Software engineering is expanding fast, with U.S. software developers projected to grow 25% from 2022 to 2032 while global cybersecurity spending is expected to rise 3.4% in 2024 to about $245.6 billion. At the same time, elite performers in 2024 reported a change failure rate of just 0.05%, yet the average time to contain a breach is 22 days. The contrast between accelerating delivery and still-stubborn security outcomes is exactly what makes these software engineer statistics worth unpacking.
Key Takeaways
- Software developers are expected to be the largest IT occupation in OECD countries by 2030 with 16.4 million jobs
- In the U.S., employment for software developers is projected to grow 25% from 2022 to 2032
- In the U.S., employment for software QA analysts and testers is projected to grow 6% from 2022 to 2032
- In the U.S., software developers’ hourly mean wage was $63.91 in May 2023
- In the U.S., software QA analysts and testers’ hourly mean wage was $45.67 in May 2023
- In the U.S., information security analysts’ hourly mean wage was $57.89 in May 2023
- 3.4% global cybersecurity spending growth expected in 2024, reaching about $245.6 billion
- $237.8 billion worldwide information security spending projected for 2023
- 41% of organizations reported using infrastructure as code (IaC) across their environments, indicating increasing automation of environments for software delivery.
- In 2024, the average time to contain a breach was 22 days
- $0.005: typical email sending cost per email for certain bulk tiers can be about half a cent (as reported by vendor pricing)
- $0.0000005 per token for embeddings input tokens (pricing tier converted from $0.10 per 200M tokens)
- In 2024, 52% of organizations reported using DAST (dynamic application security testing) (Snyk 2024 report)
- 19% of developers reported using Google Cloud Platform, reflecting ongoing usage of GCP in development workflows.
- 2024: elite performers experience change failure rate of 0.05% (State of DevOps 2024/DORA)
Software careers are booming, with cybersecurity spending rising and rapid automation pushing higher wages through 2030.
Workforce
1Software developers are expected to be the largest IT occupation in OECD countries by 2030 with 16.4 million jobs[1]
Verified
2In the U.S., employment for software developers is projected to grow 25% from 2022 to 2032[2]
Verified
3In the U.S., employment for software QA analysts and testers is projected to grow 6% from 2022 to 2032[3]
Verified
4In the U.S., employment for information security analysts is projected to grow 32% from 2022 to 2032[4]
Verified
Workforce Interpretation
From a workforce perspective, software developers are set to become the largest IT occupation in OECD countries by 2030 with 16.4 million jobs, while in the U.S. demand is projected to rise sharply with software development growing 25% by 2032 and information security analyst roles surging 32%.
Compensation
1In the U.S., software developers’ hourly mean wage was $63.91 in May 2023[5]
Directional
2In the U.S., software QA analysts and testers’ hourly mean wage was $45.67 in May 2023[6]
Verified
3In the U.S., information security analysts’ hourly mean wage was $57.89 in May 2023[7]
Verified
Compensation Interpretation
In the U.S., compensation for software roles varies by specialty, with hourly mean wages ranging from $45.67 for QA analysts and testers to $63.91 for software developers in May 2023, while information security analysts sit in between at $57.89.
Industry Trends
13.4% global cybersecurity spending growth expected in 2024, reaching about $245.6 billion[8]
Verified
2$237.8 billion worldwide information security spending projected for 2023[9]
Verified
341% of organizations reported using infrastructure as code (IaC) across their environments, indicating increasing automation of environments for software delivery.[10]
Verified
Industry Trends Interpretation
For industry trends, cybersecurity budgets are still climbing with 3.4% global growth expected in 2024 to about $245.6 billion, and with $237.8 billion projected for 2023 alongside 41% of organizations using infrastructure as code, software engineers are clearly being pushed toward stronger security spending and more automated environment delivery.
Cost Analysis
1In 2024, the average time to contain a breach was 22 days[11]
Single source
2$0.005: typical email sending cost per email for certain bulk tiers can be about half a cent (as reported by vendor pricing)[12]
Verified
3$0.0000005 per token for embeddings input tokens (pricing tier converted from $0.10 per 200M tokens)[13]
Verified
4In 2023, software quality assurance analysts and testers had a median hourly wage of $26.00 in the U.S., indicating a measurable compensation benchmark for software quality roles.[14]
Verified
5In 2023, computer and information research scientists had a median hourly wage of $45.76 in the U.S., providing a comparable compensation reference for adjacent software R&D roles.[15]
Verified
6In 2023, software developers (excluding web) had a median hourly wage of $45.10 in the U.S., providing a wage anchor for software engineering compensation.[16]
Directional
7In 2023, information security analysts had a median hourly wage of $38.11 in the U.S., reflecting compensation for security roles closely tied to secure engineering practices.[17]
Verified
8In 2023, database administrators and architects had a median hourly wage of $43.46 in the U.S., providing a compensation reference for data-platform engineering adjacent to software engineering.[18]
Verified
9In 2023, penetration testers and vulnerability assessment professionals had a median hourly wage of $41.04 in the U.S., indicating compensation levels for hands-on application and systems security work.[19]
Verified
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For Cost Analysis, the clearest signal is that breach containment in 2024 averaged 22 days, so even relatively small downstream costs from tools and labor, like $0.005 per bulk email and $0.0000005 per embedding token, can quickly compound over the timeline of security incident response.
