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Official DOL & USCIS Data: Current as of FY 2026 (Verified)
H1BIndex » SOC Codes » 15-1252.00

Software Developers (SOC 15-1252.00)

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39.2% Advanced Roles (Lvl 3+)
22.5% Offsite Deployment
99.0% Full-Time Roles
Industry Trend: -21.9% vs Q1 2025
6.8% Filed During Layoffs
H1BIndex Grade i
D
FY 2026
2023 B
2024 B
2025 B
Total Valid Approvals i
28,081
-38.2% YoY Projection
Filings in FY 2026
National Median Pay i
$146,500
Baseline compensation
Wage Premium i
$13,274
Above Legal Minimum
Residency Conversions i
15.1%
Green Card Pathway

Occupational Overview

A macro-level review of the Software Developers career sector.

Employer Structure

Looking at corporate structure, 28.4% of the sponsoring companies are officially classified as H-1B dependent. For long-term career growth, employers show strong loyalty, using 55.9% of their filings to keep their current team members.

Competitive Salary

Employers offer a median salary of $146,500 for this role, which is 10.0% higher than the basic government requirement. Candidates should know that 14.3% of sponsors use private wage surveys to set their own pay baselines.

Daily Work Environment

The market offers a mix of placements. Employers keep 77.5% of their workers in-house, while contracting the remaining 22.5% out to client facilities.

How Employers Recruit

In this occupation, 35.8% of the sponsorship volume goes toward new job creation, leaving 64.2% dedicated to transferring current workers.

Green Card Standards

When applying for permanent residency in this field, only 0.2% (8 applications) strictly require a foreign language. Furthermore, the majority of employers (96.4%) accept work experience instead of a traditional degree.

Path to Residency

Many workers in the Software Developers profession end up staying permanently. Businesses successfully transition 15.1% of these work visa holders into Green Card applicants.

Role & Industry Structure

Federal classifications for this position.

Salary vs Hourly

94.6%Base Salary
5.4%Hourly Pay

Salary vs Hourly: Across all approved visas, 94.6% of these jobs pay a set salary, and 5.4% pay an hourly rate.

Hiring Seasonality

When employers file visas.
Peak Market Action November
53.6% Volume
Strategic Timing: Applications happen post-interview. Begin networking & interviewing 60 to 90 days prior to November.

Salary History & Trajectory

Comparing base compensation growth for Software Developers. Temporary H-1B medians vs permanent Green Card (PERM).
Positive Market Growth: +68.6%
Base pay has jumped significantly from $84,600 in 2016 to $142,633 in 2026.
Expected Pay Difference: -$3,169
Employers pay a minor 2.2% less for permanent residency positions in this occupation.

Salary by Experience Level

Salary breakdown scaled by federal experience classifications (O*NET Wage Level Distribution).

Promotion Salary Multiplier

Entry → Qualified
+20.1%
Qualified → Experienced
+28.8%
Experienced → Senior
+14.5%
Workers see their pay multiply by 1.8x from entry-level to fully competent roles.
EXPERIENCE LEVEL TOTAL FILINGS COHORT SIZE MINIMUM BASE MEDIAN SALARY
Entry Level (Level I)2,2398.0%$62,150$101,569
Qualified (Level II)10,80238.5%$74,600$122,013
Experienced (Level III)5,88421.0%$81,800$157,123
Fully Competent (Level IV)5,12018.2%$100,709$179,832
Not Disclosed (Blank)4,03614.4%$66,123$152,963

