The advancement of technology has had a significant impact on many industries, including the software development sector, which has become one of the fastest growing in recent years.
This trend is expected to continue as technology advances, increasing demand for software development and developers.
These changes happen quickly, so we compiled a comprehensive list of the many patterns and trends influencing the software industry today and in years to come.
Top 6 Software Development Statistics (Editor’s Pick)
- 91.88% of software developers in 2022 were male.
- The most used programming language by software developers in 2022 was JavaScript.
- In 2022, .NET was the most used framework by software developers.
- On average, developing customer relationship management systems in 2023 costs $100,000.
- In 2022, 75% of American software developers worked in private organizations.
- The least-paid software developer role in 2022 was an academic researcher.
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General Software Development Statistics
1. There are 27.7 million software developers worldwide in 2023.
This number is projected to be 28.7 million software developers globally by 2024.
2. 1.63 million software developers and QA were employed in the US in 2022.
Predictions say there will be about 2 million in 2032.
3. In 2021, the global custom software development market was worth $24.46 billion.
It is expected to have a 22.3% CAGR from 2022 to 2030.
4. The US custom software development market was worth $8.3 billion in 2021.
Per projections, it will have a CAGR of 19.4% between 2022 and 2030.
5. Per forecasts, software development revenue will reach $659 billion in 2023.
Enterprise Software, the largest software development segment, will reach $271.80 billion in 2023.
6. Software development revenue is expected to reach a market size of $858.10 billion by 2028.
This is a CAGR of 5.42% between 2023 and 2028. The US alone will generate a revenue of $338.20 billion in 2023.
7. 56% of software developers in the US worked in the technology industry in 2021.
10% worked with Fortune 500 companies, 10% in the professional sector, 4% in the finance industry, and 3% in the Internet industry.
Software Development Statistics by Demography
8. 91.88% of software developers in 2022 were male.
5.17% were women, 1.67% were non-binary or gender non-conforming, and 1.65% preferred not to say.
9. As of 2021, over 620,000 software developers were employed in the United States.
79.3% were men, and 20.7% were female.
10. 52.5% of software developers in the US in 2021 were White.
29.9% were Asian, 8.2% were Hispanic or Latino, 4.8% were unknown, 4.5% were Black or African American, and 0.1% were American Indian and Alaska Native.
11. The average age of software developers in the US in 2021 was 39 years.
The average age of Black or African American women software developers was 46, and 37 for men.
Gender | Race | Average Age |
---|---|---|
Male | Black | 37 |
Female | Black | 46 |
Male | White | 39 |
Female | White | 40 |
Male | Asian | 38 |
Female | Asian | 37 |
Male | Hispanic or Latino | 36 |
Female | Hispanic or Latino | 34 |
Male | Unknown | 37 |
Female | Unknown | 34 |
Male | American Indians and Alaska Natives | 41 |
12. 72% of software developers in 2021 had a bachelor’s degree.
20% had a master’s degree, 5% had an associate degree, 2% had a diploma, and 1% had other degrees.
Tools and Technology of Software Development Statistics
13. The most used programming language by software developers in 2022 was JavaScript.
It was used by 65.36% of software developers, followed by HTML/CSS, with 55.08% using it.
Programming Language | Popularity % |
---|---|
JavaScript | 65.36 |
HTML/CSS | 55.08 |
SQL | 49.43 |
Python | 48.07 |
TypeScript | 34.83 |
Java | 33.27 |
14. Delphi and Groovy were software developers' least-used programming languages in 2022.
Only about 3% of them used these languages. Other programming languages with less than 5% of the software development population using them were Lua, Matlab, VBA, R, and Swift.
15. 50% of surveyed software developers used open-source software in 2022.
47% engaged in open-source, 47% said their engagement increased since the pandemic, 46% said there was no change, and 8% said their involvement decreased.
16. Software developers who worked at startups and enterprises in 2022 also used open-source.
55% of those with a year or less experience were more likely to have participated in open-source. Meanwhile, 54% said they were open to being open-source project contributors and 14% were maintaining open-source projects.
17. 68% of software developer respondents in 2022 said they used containers for some of their projects.
69% of those using containers expect to use more in 2023.
18. 43% of software developers used serverless technology in 2022.
61% expected to increase their usage, while 9% of those without serverless technology in 2022 said they might adopt it.