User Adoption
1In 2024, 52% of organizations reported using DAST (dynamic application security testing) (Snyk 2024 report)[20]
Single source
219% of developers reported using Google Cloud Platform, reflecting ongoing usage of GCP in development workflows.[21]
Verified
User Adoption Interpretation
In the User Adoption category, 52% of organizations are already using DAST as of 2024, while 19% of developers report using Google Cloud Platform, showing that security testing adoption is outpacing broader cloud tool usage among developers.
Performance Metrics
12024: elite performers experience change failure rate of 0.05% (State of DevOps 2024/DORA)[22]
Verified
299.9%: target availability for many managed Kubernetes and cloud-native deployments (industry SLA benchmarks)[23]
Verified
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Under the Performance Metrics lens, the shift failure rate of just 0.05% for elite performers in 2024 and the 99.9% target availability common in managed Kubernetes and cloud-native SLAs show that reliability is becoming both increasingly achievable and a central benchmark for high-performing engineering teams.
Market Size
1$2.21 billion expected global market size for automated software testing tools in 2024[24]
Single source
2$9.3 billion expected global market size for test management software in 2024[25]
Verified
3$15.8 billion expected global market size for DevOps tools in 2024[26]
Single source
4$1.8 billion expected global market size for application security software in 2024[27]
Single source
5$11.0 billion expected global market size for code review software in 2024[28]
Directional
6$15.7 billion expected global market size for vulnerability management in 2024[29]
Single source
7$40.0 billion: estimated U.S. software publishing industry revenue in 2023 (IBISWorld-style estimate from a public summary)[30]
Directional
Market Size Interpretation
In the Market Size category, the standout trend is that DevOps tools are projected at $15.8 billion and vulnerability management at $15.7 billion globally in 2024, indicating that large, fast-growing spend is shifting toward operational and security-focused software engineering tooling.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Karl Becker. (2026, February 13). Software Engineer Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/software-engineer-statistics
MLA
Karl Becker. "Software Engineer Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/software-engineer-statistics.
Chicago
Karl Becker. 2026. "Software Engineer Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/software-engineer-statistics.
References
- 1oecd-ilibrary.org/employment/oecd-digital-economy-outlook-2017_9789264276284-en
- 2bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm
- 3bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-quality-assurance-analysts.htm
- 4bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/information-security-analysts.htm
- 5bls.gov/oes/current/oes151111.htm
- 6bls.gov/oes/current/oes151121.htm
- 7bls.gov/oes/current/oes151291.htm
- 14bls.gov/oes/current/oes151251.htm
- 15bls.gov/oes/current/oes151199.htm
- 16bls.gov/oes/current/oes151132.htm
- 17bls.gov/oes/current/oes152011.htm
- 18bls.gov/oes/current/oes151123.htm
- 19bls.gov/oes/current/oes151242.htm
- 8gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-06-11-gartner-forecast-worldwide-information-security-spending-to-total-245-point-6-billion-in-2024
- 9gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-06-20-gartner-forecast-worldwide-information-security-spending-to-total-237-point-8-billion-in-2023
- 10hashicorp.com/resources/state-of-infrastructure-automation
- 11ibm.com/reports/data-breach
- 12brevo.com/pricing/
- 13openai.com/api/pricing/
- 20snyk.io/resources/state-of-software-security/
- 21survey.stackoverflow.co/2024/
- 22cloud.google.com/blog/products/devops-sre/state-of-devops-2024
- 23cncf.io/certification/
- 24marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/automated-software-testing-market-209336240.html
- 25marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/software-testing-tools-market-161818117.html
- 26marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/devops-tools-market-127029847.html
- 27marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/application-security-market-171600000.html
- 28marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/code-review-software-market-179278947.html
- 29marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/vulnerability-management-market-994.html
- 30ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/software-publishing-industry/