Top Hiring Locations

The top geographic deployment & worksites where state employers place their workers.
CITY/METRO AREA WORKFORCE % CITY MEDIAN PAY WAGE (LEVEL IV)
Seattle, WA4.4% (1,235 Filings)$167,30510.6%
New York, NY3.6% (1,006 Filings)$175,27528.8%
San Francisco, CA2.8% (786 Filings)$200,00027.5%
Sunnyvale, CA2.8% (774 Filings)$187,7415.7%
Austin, TX2.6% (737 Filings)$142,00024.8%
Redmond, WA2.6% (730 Filings)$180,71016.7%
Plano, TX2.4% (673 Filings)$133,01222.1%
Irving, TX2.3% (651 Filings)$120,00020.0%
Charlotte, NC2.1% (598 Filings)$130,00016.7%
Bellevue, WA1.9% (534 Filings)$180,71018.2%
San Jose, CA1.7% (489 Filings)$200,3919.6%
Santa Clara, CA1.6% (460 Filings)$190,63612.6%
Atlanta, GA1.6% (440 Filings)$131,00020.7%
Mountain View, CA1.5% (415 Filings)$200,0009.4%
Dallas, TX1.4% (390 Filings)$135,00019.7%
Westlake, TX1.3% (370 Filings)$129,05512.2%
Chicago, IL1.3% (363 Filings)$131,05022.3%
Cupertino, CA1.2% (348 Filings)$198,38410.3%
Durham, NC1.2% (323 Filings)$125,11916.1%
San Diego, CA1.1% (308 Filings)$157,58122.1%
Alpharetta, GA1.1% (305 Filings)$129,37614.4%
Houston, TX1.0% (286 Filings)$108,11115.0%
Menlo Park, CA1.0% (275 Filings)$225,53031.6%
Jersey City, NJ1.0% (269 Filings)$161,00015.6%
Frisco, TX0.9% (240 Filings)$120,00012.5%
Phoenix, AZ0.8% (215 Filings)$120,00015.8%
Palo Alto, CA0.7% (203 Filings)$200,00011.3%
Boston, MA0.7% (202 Filings)$153,28412.4%
Tampa, FL0.7% (193 Filings)$135,30039.4%
Columbus, OH0.6% (182 Filings)$123,98030.2%
Cumming, GA0.5% (152 Filings)$130,70714.5%
Bentonville, AR0.5% (150 Filings)$122,4578.0%
Wilmington, DE0.5% (136 Filings)$134,45029.4%
Mckinney, TX0.5% (136 Filings)$122,12412.5%
Mclean, VA0.5% (132 Filings)$126,10017.4%
Raleigh, NC0.4% (119 Filings)$135,40812.6%
Richmond, VA0.4% (116 Filings)$126,09027.6%
Whippany, NJ0.4% (116 Filings)$161,60012.1%
Jacksonville, FL0.4% (106 Filings)$129,14716.0%
Fort Worth, TX0.4% (104 Filings)$112,9237.7%
Fremont, CA0.4% (103 Filings)$180,25018.4%
Herndon, VA0.4% (103 Filings)$139,2848.7%
Arlington, VA0.4% (103 Filings)$143,7005.8%
San Antonio, TX0.4% (103 Filings)$114,02219.4%
Richardson, TX0.4% (103 Filings)$135,00020.4%
Leander, TX0.4% (102 Filings)$139,15223.5%
Dearborn, MI0.4% (101 Filings)$120,34926.7%
Irvine, CA0.4% (101 Filings)$157,12314.9%
Pittsburgh, PA0.4% (99 Filings)$120,00017.2%
Celina, TX0.3% (94 Filings)$123,00014.9%

Corporate Age & Culture Matrix

Green Card sponsorship behavior, pay, and stability mapped by company age.
Startups (< 5 Yrs)
Market Share1.6%
Median GC Pay$120,328
Degree Waivers85.5%
Layoff Risk0.0%
Growth (5-15 Yrs)
Market Share30.1%
Median GC Pay$132,413
Degree Waivers93.7%
Layoff Risk0.6%
Established (15+ Yrs)
Market Share68.3%
Median GC Pay$138,433
Degree Waivers97.8%
Layoff Risk9.8%

Offsite Deployments & End Clients

Primary third-party campuses where contractors in this occupation are physically deployed.

Fidelity Investments

141 Visas
Top Staffing PartnerCompunnel Software Group, Inc.
Primary Title PlacedSoftware Developer
Primary Metro HubWestlake, TX
Seniority Tier71% Mid/Entry (Lvl 1-2)
Agency Dependency89% Dependent
Offsite Share2.5% of Offsite

Bank Of America

107 Visas
Top Staffing PartnerRandstad Digital, LLC
Primary Title PlacedSoftware Developer
Primary Metro HubCharlotte, NC
Seniority Tier41% Senior (Lvl 3+)
Agency Dependency21% Dependent
Offsite Share1.9% of Offsite

Amazon

106 Visas
Top Staffing PartnerPeople Tech Group, Inc.
Primary Title PlacedIt Consultant(Software Developer)
Primary Metro HubSeattle, WA
Seniority Tier83% Mid/Entry (Lvl 1-2)
Agency Dependency100% Dependent
Offsite Share1.9% of Offsite

Capital One

72 Visas
Top Staffing PartnerCompunnel Software Group, Inc.
Primary Title PlacedSoftware Developer
Primary Metro HubMclean, VA
Seniority Tier87% Mid/Entry (Lvl 1-2)
Agency Dependency85% Dependent
Offsite Share1.3% of Offsite

Wells Fargo

69 Visas
Top Staffing PartnerSynechron, Inc.
Primary Title PlacedSoftware Engineer
Primary Metro HubCharlotte, NC
Seniority Tier81% Mid/Entry (Lvl 1-2)
Agency Dependency68% Dependent
Offsite Share1.2% of Offsite

Bank Of America

53 Visas
Top Staffing PartnerInnova Solutions, Inc.
Primary Title PlacedApplication Architect/Programmer (Software Developer)
Primary Metro HubChicago, IL
Seniority Tier71% Mid/Entry (Lvl 1-2)
Agency Dependency9% Dependent
Offsite Share0.9% of Offsite

Noticing a difference in dates? Salary metrics reflect real-time DOL filings, while approval metrics rely on finalized USCIS historical data. View timelines

Employer LCA Count Median Pay VS SOC AVG Green Card Track
Amazon.com Services LLC1,043$165,300+12.8% Above Avg1.2%12 files
Microsoft Corporation822$180,710+23.4% Above Avg11.8%97 files
Apple Inc.729$181,532+23.9% Above Avg2.2%16 files
Google LLC500$194,000+32.4% Above Avg0.0%0 files
Fidelity Technology Group, LLC D/B/A Fidelity Investments494$125,119-14.6% Below Avg0.0%0 files
Meta Platforms, Inc.458$225,468+53.9% Above Avg0.0%0 files
Deloitte Consulting LLP456$145,821-0.5% Below Avg19.3%88 files
Amazon Web Services, Inc.364$158,800+8.4% Above Avg0.5%2 files
Jpmorgan Chase & Co.351$162,000+10.6% Above Avg36.8%129 files
Ernst & Young U.S. LLP296$173,367+18.3% Above Avg20.9%62 files
Capgemini America Inc.215$135,408-7.6% Below Avg0.0%0 files
Compunnel Software Group, Inc.210$126,100-13.9% Below Avg0.0%0 files
Salesforce, Inc.203$216,750+48.0% Above Avg36.0%73 files
Linkedin Corporation202$180,710+23.4% Above Avg8.4%17 files
Amazon Development Center U.S., Inc.200$155,900+6.4% Above Avg0.0%0 files
Wal-Mart Associates, Inc.190$150,080+2.4% Above Avg45.3%86 files
Nvidia Corporation182$187,626+28.1% Above Avg20.9%38 files
Citibank, N.A.169$160,000+9.2% Above Avg30.2%51 files
People Tech Group, Inc.138$126,090-13.9% Below Avg0.0%0 files
U.S. Bank National Association117$130,707-10.8% Below Avg17.9%21 files
Morgan Stanley Services Group Inc.111$165,258+12.8% Above Avg8.1%9 files
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.111$152,479+4.1% Above Avg25.2%28 files
Paypal, Inc.95$191,946+31.0% Above Avg3.2%3 files
Randstad Digital, LLC95$133,536-8.8% Below Avg5.3%5 files
Kforce Inc.94$0N/A18.1%17 files
J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc.93$125,750-14.2% Below Avg9.7%9 files
Ltimindtree Limited87$108,077-26.2% Below Avg28.7%25 files
Government Employee Insurance Company (Geico)87$175,000+19.5% Above Avg0.0%0 files
Barclays Services Corp.86$164,925+12.6% Above Avg5.8%5 files
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.86$143,000-2.4% Below Avg39.5%34 files
Elevance Health, Inc.83$141,281-3.6% Below Avg0.0%0 files
Capital One Services, LLC81$204,900+39.9% Above Avg2.5%2 files
Oracle America, Inc.79$139,152-5.0% Below Avg100.0%93 files
Ebay Inc.79$202,411+38.2% Above Avg3.8%3 files
Innova Solutions, Inc.77$116,730-20.3% Below Avg16.9%13 files
Internal Job Title LCA Count In-House Ratio Median Pay Green Card Track
Software Engineer3,23575.5%$149,36519.0%614 files
Software Developer2,51437.8%$112,42418.5%464 files
Senior Software Engineer1,20494.6%$153,95917.1%206 files
Software Engineering821100.0%$180,7100.1%1 file
Software Dev Engineer Ii460100.0%$166,3001.3%6 files
Software Development Engineer Ii404100.0%$157,8500.2%1 file
Staff Software Engineer35099.4%$199,9358.3%29 files
Sr. Software Engineer26279.0%$140,00016.4%43 files
Java Developer24618.3%$108,0776.9%17 files
Lead Software Engineer24288.0%$140,00010.3%25 files
Senior Software Developer21535.3%$131,47811.2%24 files
Software Engineer Iii21399.5%$125,40020.2%43 files
Data Engineer20542.0%$112,95026.3%54 files
Software Engineer Ii20297.5%$131,99720.3%41 files
Principal Software Engineer18796.3%$168,75010.2%19 files
Software Development Engineer16995.3%$149,2408.9%15 files
Software Development Engineering163100.0%$184,9740.0%0 files
Devops Engineer16144.7%$112,92318.0%29 files
Software Engineering Applications146100.0%$189,8440.0%0 files
Software Development Engineer Iii142100.0%$180,7101.4%2 files
Manager14187.2%$169,60036.9%52 files
Software Development Engineer I141100.0%$129,0001.4%2 files
Software Engineering Systems138100.0%$175,0530.0%0 files
Software Dev Engineer Iii131100.0%$207,6901.5%2 files
Application Developer11936.1%$115,00010.9%13 files
Applications Consultant 311756.4%$134,9710.0%0 files
Vice President, Lead Software Engineer115100.0%$162,0000.0%0 files
Senior Data Engineer9187.9%$135,00022.0%20 files
Member Of Technical Staff90100.0%$191,03814.4%13 files
Associate, Software Engineer Iii85100.0%$143,0000.0%0 files
