IT employment spans software, support, networks, cybersecurity, data, research, and related computer occupations. In the United States, the latest figures below distinguish May 2024 OEWS estimates, 2025 Occupational Outlook Handbook observations, and BLS projections for 2024–34 or 2025–35.
Key IT Employment Statistics
The most useful headline figures are:
- In May 2024, 5,192,890 people worked in U.S. computer and mathematical occupations, earning a mean annual wage of $116,810.
- In May 2024, 4,786,660 people worked in U.S. computer occupations, with a mean annual wage of $116,770.
- In May 2024, 2,154,370 U.S. workers were employed in software and web development, programming, and testing, with mean annual pay of $135,910.
- In May 2024, 1,654,440 U.S. software developers earned mean annual pay of $144,570.
- In May 2025, software developers had a median annual wage of $135,980 in the United States.
- In May 2025, the highest-paid 10% of U.S. software developers earned more than $214,670 annually.
- In May 2024, 843,660 U.S. computer support specialists earned mean annual pay of $67,530.
- In May 2024, 633,540 U.S. database and network administrators and architects earned mean annual pay of $115,840.
- In May 2024, 179,430 U.S. information security analysts earned mean annual pay of $127,730.
- In May 2025, information security analysts had a median annual wage of $129,180 in the United States.
- From 2025 to 2035, U.S. information security analyst employment is projected to grow 21%, with about 14,100 openings per year.
- In May 2024, 233,440 U.S. data scientists earned mean annual pay of $124,590.
- From 2024 to 2034, U.S. data scientist employment is projected to grow 33.5%, adding 82,500 jobs.
- From 2024 to 2034, U.S. computer and information technology occupations are projected to have about 317,700 openings per year.
- In 2025, software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers held 1,905,400 U.S. jobs as a group.
- From 2025 to 2035, the software developer, QA analyst, and tester group is projected to reach 2,090,800 U.S. jobs.
- In 2025, computer systems design and related services employed 29% of U.S. software developers.
Contents
- The size and pay of computer occupations
- Software developer and tester employment data
- IT support, network, database, and web jobs
- Cybersecurity employment statistics and demand
- Data science and research IT trends
- IT employment outlook, openings, and industry concentration
The Size and Pay of Computer Occupations
The broadest May 2024 OEWS measure covers computer and mathematical occupations, while the narrower computer-occupations aggregate excludes mathematical occupations. They are separate populations, so the figures should not be added together.
| U.S. occupation population | May 2024 employment | Mean annual pay |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and mathematical occupations | 5,192,890 | $116,810 |
| Computer occupations | 4,786,660 | $116,770 |
| Computer and information analysts | 677,230 | $116,130 |
| Computer systems analysts | 497,800 | $111,960 |
| Computer and information research scientists | 38,480 | $152,310 |
Source: Occupational Employment and Wages—May 2024. These are national OEWS employment and mean-wage estimates, not a count of every job informally described as IT.
Computer support specialists were a large occupational aggregate in the same release, with 843,660 workers and mean annual pay of $67,530 in May 2024. The category includes network and user support specialists, which is why its population differs from individual support occupations below.
The wage measure also matters. Mean annual pay is an average, while the 2025 figures in the Occupational Outlook Handbook sections use median wages; those measures are not interchangeable.
Software Developer and Tester Employment Data
Software and web developers, programmers, and testers together accounted for 2,154,370 U.S. workers in May 2024, with mean annual pay of $135,910. Within that aggregate, software developers were the largest named group.
| Occupation | May 2024 U.S. employment | Mean annual pay |
|---|---|---|
| Software developers | 1,654,440 | $144,570 |
| Software quality assurance analysts and testers | 199,800 | $110,260 |
| Web developers | 78,860 | $98,790 |
| Web and digital interface designers | 111,400 | $111,450 |
Source: Occupational Employment and Wages—May 2024. The table uses May 2024 OEWS estimates.
The later BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook uses a different 2025 series and reports about 1.7 million software developer jobs and about 187,600 software quality assurance analyst and tester jobs. In May 2025, median annual wages were $135,980 for software developers and $104,300 for software quality assurance analysts and testers.
For software developers, the May 2025 wage distribution ran from below $82,460 for the lowest-paid 10% to above $214,670 for the highest-paid 10%. Industry matters: software publishers paid software developers a $164,550 median annual wage, while manufacturing paid software quality assurance analysts and testers a $129,930 median annual wage.
Source: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers: Occupational Outlook Handbook. The OOH job counts are rounded, and its median wages should not be compared directly with the May 2024 mean wages.
IT Support, Network, Database, and Web Jobs
May 2024 OEWS data show how varied IT employment is below the software headline. Support roles have large populations, while specialized architecture and database roles have higher mean pay in the same national estimate.
