Electrical vs Software Developers
Software Developers earns $14,300 more at the middle. Every figure is US government data you can check.
| Electrical | Software Developers | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay in the middle median annual wage, May 2024 | $118,780 | $133,080 |
| Pay range 10th to 90th percentile | not published to not published | $79,850 to $211,450 |
| Years of school you pay for our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure | 4 | 4 |
| Typical entry education | Bachelor's degree | Bachelor's degree |
| Jobs opening up each year | 17,500 | Not published separately |
| Growth by 2034 | 7% | 16% |
| People doing it now | 287,900 | 1,693,800 |
| Where the pay is highest and lowest state medians, not adjusted for cost of living or taxes | $143,850 in New Mexico down to $95,640 in Kentucky | $170,910 in California down to $86,460 in Mississippi |
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Jobs that use what you already know
Same skills, same knowledge, same daily tasks. Most of these are not on this site.
Electrical covers 3 separate job codes. “3 of 3” means 3 of those 3 name that job as closely related.
Electrical
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians3 of 3
- Mechatronics Engineers3 of 3
- Microsystems Engineers3 of 3
- Mechanical Engineers2 of 3
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment2 of 3
- Industrial Engineers2 of 3
What these usually take: Usually a four-year degree, plus a few years of experience.
Software Developers
- Computer Systems Engineers/Architects
- Computer Systems Analysts
- Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
- Computer Programmers
- Database Administrators
- Database Architects
What these usually take: Usually a four-year degree, plus a few years of experience.
O*NET 30.3 Database, U.S. Department of Labor. These are jobs that use similar skills, knowledge and daily tasks. It is a measure of how alike two jobs are — not a record of people moving between them.
Jobs that take more training than this one
A job zone is the U.S. Department of Labor’s published measure of how much preparation a job takes. It says nothing about pay.
- Microsystems Engineers3 of 3Graduate school — a master's, or a doctorate.
O*NET 30.3 Database and O*NET Job Zones, U.S. Department of Labor. A job zone is a published measure of how much preparation an occupation takes, not a measure of pay or of whether a job is better. Pay differences are BLS median annual wages, May 2024, and are shown only where both jobs are on this site.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment and wage data, May 2024, and employment projections 2024-34. Years of school is our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure. State medians are not adjusted for cost of living or taxes, and that difference could be large either way. No advice, just data.