Tech
Experienced software developer
Designs software architecture, writes and reviews code, mentors younger developers and chooses the tools, including AI coding assistants.
Strong demand: +10.2% jobs in the United States by 2035. According to Stanford, among software developers, employment of the most experienced is growing while that of beginners is falling.
By the numbers
- Jobs in the United States (2025)
- about 1,717,800
- Projected change by 2035
- +10.2%
- US median annual wage
- $135,980
- BLS occupations used
- Software developers
Source: BLS, employment projections 2025-2035.
AI exposureVery high
ILO, 2025 index
Employment outlookStrong growth
BLS, 2025-2035 projections (Software developers)
Hiring difficultyNot available
No US indicator measures hiring difficulty job by job
PayVery high
BLS, 2025 median annual wage: $135,980
EntryLong
BLS, typical education needed for entry
Training
Check any training provider through official public services before paying.
Related jobs
Same occupational family.
Sources6
Stanford's dashboard (ADP payroll data) shows, for software developers, steep declines among 22- to 25-year-olds, moderate declines in the next age groups and growth among older workers, without publishing age figures for this occupation alone. Official statistics do not separate experience levels: the key figure and the gauges cover all developers. The BLS projects +10.2% software developer jobs in the United States between 2025 and 2035.
- "Canaries" dashboard: employment by age and occupation since late 2022 (ADP payroll data)Stanford Digital Economy Lab and ADP Research · updated monthly (accessed 8 November 2026) large survey
- Canaries in the Coal Mine? Six Facts about the Recent Employment Effects of AIStanford Digital Economy Lab · 2025, revised August 2026 academic study
- AI exposure categories and employment projections, 2025-2035 (XLSX file)Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States · August 2026 official statistics
- Generative AI and Jobs: a refined global index of occupational exposureInternational Labour Organization and NASK · May 2025 large survey
- Jobs in 2030: projections by occupational family (summary table)Dares and France Stratégie · March 2022 official statistics
- Labour needs survey (BMO) 2026France Travail · 2026 large survey
Checked on 27 October 2026.
Job titles8
senior software developer · senior software engineer · senior developer · lead developer · tech lead · software architect · staff engineer · principal engineer
Titles from the European ESCO classification. They are also used for search.