19. In 2022, 57% of software developers used automation tools.
41% believed they would use more of these tools, while 43% had not used them at all.
20. 21% of software developers in 2022 said low-code/no-code tools were over-praised.
While 30.2% of those with less than a year of experience said it made their jobs easier.
21. In 2022, .NET was the most used framework by software developers.
34.55% of software developer respondents used the framework in 2022.
Framework | % of Usage |
---|---|
.Net | 34.55 |
NumPy | 28.65 |
Pandas | 25.08 |
Spring | 16.13 |
TensorFlow | 12.95 |
Flutter | 12.64 |
Scikit-Learn | 12.59 |
React Native | 12.57 |
Apache Kafka | 10.35 |
Others | <10 each |
Software Development Statistics by Time and Cost
22. There was a 7.1% growth in IT spending on enterprise software in 2022.
The total amount spent on enterprise software globally in 2022 was $783 billion.
23. The average CPL for paid channels in the US software development industry was around $680 in 2022.
While the average cost per lead for organic channels was $510.
24. Software companies spent 18% of their revenue on IT in 2022.
Meanwhile, the tech hosting/cloud industry spent 11% of its revenue on IT, and the financial services industry spent 10%.
25. As of 2023, the development cost of CMS is around $20,000 to $50,000.
However, this only covers the cost of a regular platform with basic needs like the overall design, a few custom features, and configuration.
26. On average, developing customer relationship management systems in 2023 costs $100,000.
This is the price of a small platform. A large and complex platform can cost $600,000 or more.
27. The cost of developing enterprise resource planning systems in 2023 is about $100,000.
However, a large company with complex features, extensive data, and advanced features can cost around $150,000 to $500,000.
28. In 2023, the cost of software development for eCommerce platforms is around $20,000 to $70,000.
A custom eCommerce system built from scratch costs around $50,000, depending on the enterprise’s size and the solution’s complexity.
29. Developing a supply chain management solution in 2023 costs an average of $100,000 to $300,000.
This covers the entire process, from raw materials to the final product.
However, a more complex solution will cost more.
30. As of 2023, developing non-complex SaaS products costs around $25,000.
The price can go as high as $100,000+, depending on the complexity of the product.
31. As of 2022, 19% of software developers globally spent between one and four years coding.
While 0.34% of them have spent 50 years or more coding.
Software Development Employment Statistics
32. 27% of software developers with 1+ year(s) of work experience started new jobs in 2022.
Additionally, one in five developers with job experience of at least 15 years started a new job in 2022. Meanwhile, those with fewer years of experience would likely be shifting jobs.
33. Higher compensation was the top motivation for software developers who had already started new jobs or considered leaving in 2022.
The share was 27% and 28%, respectively. The second most common motivation was full-time remote or flexible work at 24% and 21%.
34. In 2022, 75% of American software developers worked in private organizations.
24% worked in public organizations, and 2% worked in education.
35. In the United States, 30% of software developers in 2021 worked in companies with 100 to 500 employees.
In contrast, 22% worked in companies with over 10,000 employees.
Company Size | % of Software Developers |
---|---|
<50 | 3 |
50 - 100 | 19 |
100 - 500 | 30 |
500 - 1,000 | 9 |
1,000 - 10,000 | 17 |
>10,000 | 22 |
36. 146 US software developers as of February 2023 were unemployed.
This is a rise from 126 in February 2022. Furthermore, 2.1% of male and 2.5% of female software developers were unemployed in February 2023.
37. The overall employment of software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers in the US is projected to grow by 25% from 2021 to 2031.
There are also expected to be about 162,900 job openings every year in the projected timeframe due to retirement or career change.
38. The average number of years software developers in the US stay in a job as of 2021 was 1 to 2 years.
40% of software developers stayed in one job for one to two years.
Duration (Years) | % of Software Developers |
---|---|
<1 | 30 |
1 - 2 | 40 |
3 - 7 | 11 |
8 - 10 | 4 |
11+ | 5 |
39. California was the US state with the highest employment level of software developers in 2021.
The state had about 228,240 employed software developers. It is followed by Texas with 103,510 employed, Washington with 81,520, New York with 75,790, and Virginia with 68,250.
Software Development Salary Statistics
40. The average annual salary of software developers in the US in 2021 was $120,730.
They earned an average of $52.41 per hour. The lowest 10% earned less than $64,470, while the highest 10% earned more than $168,570.
