Occupational Employment and Wages, 2002

15-1031 Computer Software Engineers, Applications

Develop, create, and modify general computer applications software or specialized utility programs. Analyze user needs and develop software solutions. Design software or customize software for client use with the aim of optimizing operational efficiency. May analyze and design databases within an application area, working individually or coordinating database development as part of a team. Exclude "Computer Hardware Engineers" (17-2061).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
356,760 1.9 % $35.48 $73,800 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $21.55 $26.69 $34.09 $42.63 $52.79
Annual Wage (2) $44,830 $55,510 $70,900 $88,660 $109,800

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Computer systems design and related services 116,430 $35.99 $74,870 1 29
Software publishers 38,730 $37.88 $78,790 2 14
Management of companies and enterprises 16,060 $32.42 $67,440 3 76
Architectural and engineering services 12,400 $37.39 $77,760 4 17
Electronic instrument manufacturing 10,790 $36.38 $75,680 5 24

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Highway, street, and bridge construction (6) $64.68 $134,530 (6) 1
Employment services 3,290 $46.53 $96,780 21 2
Securities and commodity contracts brokerage 4,020 $45.66 $94,970 19 3
Lessors of nonfinancial intangible assets 130 $44.03 $91,580 92 4
Professional and similar organizations 610 $43.18 $89,820 52 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Colorado 13,060 $37.42 $77,840 0.613% 31
Massachusetts 18,600 $40.07 $83,340 0.581% 30
Virginia 18,480 $32.24 $67,050 0.546% 62
Washington 12,950 $36.67 $76,280 0.505% 41
New Hampshire 2,900 $36.03 $74,950 0.479% 28

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
California 64,140 $40.59 $84,430 0.444% 41
Massachusetts 18,600 $40.07 $83,340 0.581% 30
New Jersey 16,150 $38.14 $79,340 0.419% 47
Colorado 13,060 $37.42 $77,840 0.613% 31
Wyoming 110 $37.32 $77,630 0.046% 12

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
San Jose, CA PMSA 16,080 $44.23 $92,000 1.801%
Boulder-Longmont, CO PMSA 2,660 $39.90 $83,000 1.674%
Nashua, NH PMSA 1,040 $38.31 $79,690 1.155%
Lowell, MA-NH PMSA 1,350 $40.30 $83,830 1.081%
Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ PMSA 5,630 $38.83 $80,760 0.898%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Asheville, NC MSA 60 $44.90 $93,380 0.058%
Pittsfield, MA MSA (6) $44.68 $92,920 (6)
San Jose, CA PMSA 16,080 $44.23 $92,000 1.801%
Vallejo-Fairfield-Napa, CA PMSA (6) $43.10 $89,650 (6)
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA PMSA 810 $42.94 $89,320 0.893%

About 2002 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Data for detailed occupations does not sum to the totals because the totals include data for occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Computer and Mathematical Science Occupations

2002 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download 2002 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 26, 2003