← All 785 jobsFile 15-1252
Software Developers
Also filed here: Software engineer, Software developer, Developer, Programmer, Coder, Sde and 14 more
Heavily edited
AI already performs a large share of the work in this job. Even so, the BLS expects 10.2% more of these jobs by 2035, faster than the 3.5% average.
Programmers mostly use AI inside their coding tools, which consumer Copilot data does not see, so this file probably understates how much AI touches the job.
- Rank
- #130 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +10.2% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $135,980 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 1.7 million in the US, with about 95,300 openings a year
The work, 17 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
AI helps with this: Evaluate designs, specifications, or other technical data13%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 903 conversations, and it got them there 86% of the time.
AI helps with this: Design computer or information systems or applications8%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 938 conversations, and it got them there 85% of the time.
AI does this: Communicate with others about specifications or project details8%
AI performed this in about 1 in 117 Copilot conversations and completed it 78% of the time.
Still yours: Supervise personnel activities8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Direct scientific or technical activities8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Advise others on the design or use of technologies8%
AI performed this in about 1 in 97 Copilot conversations and completed it 91% of the time.
AI helps with this: Monitor operation of computer or information technologies4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,040 conversations, and it got them there 88% of the time.
AI does this: Evaluate the characteristics, usefulness, or performance of products or technologies4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 237 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
AI does this: Analyze scientific or applied data using mathematical principles4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 709 Copilot conversations and completed it 58% of the time.
AI helps with this: Determine resource needs of projects or operations4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,590 conversations, and it got them there 92% of the time.
AI does this: Develop technical specifications for products or operations4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,901 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
AI does this: Develop operational or technical procedures or standards4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,089 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
AI does this: Process digital or online data4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 136 Copilot conversations and completed it 81% of the time.
AI does this: Document technical designs, procedures, or activities4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 779 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
AI helps with this: Coordinate with others to resolve problems4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 738 conversations, and it got them there 83% of the time.
Still yours: Train others to use equipment or products4%
AI does this in desk jobs, but in this one it is mostly hands-on.
Still yours: Assign work to others4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 110 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 95,300 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
BLS on AIAI can do many coding tasks, but productivity gains may raise demand for software, so BLS judged a decline unlikely. Source ↗
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 43% of the workComputer and Information Research Scientists26% AI does, against 42% here+21.8% by 2035 · $140,300 · Master’s degree
- Shares 42% of the workComputer Network Architects36% AI does, against 42% here+7.7% by 2035 · $134,050 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 29% of the workAerospace Engineers24% AI does, against 42% here+8.3% by 2035 · $134,960 · Bachelor’s degree
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.28, higher than 85% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Programmers mostly use AI inside their coding tools, which consumer Copilot data does not see, so this file probably understates how much AI touches the job.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 15-1252 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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