- Computer network support specialists employed 146,450 people and had mean annual pay of $79,610.
- Computer user support specialists employed 697,210 people and had mean annual pay of $64,990.
- Computer network architects employed 177,010 people and had mean annual pay of $135,890.
- Database administrators employed 73,180 people and had mean annual pay of $107,440.
- Database architects employed 64,770 people and had mean annual pay of $142,620.
- Network and computer systems administrators employed 318,570 people and had mean annual pay of $101,190.
- The residual category “computer occupations, all other” covered 439,380 workers and had mean annual pay of $116,700.
Source: Occupational Employment and Wages—May 2024. These are occupational estimates, and the residual category should not be treated as a single specific IT career.
The 2025 OOH comparison table reports a $99,130 median annual wage for network and computer systems administrators. That figure is a 2025 median for the occupation and is not the same measure as the May 2024 OEWS mean of $101,190.
Cybersecurity Employment Statistics and Demand
Information security analysts represented 179,430 U.S. workers in May 2024, with mean annual pay of $127,730. The 2025 OOH series reports about 192,900 jobs and a May 2025 median annual wage of $129,180, reflecting a different reference year and estimate series.
| Information security analyst measure | United States figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Employment | 179,430 workers | May 2024 OEWS |
| Employment | About 192,900 jobs | 2025 OOH |
| Median annual wage | $129,180 | May 2025 |
| Lowest-paid 10% threshold | Below $75,090 | May 2025 |
| Highest-paid 10% threshold | Above $199,850 | May 2025 |
Source: Information Security Analysts: Occupational Outlook Handbook and Occupational Employment and Wages—May 2024. The employment counts come from different BLS products and should not be interpreted as a measured increase between the two dates.
In 2025, computer systems design and related services employed 22% of information security analysts, while finance and insurance employed 17%. These are shares of the occupation’s employment, not the share of workers in either industry who work in cybersecurity.
BLS projects information security analyst employment to rise 21% from 2025 to 2035, from 192,900 jobs to 233,400, a projected numeric increase of 40,600. The projection also includes about 14,100 openings per year, and the agency states that openings include replacement needs as well as growth.
Data Science and Research IT Trends
The data and quantitative side of IT includes data scientists, operations research analysts, statisticians, actuaries, mathematicians, and research scientists. May 2024 OEWS estimates show both the scale and the pay differences across these populations.
| Occupation | May 2024 U.S. employment | Mean annual pay |
|---|---|---|
| Data scientists | 233,440 | $124,590 |
| Operations research analysts | 107,760 | $99,120 |
| Statisticians | 29,800 | $112,330 |
| Actuaries | 28,340 | $134,990 |
| Mathematicians | 2,220 | $122,520 |
| Computer and information research scientists | 38,480 | $152,310 |
Source: Occupational Employment and Wages—May 2024. The mathematician estimate is small, and all values are national OEWS estimates with mean annual wages.
The BLS 2024–34 projection series is especially strong for data scientists: employment is projected to grow 33.5%, adding 82,500 jobs. Operations research analysts are projected to grow 21.5%, adding 24,100 jobs; computer and information research scientists 19.7%, adding 7,900 jobs; and actuaries 21.8%, adding 7,300 jobs.
Source: Artificial intelligence, information technology, and employment, 2024–34. These are modeled BLS projections, not observed changes or guaranteed outcomes.
IT Employment Outlook, Openings, and Industry Concentration
Across computer and information technology occupations, BLS projects about 317,700 openings per year on average from 2024 to 2034. Openings reflect both employment growth and replacement of workers who permanently leave an occupation.
The software developer, quality assurance analyst, and tester group held 1,905,400 U.S. jobs in 2025 and is projected to reach 2,090,800 jobs in 2035, an increase of 185,400. The group is projected to have about 106,100 openings per year from 2025 to 2035.
Source: Computer and Information Technology Occupations: Occupational Outlook Handbook and Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers: Occupational Outlook Handbook. Rounded components may not sum exactly, and projected openings are not guaranteed hires.
Within that group, BLS projects software developer employment to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, from 1,717,800 to 1,892,600 jobs. Software quality assurance analyst and tester employment is projected to grow 6%, from 187,600 to 198,200 jobs.
In 2025, computer systems design and related services employed 29% of software developers, finance and insurance employed 11%, and software publishers employed 10%. These industry shares describe where software developers worked, not the share of each industry’s workforce in software development.
A separate BLS projection vintage reports software developer employment increasing by 267,700 jobs, or 15.8%, from 2024 to 2034. That 2024–34 projection should be kept separate from the OOH 2025–35 baseline rather than combined with it.
Source: Artificial intelligence, information technology, and employment, 2024–34. Projections are forecasts, and the differing periods and baselines explain why the growth figures are not interchangeable.