District of Columbia · SOC 15-1252
Software Engineer Salary in District of Columbia
VerifiedPublished wages for software engineers in District of Columbia, straight from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2024 release — the full percentile distribution, employment concentration, and metro detail.
Software Engineers in District of Columbia earn a median of $136,040 per year ($143,810 mean), per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $114,690–$166,970; the top 10% earn $203,560. That is 2% above the national median of $133,080, ranking District of Columbia #6 of 51 states that publish this occupation.
Median wage
Verified$136,040
+2% vs national
Top 10% earn
$203,560
90th percentile
Employed in state
8,250
Reliability Good (9.2% RSE)
Software Engineer pay distribution — District of Columbia vs national
Every figure below is a published BLS percentile. Bars share one scale, so the two distributions compare directly.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $87,120 | +9% |
| 25th percentile | $114,690 | +11% |
| Median50th percentile | $136,040 | +2% |
| 75th percentile | $166,970 | -1% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $203,560 | -4% |
| Meanaverage | $143,810 | -1% |
Where software engineers earn most in District of Columbia
Metro areas in District of Columbia where BLS publishes a wage for SOC 15-1252. Metros BLS withholds are not listed.
| Metro area | Median | Top 10% | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, D.C.Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $150,880 | $211,230 | 68,210 |
District of Columbia engineering labor market
Concentration and pay level across all engineering occupations BLS publishes for this state.
Location quotient
1.08
Jobs per 1,000
11.64
State rank (pay)
#6 of 51
All engineering roles
$138,532
A location quotient of 1.08 means District of Columbia employs software engineers at roughly the national rate.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a software engineer make in District of Columbia?
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Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 15-1252 (Software Developers), District of Columbia (state).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →