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Here is some context that all of these discussions about life as a software developer in San Francisco need.

There are about 243k software developers/programmers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area: ~12% of the workforce.

There are about 46k software developers/programmers that make over ~$145,000 in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area: ~2% of the workforce.

These numbers seem crazy. Are developers/programmers really 12% of the workforce in the SF area?

From the Bureau of Labor Statistics as of May 2014:

  Computer Programmers
  San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
  Total employment: 48,040

  10%ile: $48,040	
  25%ile: $71,460	
  50%ile: $97,050	
  75&ile: $124,020	
  90%ile: $147,970
  
  Software Developers, Applications
  San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
  Total employment: 70,110

  10%ile: $70,110	
  25%ile: $87,440	
  50%ile: $114,700	
  75&ile: $144,320	
  90%ile: $173,130
  
  Software Developers, Systems Software
  San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
  Total employment: 80,480

  10%ile: $80,480	
  25%ile: $94,320	
  50%ile: $118,720	
  75&ile: $146,620	
  90%ile: $171,140
  
  Web Developers
  San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
  Total employment: 45,320

  10%ile: $45,320	
  25%ile: $64,460	
  50%ile: $87,540	
  75&ile: $119,780	
  90%ile: $145,130



Thanks for posting BLS numbers. For all of the comments mentioning aspirational high salaries, the BLS numbers give a much more accurate view, albeit with a minor time delay.




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