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How far software developer pay postings run above official wages
Pittsburgh, PA ranks highest at +76.3%; Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD is lowest at -4.5% (19 metro areas, October 2026).
Median posted pay for software developer roles compared with the Bureau of Labor Statistics median wage for software developers in the same metro area. Posted pay is for open jobs; the official wage covers everyone already employed.
| # | Metro area | Posted pay vs BLS median for software developers | Postings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pittsburgh, PA | +76.3% | 1,128 | |
| 2 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | +71.3% | 1,882 | |
| 3 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | +42.9% | 5,914 | |
| 4 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | +38.5% | 3,705 | |
| 5 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | +30.3% | 3,771 | |
| 6 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | +26.8% | 12,642 | |
| 7 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | +26% | 5,058 | |
| 8 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | +25.5% | 4,540 | |
| 9 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | +25.4% | 2,988 | |
| 10 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | +24.6% | 3,856 | |
| 11 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | +23.7% | 17,941 | |
| 12 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | +20.2% | 1,291 | |
| 13 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | +19.9% | 10,784 | |
| 14 | Colorado Springs, CO | +18% | 410 | |
| 15 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | +15.6% | 1,452 | |
| 16 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | +14.4% | 5,962 | |
| 17 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | +14% | 1,937 | |
| 18 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | -1% | 5,981 | |
| 19 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | -4.5% | 2,652 |
More rankings and tools
- Metro areas where employers say what the job pays
- Median posted pay by metro area
- Metro areas with the most remote job postings
- Where job postings stay open the longest
- Share of job postings open more than 60 days
- Metro areas with the most entry-level openings
- Where a paycheck goes furthest: typical wage adjusted for local prices
- Price levels by metro area (US average = 100)
- Housing costs by metro area (US average = 100)
- Posted pay adjusted for local prices
- Unemployment rate by metro area
- Interactive metro comparison
- Paycheck calculator
- October 2026 report: Job postings are down in tech hubs and up in Boise, Wichita and Reno
Only metro areas that pass our publishing gates are ranked (100+ postings, 10+ employers, no employer above 25% of postings). Download this ranking (CSV) · Methodology