Sr Software Engineer8588.2%$177,21625.9%22 files
Machine Learning84100.0%$182,3450.0%0 files
Senior Full Stack Engineer8494.0%$116,7090.0%0 files
Senior Software Engineer/Developer83100.0%$116,7091.2%1 file
Sr Software Development Engineer82100.0%$153,6002.4%2 files
Software Dev Engineer I81100.0%$133,4000.0%0 files
.Net Developer7512.0%$108,0778.0%6 files
Full Stack Developer6934.8%$112,9235.8%4 files
Salesforce Developer6842.6%$112,9238.8%6 files
Director67100.0%$162,0003.0%2 files
State LCA Count In-House Ratio Median Pay Pay vs National Avg Senior Roles (Lvl 3+)
California5,60695.0%$187,741+$41,241 vs National54.6%1,921 Roles
Texas5,22168.8%$129,042-$17,458 vs National39.4%1,918 Roles
Washington2,83793.7%$174,096+$27,596 vs National43.2%1,122 Roles
North Carolina1,50970.7%$131,120-$15,380 vs National45.9%603 Roles
New York1,27983.5%$165,160+$18,660 vs National54.5%652 Roles
New Jersey1,26872.3%$145,000-$1,500 vs National37.4%383 Roles
Georgia1,14568.6%$130,707-$15,793 vs National44.7%477 Roles
Illinois99371.9%$130,707-$15,793 vs National50.1%436 Roles
Virginia87160.6%$130,000-$16,500 vs National32.6%264 Roles
Florida84869.7%$127,120-$19,380 vs National48.4%389 Roles
Pennsylvania67062.8%$119,475-$27,025 vs National40.1%249 Roles
Ohio61264.7%$120,973-$25,527 vs National52.0%298 Roles
Michigan60465.7%$120,365-$26,135 vs National51.7%303 Roles
Massachusetts59684.9%$154,606+$8,106 vs National52.1%266 Roles
Arizona50370.4%$134,514-$11,986 vs National43.0%198 Roles
Missouri30966.3%$118,706-$27,794 vs National44.4%126 Roles
Maryland27761.0%$133,608-$12,892 vs National37.9%94 Roles
Tennessee27567.6%$122,116-$24,384 vs National47.4%118 Roles
Arkansas27083.0%$125,000-$21,500 vs National46.5%125 Roles
Colorado25985.3%$142,314-$4,186 vs National49.1%104 Roles
Minnesota25771.6%$126,336-$20,164 vs National52.4%119 Roles
Delaware18262.6%$131,702-$14,798 vs National47.7%72 Roles
Connecticut18071.1%$137,000-$9,500 vs National58.3%98 Roles
Wisconsin15360.1%$123,654-$22,846 vs National57.2%83 Roles
South Carolina15058.7%$114,978-$31,522 vs National43.2%63 Roles
Indiana14171.6%$112,923-$33,577 vs National55.7%78 Roles
Oregon12887.5%$144,727-$1,773 vs National44.2%50 Roles
Utah11677.6%$132,000-$14,500 vs National59.1%65 Roles
Rhode Island10062.0%$129,000-$17,500 vs National38.9%35 Roles
Kansas9964.6%$106,566-$39,934 vs National42.3%41 Roles
Kentucky9968.7%$118,719-$27,781 vs National52.6%51 Roles
Iowa9674.0%$120,000-$26,500 vs National58.1%54 Roles
New Hampshire8269.5%$131,082-$15,418 vs National25.0%16 Roles
Nebraska7057.1%$118,165-$28,335 vs National50.7%34 Roles
District of Columbia5743.9%$126,095-$20,405 vs National25.0%12 Roles
Fiscal YearTotal FilingsApproval RateMedian Base PayYoY Salary GrowthTop 10% Salary
202625,12892.7%$142,633In Progress$210,290
2025162,75394.2%$135,200+6.0% Growth$200,000
2024155,47393.1%$127,500+6.2% Growth$190,000
2023161,13993.5%$120,000+4.3% Growth$182,000
2022159,99493.8%$115,000+6.6% Growth$175,000
2021143,82094.4%$107,840+7.8% Growth$160,000
2020134,41095.0%$100,000+5.5% Growth$153,506
2019162,12996.5%$94,806+2.2% Growth$140,000
2018134,79296.0%$92,768+6.6% Growth$136,000
2017100,56795.5%$87,000+2.8% Growth$133,641
201696,66595.3%$84,600N/A$130,000
Decision Date Employer Internal Job Title Base Pay Status
Dec 31, 2025Cuboid LLCAi/Ml Engineer$91,500Certified - Withdrawn
Dec 31, 2025Apple Inc.Machine Learning$226,158Certified - Withdrawn
Dec 31, 2025University Of Illinois ChicagoIt Technical Associate (It Service Management Administrator)$99,383Certified - Withdrawn
Dec 31, 2025Educational Testing ServiceAssistant Ai EngineerN/ADenied
Dec 31, 2025Samsung Electronics America, Inc.Associate, Software Quality Assurance$102,544Certified - Withdrawn
Dec 31, 2025Inovalon, Inc.Senior Principal Software Architect$225,000Certified - Withdrawn
Dec 31, 2025Apple Inc.Software Engineering Applications$171,018Certified - Withdrawn
Dec 31, 2025Apple Inc.Software Development Engineering$190,486Certified - Withdrawn
Dec 31, 2025Apple Inc.Machine Learning$226,158Certified - Withdrawn