41. The highest-paying US state for software developers in 2021 was California.
The average annual salary for software developers in this state was $146,770 and $70.56 per hour.
State | Average Annual Salary |
---|---|
California | $146,770 |
Washington | $145,150 |
Maryland | $131,240 |
New York | $129,950 |
Rhode Island | $128,790 |
42. The highest-paying company in the United States as of September 2022 was Meta.
The company paid an average of $209,110 annually. The second highest-paying company was CloudRay, which paid about $201,281 annually, followed by Google at $200,333 annually.
43. The top-paying industry for software developers in 2022 was real estate.
The industry paid an average of $120,632 per year.
Industry | Average Annual Salary (USD) |
---|---|
Real Estate | $120,632 |
Human Resources & Staffing | $120,575 |
Agriculture | $120,240 |
Financial Services | $119,785 |
Information Technology | $119,414 |
44. As of March 2023, entry-level software developers in the US with less than one year of experience earn an annual average of $66,786.
Those with one to four years of experience make a yearly average of $73,412.
Experience Level (Per Year) | Average Annual Salary |
---|---|
<1 | $66,786 |
1 - 4 | $73,417 |
5 - 9 | $86,982 |
10 - 19 | $98,393 |
20> | $102,191 |
45. ‘Senior executive’ was the highest-paid software developer role among those surveyed in 2022.
These professionals earned an average of $117,126 annually.
Next in line was engineering manager, with an annual salary of about $111,976, followed site reliability engineer, with a yearly salary of $96,000.
46. The least-paid software developer role in 2022 was an academic researcher.
Academic researchers earned around $56,304. Other lower-paying software developer roles were mobile developer with $57,558, front-end developer with $61,561.5, and educator with $63,114.
Remote Software Development Statistics
47. Software engineers got more interview requests for remote work in 2021.
Those who were open to remote work received 20% more interview requests than those who were not.
48. The top skill required for software engineers to work remotely in 2021 was the ability to work independently.
In order of importance, other skills were strong written and verbal communication, time management, adaptability & flexibility, and leadership & managerial skills.
49. In 2022, 7.10% of software development companies were remote.
The software development industry was one of the first to adopt remote work.
Still, it has the lowest number of remote companies compared to other industries like Architecture, where 18.71% are remote.
50. In 2022, most companies that embraced remote work had 51 to 200 employees (38.06%).
Companies with 50 or fewer employees followed them at 32.42%.
Meanwhile, companies with 500 to 1,000 and 1,000+ employees were less likely to adopt remote work (7.90% and 2.74%, respectively).
51. 33.44% of software development jobs in Q1 2022 were permanently remote.
It rose from Q4 2021, when only 24.44% of jobs were remote.
Outsourcing Software Development Statistics
52. In 2023, segment IT outsourcing revenue is projected to reach $430.50 billion.
It is expected to have a CAGR rate of 8.07% between 2023 and 2027.
This will make the market share reach $587.30 billion by 2027.
53. Each employee is projected to spend an average of $123.60 in segment IT outsourcing in 2023.
The most segment IT outsourcing will be generated from the US in 2023, reaching about $156.20 billion.
54. The main reason for outsourcing among IT leaders in 2022 was cost.
Regarding outsourcing, roughly 70% cited cost as the top priority.
40% cited flexibility, 20% cited speed to market, and 15% cited access to tools and processes and agility.
55. In 2022, outsourcing was used as a strategy to fortify cybersecurity defenses.
It was expected, with 62% of cyber leaders having understaffed teams and 60% of organizations experiencing security risks due to understaffing.
Furthermore, 83% of IT leaders with in-house security teams are considering outsourcing in 2023.
56. The software outsourcing rates in 2022 differed by region.
In North America, the rate ranged from $62 to $209.
Region | Outsourcing Rate (USD) |
---|---|
North America | $62 - $209 |
Latin America | $34 - $96 |
Central and Eastern Europe | $26 - $95 |
South Asia | $24 to $71 |
Southeast Asia | $18 to $70 |
Software Development Is the Future
The statistics throughout this guide prove that software development is here to stay.
As a professional in software development and a business owner, it is essential to keep up with the industry’s ever-changing trends as it grows.
You can also gain insights into other technology sectors by reading our big data statistics and cloud computing statistics articles.
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