Computer Programmer Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

Nationally, there are 435,000 working as computer programmers. This occupation has a low ranking for joblessness. The jobless rate for employees was about 4% in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Computer programmers per capita is greatest in Ithaca (New York), Jefferson City (Missouri), and Albany (New York). Houma (Louisiana), Monroe (Louisiana), and Gary (Indiana) have the fewest per capita.

The highest salaries for workers are found in Fayetteville (North Carolina), Lowell (Massachusetts), and San Jose (California), and the lowest-paying areas are in Cleveland (Tennessee), Great Falls (Montana), and Danville (Illinois).

Training and Education

A bachelor's degree is generally expected for employees. Recent data shows that 73% of computer programmers have a degree. Workers with some schooling beyond high school, but not a four college degree, represent about 22% of the total. A high school diploma or GED, without further education, is held by 6% of employees. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Computer programmers working less than full time, whether by design or chance, were 5% of the total. Approximately 4% of people who work as workers are self-employed.

Computer Programmers: An Introductory Video

Computer Programmers Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of computer programmers compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for computer programmers.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Birmingham	$73,000	1,730
Huntsville	$73,000	1,140
Mobile	$59,000	370
Montgomery	$63,000	340
Tuscaloosa	$69,000	80
Dothan	$42,000	40
Decatur	$55,000	30

Alaska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Anchorage	$69,000	410
Fairbanks	$60,000	120

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Phoenix	$71,000	7,110
Tucson	$67,000	1,180
Flagstaff	$52,000	90
Yuma	$56,000	50

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Little Rock	$66,000	1,770
Jonesboro	$62,000	70

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
San Jose	$105,000	5,840
Santa Ana	$78,000	3,940
Oakland	$80,000	3,330
San Francisco	$89,000	3,000
San Diego	$77,000	2,970
Sacramento	$73,000	1,710
Riverside	$61,000	800
Oxnard	$76,000	760
Santa Barbara	$69,000	620
Santa Cruz	$72,000	250
Santa Rosa	$85,000	240
Bakersfield	$76,000	220
Fresno	$52,000	190
Stockton	$66,000	120
San Luis Obispo	$63,000	120
Modesto	$84,000	110
Visalia	$79,000	110
Salinas	$84,000	90
Vallejo	$93,000	70
Merced	$70,000	40
Chico	$57,000	40
Napa	$77,000	40

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Denver	$80,000	3,330
Boulder	$90,000	1,210
Colorado Springs	$78,000	850
Fort Collins	$66,000	200
Greeley	$83,000	90

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Hartford	$78,000	2,040
Bridgeport	$88,000	2,010
New Haven	$98,000	700
Danbury	$81,000	320
Norwich	$70,000	240
Waterbury		70

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$79,000	1,650
Dover	$62,000	200

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$83,000	11,890

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Orlando	$62,000	4,200
Tampa	$70,000	4,140
Miami	$70,000	2,640
Fort Lauderdale	$68,000	2,250
West Palm Beach	$68,000	2,120
Jacksonville	$70,000	1,600
Palm Bay	$61,000	970
Tallahassee	$56,000	810
Sarasota	$66,000	580
Gainesville	$54,000	450
Naples	$49,000	310
Lakeland	$67,000	280
Pensacola	$61,000	270
Cape Coral	$73,000	250
Deltona	$59,000	210
Port St Lucie	$51,000	120
Fort Walton Beach	$64,000	100
Ocala	$68,000	80
Panama City	$56,000	30
Palm Coast	$52,000	30

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Atlanta	$75,000	6,860
Columbus	$77,000	780
Dalton	$51,000	250
Augusta	$66,000	200
Macon	$65,000	130
Savannah	$58,000	80
Athens	$55,000	80
Gainesville	$45,000	40
Rome	$77,000	30

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$63,000	1,020

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boise	$63,000	960
Idaho Falls	$54,000	160
Lewiston	$54,000	40

