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Software Developers vs Data Scientists

Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index

A factual, source-backed comparison of Software Developers and Data Scientists on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”

Software Developers Data Scientists
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$133,080
$112,590
Employment · BLS OEWS
1,654,440
233,440
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
85th pct
98th pct

At a glance

Dimension Software Developers Data Scientists
Median pay $133,080 $112,590
Employment 1,654,440 233,440
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection Growing fast (+15.8%) Growing fast (+33.5%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 115,200 23,400
Typical education · O*NET Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
AI exposure · published exposure studies High · 85th pct High · 98th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk — —
Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index — —
Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman — —

Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.

Skills

Specific to Software Developers

  • Computers and Electronics
  • Programming
  • Critical Thinking
  • Oral Comprehension
  • Written Comprehension
  • Oral Expression
  • Problem Sensitivity
  • Deductive Reasoning

Specific to Data Scientists

    Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).

    Tools & technology

    Shared: Data base user interface and query software , Development environment software , Content workflow software , Object or component oriented development software , Web platform development software , Application server software , File versioning software , Enterprise application integration software , Operating system software , Data base management system software , Business intelligence and data analysis software .

    Specific to Software Developers

    Specific to Data Scientists

    Full profiles

    This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Software Developers or Data Scientists — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.

    More comparisons

    Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.

    Sources for this page

    Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

    Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

    Cite this page
    Plain

    Singulariki. "Software Developers vs Data Scientists." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/software-developers-vs-data-scientists

    APA

    Singulariki. (2026). Software Developers vs Data Scientists. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/software-developers-vs-data-scientists

    BibTeX 
    @misc{singulariki-software-developers-vs-data-scientists,
  title  = {Software Developers vs Data Scientists},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/compare/software-developers-vs-data-scientists}
}

    Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.