Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Software Developers
Occupation · SOC 15-1252.00
Research, design, and develop computer and network software or specialized utility programs. Analyze user needs and develop software solutions, applying principles and techniques of computer science, engineering, and mathematical analysis. Update software or enhance existing software capabilities. May work with computer hardware engineers to integrate hardware and software systems, and develop specifications and performance requirements. May maintain databases within an application area, working individually or coordinating database development as part of a team.
Also called: Developer · Software Architect · Software Developer · Software Engineer · Application Developer · Application Integration Engineer · DevOps Engineer (Development Operations Engineer) · Infrastructure Engineer · Software Development Engineer · Systems Engineer · AI Specialist (Artificial Intelligence Specialist) · Application Analyst
Job family: Computer and Mathematical Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-15-1252-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Growing fast employment outlook (+15.8% by 2034)
- 115,200 openings/yr
- High AI exposure
- Median pay $133,080/yr
91st-percentile task overlap — yet about 115,200 openings a year (+15.8% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High | 85th | 0.9 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High | 85th | 0.3 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.8), with simple added tooling (β 0.9), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.9). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints. | 33.7% | |
| Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements. | 10.1% | |
| Prepare reports or correspondence concerning project specifications, activities, or status. | 6.4% | |
| Consult with customers or other departments on project status, proposals, or technical issues, such as software system design or maintenance. | 4.5% | |
| Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan installation of a new system or modification of an existing system. | 1.9% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Growing fast · +15.8% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 115,200 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 1,693,800 → 1,961,400 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Tasks
All 19 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Monitor functioning of equipment to ensure system operates in conformance with specifications. · importance 4.1
- Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints. · importance 4.1
- Develop or direct software system testing or validation procedures, programming, or documentation. · importance 3.9
- Confer with systems analysts, engineers, programmers and others to design systems and to obtain information on project limitations and capabilities, performance requirements and interfaces. · importance 3.8
- Coordinate installation of software system. · importance 3.8
- Modify existing software to correct errors, adapt it to new hardware, or upgrade interfaces and improve performance. · importance 3.7
- Prepare reports or correspondence concerning project specifications, activities, or status. · importance 3.7
- Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan installation of a new system or modification of an existing system. · importance 3.6
- Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements. · importance 3.6
- Design, develop and modify software systems, using scientific analysis and mathematical models to predict and measure outcomes and consequences of design. · importance 3.6
- Determine system performance standards. · importance 3.5
- Supervise the work of programmers, technologists and technicians and other engineering and scientific personnel. · importance 3.5
- Consult with customers or other departments on project status, proposals, or technical issues, such as software system design or maintenance. · importance 3.4
- Confer with data processing or project managers to obtain information on limitations or capabilities for data processing projects. · importance 3.3
- Supervise and assign work to programmers, designers, technologists, technicians, or other engineering or scientific personnel. · importance 3.1
- Obtain and evaluate information on factors such as reporting formats required, costs, or security needs to determine hardware configuration. · importance 3.1
- Train users to use new or modified equipment. · importance 2.9
- Recommend purchase of equipment to control dust, temperature, or humidity in area of system installation.
- Specify power supply requirements and configuration.
Work activities
- Analyze project data to determine specifications or requirements.
- Collaborate with others to resolve information technology issues.
- Collaborate with others to determine design specifications or details.
- Provide technical support for software maintenance or use.
- Coordinate software or hardware installation.
- Apply mathematical principles or statistical approaches to solve problems in scientific or applied fields.
- Modify software programs to improve performance.
- Design software applications.
- Develop performance metrics or standards related to information technology.
- Develop testing routines or procedures.
- Manage information technology projects or system activities.
- Monitor computer system performance to ensure proper operation.
- Communicate project information to others.
- Assess database performance.
- Prepare data for analysis.
- Assign duties or work schedules to employees.
- Supervise information technology personnel.
