Computer workforce statistics show a large, highly paid U.S. labor market alongside strong projected growth in several technical specialties. The measures below distinguish observed employment and wages from forecasts, and U.S. occupational definitions from the European Union’s ICT-specialist classification.
Key Computer Workforce Statistics
The most broadly useful figures span workforce size, compensation, demand and participation:
- 5,192,890 people worked in U.S. computer and mathematical occupations in May 2024, with a mean annual pay of $116,810.
- 4,786,660 people worked in U.S. computer occupations in May 2024, with a mean annual pay of $116,770.
- 2,154,370 U.S. workers were software and web developers, programmers, and testers in May 2024, with mean annual pay of $135,910.
- Computer and mathematical employment was forecast to increase 12.9% from 2023 to 2033 in the United States, adding 699,000 jobs.
- About 317,700 computer and information technology openings per year were projected for 2024–34 in the United States, including growth and replacement demand.
- Data scientists held 245,900 U.S. jobs in 2024, with median annual pay of $112,590.
- Data-scientist employment was projected to grow 34% from 2024 to 2034 in the United States, adding 82,500 jobs.
- Computer and information research scientists had median annual pay of $140,910 in May 2024 in the United States.
- Information security analysts held 182,800 U.S. jobs in 2024, with employment projected to reach 234,900 in 2034.
- Information security analyst employment was projected to grow 29% from 2024 to 2034 in the United States, adding 52,100 jobs.
- Computer systems analysts held 521,100 U.S. jobs in 2024, with 9% projected employment growth through 2034.
- Web developers and digital designers held 214,900 U.S. jobs in 2024, with 7% projected growth from 2024 to 2034.
- The EU had more than 10 million ICT specialists in 2024, representing 5.0% of all employed people.
- Sweden’s ICT specialists represented 8.6% of employment in 2024, the highest share reported among EU countries.
- Women represented 19.5% of EU ICT specialists in 2024, while men represented 80.5%.
Contents
- Computer workforce size and pay
- Computer workforce projections and openings
- Software, data and research workforce statistics
- Cybersecurity, systems and support workforce data
- Web and digital design workforce statistics
- Global ICT workforce participation
Computer Workforce Size and Pay Statistics
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates provide a May 2024 snapshot of U.S. employment and mean pay. Computer occupations are a subgroup of computer and mathematical occupations, so the totals should not be added together.
| U.S. occupational group, May 2024 | Employment | Mean annual pay |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and mathematical occupations | 5,192,890 | $116,810 |
| Computer occupations | 4,786,660 | $116,770 |
| Software and web developers, programmers, and testers | 2,154,370 | $135,910 |
| Computer support specialists | 843,660 | $67,530 |
| Computer and information analysts | 677,230 | $116,130 |
| Computer systems analysts | 497,800 | $111,960 |
| Information security analysts | 179,430 | $127,730 |
| Computer and information research scientists | 38,480 | $152,310 |
Source: Occupational Employment and Wages — May 2024. These are BLS OEWS estimates, and mean wage is different from median wage.
A separate BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook measure reported a May 2024 median annual wage of $105,990 for computer and information technology occupations, compared with $49,500 for all occupations in the United States. The broader computer and mathematical group had a May 2023 mean hourly wage of $54.39 and mean annual wage of $113,140, from the earlier OEWS release.
Source: Computer and Information Technology Occupations — Occupational Outlook Handbook and Occupational Employment and Wages — May 2024.
Computer Workforce Projections and Annual Openings
BLS projections describe possible employment levels, not realized outcomes. The 2023–33 projection placed computer and mathematical employment at 5.4176 million in 2023 and 6.1167 million in 2033, a 12.9% increase and 699,000 additional jobs.
| Projection measure | 2023 | 2033 | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and mathematical occupations | 5.4176 million | 6.1167 million | 12.9% |
| Computer occupations | 5.0218 million | 5.6085 million | 11.7% |
| All U.S. employment | 167.8498 million | 174.5890 million | 4.0% |
Computer and mathematical occupations were the second-fastest-growing BLS major occupational group in the 2023–33 projections. For the later 2024–34 outlook, BLS projected about 317,700 annual openings in computer and information technology occupations; openings include replacement needs as well as net growth.
Source: Industry and occupational employment projections overview and highlights, 2023–33 and Computer and Information Technology Occupations — Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Industry projections also show where demand may be concentrated, although industries include non-computer roles:
- Computer systems design and related services were projected to grow 19.5%, from 2,500,100 to 2,987,700 jobs, between 2023 and 2033.
- Software publishers were projected to grow 20.4%, from 656,000 to 790,100 jobs, over the same period.
- Computing infrastructure providers, data processing, web hosting, and related services were projected to grow 19.5%, from 489,600 to 585,000 jobs.