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Chicago	$78,000	17,030
Springfield	$72,000	400
Peoria	$69,000	390
Champaign	$49,000	330
Rockford	$59,000	250
Danville	$34,000	60

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Indianapolis	$72,000	3,140
Evansville	$64,000	330
Fort Wayne	$67,000	310
Lafayette	$57,000	300
South Bend	$62,000	200
Bloomington	$50,000	160
Columbus	$73,000	120
Elkhart	$52,000	100
Gary	$53,000	80
Terre Haute	$56,000	60
Muncie	$59,000	40

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Des Moines	$65,000	1,890
Davenport	$62,000	600
Cedar Rapids	$59,000	530
Iowa City	$59,000	240
Waterloo	$59,000	140
Ames	$53,000	120
Dubuque	$49,000	90
Sioux City	$66,000	70

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wichita	$65,000	620
Topeka	$63,000	460
Lawrence	$63,000	280

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Louisville	$67,000	1,290
Lexington	$69,000	490
Bowling Green	$46,000	40

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New Orleans	$56,000	1,130
Baton Rouge	$53,000	860
Shreveport	$49,000	230
Lafayette	$50,000	190
Lake Charles	$56,000	110
Alexandria	$42,000	60
Houma	$49,000	40
Monroe	$67,000	30

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$68,000	300
Bangor	$50,000	40

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Baltimore	$77,000	3,840
Bethesda	$81,000	2,780
Hagerstown	$53,000	110
Salisbury	$61,000	50
Cumberland	$63,000	50

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boston	$83,000	7,550
Worcester	$79,000	480
Framingham	$75,000	460
Lowell	$106,000	350
Springfield	$73,000	300
Taunton	$63,000	180
Lawrence	$71,000	110
Haverhill	$64,000	90
Brockton	$73,000	50
Pittsfield	$56,000	50
Barnstable Town	$79,000	50

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Warren	$70,000	5,480
Detroit	$72,000	2,380
Ann Arbor	$71,000	1,140
Grand Rapids	$58,000	930
Lansing	$65,000	380
Kalamazoo	$52,000	320
Holland	$59,000	210
Flint	$64,000	190
Saginaw	$56,000	160
Muskegon	$57,000	110
Battle Creek	$74,000	50
Niles	$53,000	50
Bay City	$63,000	40

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Minneapolis	$68,000	4,520
Rochester	$103,000	480
St Cloud	$60,000	180
Duluth	$57,000	100

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Jackson	$52,000	570
Gulfport	$58,000	100
Hattiesburg	$56,000	60
Pascagoula	$60,000	30

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
St Louis	$68,000	5,160
Kansas City	$73,000	5,100
Jefferson City	$50,000	670
Columbia	$59,000	470
Springfield	$50,000	360

Montana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Billings	$52,000	140
Missoula	$52,000	90
Great Falls	$35,000	70

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$65,000	1,940
Lincoln	$54,000	620

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$65,000	960
Reno	$72,000	310

New Hampshire

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashua	$60,000	400
Manchester	$65,000	360
Portsmouth	$63,000	210
Rochester	$60,000	100

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Edison	$79,000	8,760
Newark	$83,000	2,990
Camden	$76,000	1,730
Trenton	$85,000	1,300
Atlantic City	$73,000	180
Vineland	$64,000	30

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Albuquerque	$89,000	1,130

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New York	$79,000	24,090
Albany	$63,000	4,410
Nassau	$78,000	4,290
Rochester	$66,000	2,020
Buffalo	$59,000	1,790
Poughkeepsie	$99,000	930
Syracuse	$62,000	900
Ithaca	$65,000	440
Binghamton	$67,000	340
Utica	$59,000	290
Kingston	$51,000	130
Glens Falls	$54,000	40
Elmira	$66,000	30

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Raleigh	$73,000	2,840
Charlotte	$83,000	2,820
Durham	$85,000	2,060
Greensboro	$74,000	810
Winston Salem	$81,000	640
Asheville		290
Fayetteville	$94,000	220
Wilmington	$59,000	190
Greenville	$65,000	150
Hickory	$64,000	150
Rocky Mount	$59,000	110
Burlington	$49,000	70
Jacksonville	$73,000	60

North Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Fargo	$52,000	270
Bismarck	$43,000	140
Grand Forks	$50,000	100

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Columbus	$71,000	5,090
Cincinnati	$66,000	2,890
Cleveland	$67,000	2,430
Dayton	$63,000	1,030
Akron	$67,000	820
Toledo	$54,000	430
Canton	$54,000	240
Youngstown	$57,000	210
Mansfield	$63,000	80
Springfield	$69,000	70

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Oklahoma City	$66,000	1,490
Tulsa	$58,000	1,250
Lawton	$46,000	120

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$78,000	2,240
Eugene	$55,000	350
Salem	$62,000	140
Corvallis	$74,000	100
Medford	$59,000	100
Bend	$63,000	70

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Philadelphia	$88,000	9,810
Pittsburgh	$66,000	4,510
Harrisburg	$69,000	1,320
Allentown	$71,000	690
Lancaster	$60,000	450
Scranton	$54,000	370
Erie	$52,000	290
Reading	$64,000	270
York	$62,000	230
State College	$57,000	140
Johnstown	$47,000	100
Lebanon	$60,000	100
Altoona	$47,000	90
Williamsport	$58,000	60

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$68,000	1,480

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charleston	$56,000	1,290
Columbia	$63,000	1,200
Greenville	$65,000	1,070
Spartanburg	$73,000	400
Florence	$58,000	160
Myrtle Beach	$59,000	110
Anderson	$49,000	80

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Sioux Falls	$50,000	300

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashville	$63,000	2,380
Memphis	$70,000	1,720
Chattanooga	$58,000	850
Knoxville	$60,000	670
Kingsport	$47,000	110
Johnson City	$46,000	70
Clarksville	$43,000	50
Cleveland	$41,000	40
Morristown	$53,000	40

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Dallas	$80,000	12,950
Houston	$81,000	9,020
Austin	$82,000	5,560
Fort Worth	$75,000	2,180
San Antonio	$70,000	1,740
El Paso	$46,000	440
Beaumont	$59,000	280
Amarillo	$76,000	270
Killeen	$68,000	260
Lubbock	$48,000	230
College Station	$53,000	210
Waco	$67,000	180
Corpus Christi	$55,000	170
Longview	$48,000	140
Abilene	$49,000	130
Mcallen	$52,000	130
Tyler	$64,000	120
Midland	$68,000	90
Brownsville	$43,000	60
Laredo	$56,000	50
Wichita Falls	$61,000	40
Odessa	$54,000	30

Utah

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Salt Lake City	$76,000	4,270
Provo	$60,000	1,270
Ogden	$63,000	620
St George	$55,000	150
Logan	$50,000	140

Vermont

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Burlington	$81,000	400

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Richmond	$79,000	1,680
Virginia Beach	$63,000	1,460
Charlottesville	$69,000	280
Blacksburg	$61,000	190
Lynchburg	$57,000	180
Roanoke	$58,000	140
Harrisonburg	$49,000	130

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Seattle	$89,000	8,840
Tacoma	$79,000	570
Spokane	$57,000	440
Bremerton	$74,000	140
Olympia	$81,000	80
Kennewick	$47,000	70
Bellingham	$71,000	50
Mount Vernon	$59,000	30

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charleston	$48,000	530
Huntington	$42,000	120
Wheeling	$57,000	80
Morgantown	$52,000	80
Weirton	$63,000	40
Parkersburg	$56,000	40

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Milwaukee	$65,000	2,730
Madison	$65,000	1,260
Green Bay	$68,000	360
Appleton	$67,000	290
La Crosse	$62,000	210
Eau Claire	$74,000	200
Wausau	$54,000	190
Oshkosh	$66,000	170
Racine	$57,000	140
Fond	$72,000	70
Janesville	$54,000	50

Our computer programmer career and school information is provided by CTI Career Search.