- Teach others to use computer equipment or hardware.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Computers and Electronics | 4.8 | |
| Mathematics | 3.6 | |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.6 | |
| English Language | 3.3 | |
| Education and Training | 2.8 |
Transferable skills
| Programming | 4.0 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.6 | |
| Systems Analysis | 3.5 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.4 | |
| Technology Design | 3.4 | |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.4 | |
| Operations Analysis | 3.3 | |
| Time Management | 3.1 | |
| Coordination | 3.0 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.9 | |
| Instructing | 2.9 | |
| Service Orientation | 2.9 |
Essential skills
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.5 | |
| Active Learning | 3.5 | |
| Active Listening | 3.4 | |
| Writing | 3.3 | |
| Speaking | 3.1 | |
| Monitoring | 3.0 |
Abilities
| Oral Comprehension | 3.8 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.8 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.8 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.8 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.8 | |
| Near Vision | 3.8 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.6 | |
| Written Expression | 3.5 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.5 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.5 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.4 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.3 | |
| Originality | 3.1 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.1 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.0 | |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.9 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 157.
Tools & technology
Showing the top 40 of 430.
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
- Preparation level
- SVP (7.0 to < 8.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services , Engineering , Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians , Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Bachelor's Degree | 84.8% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 5.1% | |
| Master's Degree | 4.5% | |
| High School Diploma | 3.1% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 1.7% | |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 0.8% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Interest areas
| Information Technology | 6.6 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 5.1 | |
| Engineering | 4.6 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 2.8 | |
| Management/Administration | 2.3 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Investigative | 6.0 | |
| Conventional | 5.6 | |
| Realistic | 3.6 | |
| Artistic | 2.4 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 6.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 5.0 | |
| Intellectual Curiosity | 4.0 | |
| Achievement Orientation | 3.0 | |
| Innovation | 2.5 | |
| Adaptability | 2.1 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $79,850 |
| 25th percentile | $103,050 |
| Median (50th) | $133,080 |
| 75th percentile | $169,000 |
| 90th percentile | $211,450 |
| People employed | 1,654,440 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 690,860 | $130,250 |
| Information · Sector | 330,980 | $161,640 |
| Finance and Insurance · Sector | 160,000 | $132,880 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 141,300 | $134,910 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 99,720 | $133,650 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 63,860 | $131,640 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 63,100 | $133,040 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 34,950 | $129,610 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 27,990 | $135,510 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 21,840 | $104,110 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 17,620 | $150,900 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 15,840 | $123,550 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Information · Sector | 10.61× | 330,980 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 5.98× | 690,860 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 3.31× | 99,720 |
| Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers · National industry | 3.21× | 15,480 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 2.82× | 34,950 |
| Finance and Insurance · Sector | 2.39× | 160,000 |
| Testing Laboratories and Services · National industry | 1.65× | 3,010 |
| Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities · National industry | 1.15× | 750 |
Related occupations
Part of the Arts, Entertainment, & Design and Digital Technology career clusters.
- Computer Systems Engineers/Architects · 15-1299.08 Compare →
- Computer Systems Analysts · 15-1211.00 Compare →
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- Computer Programmers · 15-1251.00 Compare →
- Database Administrators · 15-1242.00 Compare →
- Database Architects · 15-1243.00 Compare →
- Computer Hardware Engineers · 17-2061.00 Compare →
- Computer Network Architects · 15-1241.00 Compare →
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- Web and Digital Interface Designers · 15-1255.00 Compare →
- Blockchain Engineers · 15-1299.07 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Software Developers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Bachelor's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services · field of study
- Engineering · field of study
Zoom out
See where this work sits in the bigger picture.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Software Developers show 91st-percentile AI task overlap — and about 115,200 annual U.S. openings
- Software Developers rank in the 91st percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 115,200 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+15.8%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $133,080, across about 1,654,440 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Software Developers show 91st-percentile AI task overlap — and about 115,200 annual U.S. openings • Software Developers rank in the 91st percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 115,200 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+15.8%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $133,080, across about 1,654,440 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Software Developers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-15-1252-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
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.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Software Developers." 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/roles/role-15-1252-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Software Developers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-15-1252-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-15-1252-00,
title = {Software Developers},
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/roles/role-15-1252-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.