- Information-sector employment was projected to grow 7.1%, from 3,027,100 to 3,242,900 jobs.
- Professional, scientific, and technical services were projected to grow 10.5% and add 1,135,500 jobs.
The 2025 BLS matrix separately listed 280,000 annual openings for computer occupations over 2025–35. That is a newer projection vintage than the 2024–34 OOH figure and should not be combined with it as one series.
Software, Data and Research Workforce Statistics
Data and research roles combine substantial current employment with strong projected growth, while adjacent mathematical occupations have different classifications. BLS reported 245,900 data-scientist jobs in 2024 and median annual pay of $112,590.
| Role or projection | Employment or growth | Pay or period |
|---|---|---|
| Data scientists | 245,900 jobs | $112,590 median, 2024 |
| Data scientists | 34% growth; 82,500 added jobs | 2024–34 forecast |
| Computer and information research scientists | 20% growth | 2024–34 forecast |
| Computer programmers | -9.6% growth | 2023–33 forecast |
| Operations research analysts | 23.0% growth | 2023–33 forecast |
| Actuaries | 21.8% growth | 2023–33 forecast |
Source: Data Scientists — Occupational Outlook Handbook, Computer and Information Technology Occupations — Occupational Outlook Handbook, and Industry and occupational employment projections overview and highlights, 2023–33.
Computer and information research scientists had $140,910 median annual pay in May 2024. The lowest-paid 10% earned under $80,670, while the highest-paid 10% earned over $232,120; in software publishing, the occupation’s median annual pay was $237,990.
These wage figures are BLS occupation and industry measures, not a complete earnings distribution. Operations research analysts and actuaries are mathematical-science-adjacent occupations rather than computer occupations, and the 36.0% data-scientist projection for 2023–33 is an earlier BLS projection vintage than the 2024–34 outlook.
Cybersecurity, Systems and Support Workforce Data
Cybersecurity and systems analysis illustrate how technical workforce size, pay and openings differ by occupation and measurement series. BLS estimated 182,800 information security analyst jobs in 2024, with 234,900 projected in 2034.
| Occupation | 2024 employment | Median pay, May 2024 | Projected growth, 2024–34 | Annual openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information security analysts | 182,800 | $124,910 | 29%; 52,100 jobs | 16,000 |
| Computer systems analysts | 521,100 | $103,790 | 9% | 34,200 |
Source: Information Security Analysts — Occupational Outlook Handbook and Computer Systems Analysts — Occupational Outlook Handbook.
For information security analysts, the information industry median was $136,390 in May 2024. Computer systems analysts had 521,100 jobs in 2024, and BLS projected about 34,200 annual openings for 2024–34; these annual averages include replacement openings.
Web and Digital Design Workforce Statistics
BLS grouped web developers and digital designers into a combined 2024 workforce of 214,900 jobs, with overall employment projected to grow 7% from 2024 to 2034 and about 14,500 annual openings.
| Occupation | 2024 jobs | Median annual pay, May 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Web and digital designers, combined | 214,900 | — |
| Web and digital interface designers | 128,900 | $98,090 |
| Web developers | 86,000 | $90,930 |
Source: Web Developers and Digital Designers — Occupational Outlook Handbook. The combined group’s openings are a 2024–34 annual average, including replacement demand.
Industry distribution provides context for where these workers were employed. Computer systems design and related services employed 12% of web and digital interface designers and 24% of web developers in 2024, so the occupation is distributed beyond that industry.
Global ICT Workforce Participation and Demographic Trends
Eurostat uses an ICT-specialist definition that is not directly interchangeable with U.S. BLS computer-occupation totals. In the European Union, more than 10 million people worked as ICT specialists in 2024, representing 5.0% of all employed people.
| EU measure, 2024 | Share or change |
|---|---|
| EU ICT specialists as a share of employment | 5.0% |
| Change from 2023 to 2024 | +0.2 percentage points |
| Change from 2014 to 2024 | +1.6 percentage points |
| Women among ICT specialists | 19.5% |
| Men among ICT specialists | 80.5% |
Source: Rising share of ICT specialists among employed people. The sex figures are Eurostat’s reported binary breakdown.
Country differences were substantial in 2024:
- Sweden had the EU’s highest ICT-specialist employment share at 8.6%.
- Luxembourg’s ICT-specialist share was 8.0% of employment.
- Finland’s ICT-specialist share was 7.8%.
- Romania’s ICT-specialist share was 2.8%.
- Greece’s ICT-specialist share was 2.5%.
These country percentages measure ICT specialists as a share of employed people within each country. They describe participation in the EU classification and should not be read as a direct ranking against the U.S. occupational totals or wage measures above.