workers surveyed by METR in early 2026 reported a median 3x change in speed due to AI tools.
IndustryMETRMeasuring the Self-Reported Impact of Early-2026 AI on Technical Worker ProductivityMay 2026
- 4280%80%
More than 80% of DORA 2025 respondents believe AI has increased their productivity.
IndustryGoogle Cloud (DORA)Announcing the 2025 DORA Report: State of AI-assisted Software DevelopmentSep 2025
- 4352%52%
52% of developers agreed that AI tools or agents have had a positive effect on their productivity in 2025.
IndustryStack Overflow2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: AIJul 2025
- 4455%55%
In GitHub's 2022 controlled experiment, developers using Copilot completed a coding task 55% faster than those without it.
IndustryGitHubResearch: quantifying GitHub Copilot's impact on developer productivity and happinessSep 2022
What these figures suggest
Productivity evidence is mixed and depends on the method. Surveys report large perceived gains, while METR's randomized trial of experienced open-source developers found AI made them 19% slower in early 2025, even as they believed it sped them up. METR's later work points to speedups with newer tools, but with wide uncertainty.
07
GitHub activity and programming languages
Chart
Most used programming languages, 2026
Share of Stack Overflow survey respondents who did extensive work in each language.
Source Stack Overflow, 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: Technology
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| JavaScript | 62% |
| SQL | 58.4% |
| HTML/CSS | 58.2% |
| Python | 58% |
| Bash/Shell | 51.3% |
| TypeScript | 43.8% |
| Java | 27.6% |
| C# | 27.1% |
| PowerShell | 24.6% |
| C++ | 24.3% |
- 45225 million225 million
GitHub serves more than 225 million developers as of 2026.
IndustryGitHubOctoverse 2026: Commits, pushes reach new highs as developers build with agentsOct 2026
- 4617.9 billion17.9 billion
Developers pushed code changes to GitHub 17.9 billion times in the 12 months to September 2026, more than 2024 and 2025 combined.
IndustryGitHubOctoverse 2026: Commits, pushes reach new highs as developers build with agentsOct 2026
- 4738.3 million38.3 million
The US has 38.3 million developers on GitHub and India has 32 million, and each added more than 10 million in 2026.
IndustryGitHubOctoverse 2026: Commits, pushes reach new highs as developers build with agentsOct 2026
- 483.62 million3.62 million
TypeScript added 3.62 million monthly contributors on GitHub between September 2025 and September 2026, the largest gain of any top language.
IndustryGitHubOctoverse 2026: Commits, pushes reach new highs as developers build with agentsOct 2026
- 494.3 million4.3 million
AI-related repositories on GitHub exceeded 4.3 million in 2025, nearly doubling in less than two years.
IndustryGitHubOctoverse 2025: A new developer joins GitHub every second as AI leads TypeScript to #1Oct 2025
- 5062.0%62.0%
JavaScript was used by 62% of 2026 Stack Overflow respondents, the most of any language.
IndustryStack Overflow2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: Technology2026
- 5172%72%
Rust was the most admired programming language in the 2025 Stack Overflow survey at 72%.
IndustryStack Overflow2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: TechnologyJul 2025
What these figures suggest
GitHub now hosts more than 225 million developers, and activity is growing faster than the user base: pushes in the 12 months to September 2026 exceeded 2024 and 2025 combined. TypeScript, Python and JavaScript added the most contributors. In the Stack Overflow survey, JavaScript is still the most used language, while Rust remains the most admired.
About these figures
Employment, pay and projections come from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which uses May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data and 2025 to 2035 projections; BLS figures cover the US only. Stack Overflow, JetBrains and DORA figures are from voluntary online surveys of developers worldwide and reflect their respondents, not all developers. Stack Overflow salaries are self-reported total compensation converted to US dollars. GitHub figures describe activity on the GitHub platform. The METR results come from small samples of experienced open-source developers, and the GitHub Copilot experiment dates from 2022. Every quote was checked against the source page.
Every figure was taken from the publisher's own page, together with the sentence it appears in, and that sentence is re-checked against the source before each update. Where a survey covers a specific group, the figure says so. Read the methodology. Spotted a problem? Email editorial@mojolin.com.
Frequently asked questions
+How many software developers are there in the US?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 1,905,400 software developers, quality assurance analysts and testers in 2025. About 1.7 million of those were software developers and about 187,600 were QA analysts and testers.
+How much do software developers earn?
The median annual wage for US software developers was $135,980 in May 2025, according to BLS. The lowest 10% earned less than $82,460 and the highest 10% more than $214,670. QA analysts and testers had a median of $104,300.
+Is software development a growing field?
Yes. BLS projects employment of software developers, QA analysts and testers to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the 3% average for all occupations, with about 106,100 openings a year.
+How many developers use AI tools?
Most of them. In the 2026 Stack Overflow survey, 80% of respondents used AI for at least an hour a day. Google's 2025 DORA report found 90% use AI at work, and JetBrains found 85% regularly use AI tools for coding.
+Do AI tools make developers more productive?
The evidence is mixed. Most developers believe AI helps, and more than 80% of DORA respondents say it raised their productivity. But METR's randomized trial found experienced open-source developers took 19% longer with early 2025 AI tools, and its later follow-up found a likely speedup with wide uncertainty.
+What is the most popular programming language?
JavaScript was the most used language in the 2026 Stack Overflow survey, at 62% of respondents. On GitHub, TypeScript ranks first by monthly contributors and added 3.62 million contributors in the year to September 2026.
Sources
19 primary sources, by publisher
- 01Industry GitHub. Octoverse 2025: A new developer joins GitHub every second as AI leads TypeScript to #1 (Oct 2025)
- 02Industry GitHub. Octoverse 2026: Commits, pushes reach new highs as developers build with agents (Oct 2026)
- 03Industry GitHub. Research: quantifying GitHub Copilot's impact on developer productivity and happiness (Sep 2022)
- 04Industry Google Cloud (DORA). Announcing the 2025 DORA Report: State of AI-assisted Software Development (Sep 2025)
- 05Industry Indeed Hiring Lab. AI Exposure Isn't Squeezing Advertised Pay in the US, It's Boosting It (Sep 2026)
- 06Industry JetBrains. The State of Developer Ecosystem 2025 (Oct 2025)
- 07Industry METR. Measuring the Impact of Early-2025 AI on Experienced Open-Source Developer Productivity (Jul 2025)
- 08Industry METR. Measuring the Self-Reported Impact of Early-2026 AI on Technical Worker Productivity (May 2026)
- 09Industry METR. Update on the productivity impact of late-2025 AI tools (Feb 2026)
- 10Industry Stack Overflow. 2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: AI (Jul 2025)
- 11Industry Stack Overflow. 2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: Technology (Jul 2025)
- 12Industry Stack Overflow. 2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: Work (Jul 2025)
- 13Industry Stack Overflow. 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2026)
- 14Industry Stack Overflow. 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: AI (2026)
- 15Industry Stack Overflow. 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: Knowledge (2026)
- 16Industry Stack Overflow. 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: Technology (2026)
- 17Industry Stack Overflow. 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: Work (2026)
- 18Industry Stack Overflow. 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey: Work data (2026)
- 19Official U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers (2026)