Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

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)
392,140 1.9 % $36.42 $75,750 0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $22.10 $27.37 $34.87 $43.24 $53.78
Annual Wage (2) $45,970 $56,930 $72,530 $89,940 $111,860

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 125,910 $37.57 $78,140 1 19
Software publishers 41,240 $38.14 $79,330 2 14
Management of companies and enterprises 18,970 $33.23 $69,110 3 73
Electronic instrument manufacturing 12,010 $37.45 $77,910 4 22
Data processing and related services 11,480 $35.77 $74,400 5 40

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Securities and commodity contracts brokerage 5,690 $46.71 $97,150 15 1
Employment services 4,040 $44.96 $93,520 19 2
Securities and commodity exchanges 170 $43.09 $89,620 84 3
Professional and similar organizations 740 $43.01 $89,450 43 4
Other financial investment activities 2,710 $40.23 $83,690 24 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 13,690 $37.14 $77,240 0.648% 37
Virginia 21,910 $33.32 $69,300 0.645% 64
Massachusetts 17,480 $41.05 $85,390 0.551% 35
California 76,070 $41.76 $86,860 0.524% 39
Washington 13,090 $38.09 $79,220 0.511% 43

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Delaware 550 $42.17 $87,720 0.137% 14
California 76,070 $41.76 $86,860 0.524% 39
Massachusetts 17,480 $41.05 $85,390 0.551% 35
New Jersey 16,630 $39.40 $81,940 0.430% 51
Maryland 10,880 $38.23 $79,530 0.445% 39

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 17,980 $45.13 $93,860 2.049%
Boulder-Longmont, CO PMSA 2,480 $42.67 $88,750 1.601%
Lowell, MA-NH PMSA 1,380 $40.80 $84,860 1.110%
Oakland, CA PMSA 10,180 $38.17 $79,390 1.001%
Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay, FL MSA 1,690 $35.87 $74,620 0.897%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Asheville, NC MSA 80 $52.56 $109,320 0.074%
Orange County, CA PMSA 7,800 $50.04 $104,090 0.544%
Santa Rosa, CA PMSA 350 $48.52 $100,920 0.184%
San Jose, CA PMSA 17,980 $45.13 $93,860 2.049%
Jersey City, NJ PMSA 1,580 $45.03 $93,660 0.654%

About May 2003 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) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include 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.

All Computer and Mathematical Science Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004