Dec 31, 2025Inovalon, Inc.Senior Software Development Engineer L4$150,000Certified - Withdrawn
Dec 31, 2025Apple Inc.Software Development Engineering$187,000Certified - Withdrawn
Dec 31, 2025Apple Inc.Software Engineer Applications$132,267Certified - Withdrawn
Dec 31, 2025Fujifilm Sonosite, Inc.Software Engineer Iii$123,468Certified - Withdrawn
Dec 31, 2025Inovalon, Inc.Senior Software Development Engineer L4$140,000Certified - Withdrawn
Dec 31, 2025Artifact Lab, Inc.Lead Software Engineer$140,000Certified - Withdrawn
Dec 31, 2025Inovalon, Inc.Senior Software Development Engineer L4$115,000Certified - Withdrawn
Dec 31, 2025Kyyba, Inc.Propulsion System Diagnostic Validation EngineerN/ACertified - Withdrawn
Dec 30, 2025Amazon.com Services LLCSoftware Development Engineer I$117,749Certified
Dec 30, 2025America First Credit UnionSoftware Developer$150,400Certified
Dec 30, 2025Capgemini America Inc.Software Engineer 3$133,536Certified
Dec 30, 2025Adobe Inc.Mgr, Data Science Engineering$226,071Certified
Dec 30, 2025Fis Management Services, LLCSoftware Engineer Specialist$143,500Certified
Dec 30, 2025Wal-Mart Associates, Inc.Staff Software Engineer$150,080Certified
Dec 30, 2025Cognit Ai Inc.Software Developer$132,000Certified
Dec 30, 2025Amazon.com Services LLCSoftware Dev Engineer I$131,600Certified
Dec 30, 2025Capgemini America, Inc.Applications Consultant 3$146,523Certified
Dec 30, 2025Wolverine Trading Technologies LLCWeb Applications Developer$125,000Certified
Dec 30, 2025Amazon Web Services, Inc.Solutions Architect Ii$177,600Certified
Dec 30, 2025Amazon.com Services LLCSoftware Development Engineer Ii$153,450Certified
Dec 30, 2025Amazon.com Services LLCSoftware Dev Engineer Iii$212,100Certified
Dec 30, 2025Asurion, LLCSenior Principal Architect$231,706Certified
Dec 30, 2025Amazon Development Center U.S., Inc.Software Dev Engineer Ii$171,700Certified
Dec 30, 2025National Charitable Services LLC D/B/A Fidelity InvestmentsSenior Full Stack Engineer$112,923Certified
Dec 30, 2025Microsoft CorporationSoftware Engineering$212,484Certified
Dec 30, 2025Amazon.com Services LLCSoftware Development Engineer I$129,000Certified
Dec 30, 2025Citibank, N.A.Product Development Group Manager$244,100Certified
Dec 30, 2025United Parcel Service General Services, Co.Senior Software Development EngineerN/ACertified
Dec 30, 2025Vedhops It Services LLCSoftware Engineer$90,896Certified
Dec 30, 2025Amazon Development Center U.S., Inc.Software Dev Engineer Ii$170,100Certified
Dec 30, 2025Amazon.com Services LLCSoftware Dev Engineer Ii$155,000Certified
Dec 30, 2025Google LLCSoftware Engineer In Site Reliability Engineering$200,000Certified
Dec 30, 2025Mastech Digital Technologies, Inc.Software Developer$98,197Certified
Dec 30, 2025Robotics Staffing LLCErp Project Manager$84,053Certified
Dec 30, 2025Cloudscape, LLCAppian Developer$109,845Certified
Dec 30, 2025Amazon.com Services LLCSoftware Dev Engineer I$133,100Certified
Dec 30, 2025Cybersource CorporationSenior Software Engineer$119,462Certified
Dec 30, 2025Perficient, Inc.Senior Technical Consultant$135,000Certified
Dec 30, 2025Elite It Technologies LLCSoftware Engineer$121,491Certified
Dec 30, 2025Amazon.com Services LLCSoftware Dev Engineer Iii$227,400Certified
Dec 30, 2025Andhus Technologies Inc.Software Developer$112,500Certified

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Common questions and verified data insights regarding Software Developers.
Which state is the top sponsor for the Software Developers classification?

Based on DOL data, California sponsors the highest volume of work visas for this specific occupational code.

How much do Software Developers roles pay on an H-1B visa?

For the Software Developers category, federal data indicates a median prevailing wage of $146,500.

Is there a labor shortage for the Software Developers occupation?

Demand is incredibly strong. Employers pay a 10.0% premium over minimum requirements to secure talent in this classification.