Software Engineer Salary vs. Data Scientist Salary: Full Breakdown
How each pay scale is built, which federal wage tables hold the current medians and percentiles, and why the gap moves by industry, employer and state.
Software engineering and data science sit in the same corner of the labor market: both are bachelor's-degree-entry computing occupations, both are placed by ONET in the same job preparation category (ONET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor), and both have their pay published annually by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Neither requires a state license, so pay is set by employer, industry and location rather than by a licensing board.
Because BLS refreshes these wage estimates every year, this guide points you at the exact published figures to compare — the 2025 median pay in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the May 2025 median annual wage, and the 10th and 90th percentile thresholds for each occupation — rather than quoting a number that will be stale by the time you negotiate.
Pay Side by Side
Every row below has a published federal figure for both occupations, in the same table, so you can compare the two directly instead of guessing.
| Comparison point | Software engineer (software developer) | Data scientist |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level pay | Lowest 10 percent annual wage threshold (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025) | Lowest 10 percent annual wage threshold (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025) |
| Median pay | 2025 median pay in the Occupational Outlook Handbook quick facts, plus the May 2025 median annual wage published for software developers alone rather than the combined developers/QA/testers group (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025) | 2025 median pay in the quick facts (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025), readable against the median annual wage for the whole math occupational group (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025) |
| Senior / top-end pay | Highest 10 percent annual wage threshold, plus the highest-paying industry median named for May 2025 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025) | Highest 10 percent annual wage threshold, plus the separately named highest-paying industry median for May 2025 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025) |
| Typical path to top pay | Bachelor's-level entry education with the related experience and on-the-job training BLS states for 2025; progression through senior, staff or architect titles, or into the top-paying industry named for May 2025 | Bachelor's-level entry education with the related experience and on-the-job training BLS states for 2025; progression through senior data scientist, machine learning or research titles, or into the top-paying industry named for May 2025 |
| Occupation size | 2025 employment for the software developers, QA analysts and testers group (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025) | 2025 employment for data scientists (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025) |
| Outlook | Projected change 2025-35 for the developers, QA analysts and testers group (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025) | Projected change 2025-35 for data scientists (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025) |
Two cautions. BLS publishes software developers both inside a combined group with QA analysts and testers and as a standalone occupation; the standalone May 2025 figure is the one to set against data scientists. And any range quoted online for either job is driven by named variables — years of experience, industry, and metro area — which is why BLS publishes percentiles and industry tables instead of one number. The May 2023 OEWS percentile estimates for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) show how far that spread can move between releases.
Why the Gap Exists
Neither occupation is licensed. No board exam, no registration, no supervised hours, no state credential stands between you and the title. ONET places software developers (15-1252.00) and data scientists (15-2051.00) in the same job preparation category, and the same description of that category's education and experience expectations covers both (ONET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor). So the gap is not a credentialing gap. It comes from four structural things.
Occupation size. BLS publishes 2025 employment counts for both, and the software developers, QA analysts and testers group is far larger than the data scientist occupation. More employers bidding and more rungs between junior and principal tend to firm up pay in the middle of the scale. A smaller occupation has thinner comparison data, so offers swing more on one employer's internal band.
Industry mix. This is the factor with a published, quantified effect: BLS names the single highest-paying industry for software developers in May 2025 and a different highest-paying industry for data scientists in the same month. Set those two industry medians against the two overall medians and you can see how much of the gap is a sector effect rather than a job-title effect.
Where the role sits in the revenue line. Software output usually ships as the product; data science output often informs a decision someone else makes. Employers that sell software price engineering against product revenue and grade it on a public ladder, while employers in retail, healthcare and government more often slot data scientists into a general analyst band.
Unions and pay structure. Private-sector work in either occupation is rarely covered by a collective agreement, so raises come from review cycles and job changes. Public-sector versions — state agencies, federal agencies, public universities — more often sit on a published step-and-grade scale, which compresses both ends. Comparing a state government data science post in California with a private software job in the same city compares two pay-setting mechanisms more than two jobs.
Which One Fits Your Priorities
Match your priority to the figure that settles it, then look that figure up before deciding.
- Fastest entry pay. Settled by the lowest 10 percent annual wage thresholds for software developers and for data scientists (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). Read both; the higher one is your answer for a first job.
- Highest ceiling. Settled by the highest 10 percent annual wage thresholds for the two occupations (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025), checked against the top-paying industry median BLS names for each in the same release. That ceiling belongs to senior individual-contributor and specialist titles in those industries, not the average job.
- Most stable raises. Favors the larger occupation. Compare 2025 employment and projected 2025-35 change for the developers, QA analysts and testers group with the same two figures for data scientists (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025).
- Best in a specific state. Not settled by national medians. Pull state and metro estimates for both occupations from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program for California, Texas, New York or wherever you are applying.
- Lowest entry barrier. A tie on paper: BLS states a typical entry-level education level, plus related experience and on-the-job training requirements, for each occupation for 2025 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025). Compare those entries rather than assuming data science needs a graduate degree.
Frequently asked questions
Which pays more overall, software engineering or data science?
Put the 2025 median pay for software developers next to the 2025 median pay for data scientists from the Occupational Outlook Handbook quick facts (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025), then check the May 2025 median annual wage published for software developers alone rather than the combined developers, QA analysts and testers group. Those medians are the only fair national comparison, and both are reissued yearly.
Does the ranking change with experience?
It can, because the top of each scale moves differently from the middle. The highest 10 percent threshold for software developers against the highest 10 percent threshold for data scientists (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025) compares late-career pay; the lowest 10 percent thresholds for the same month compare first jobs. Those two gaps are not the same size, and in each occupation the top is reached by senior specialists inside the highest-paying industry BLS names for May 2025.
How much does my state change the answer?
Enough to reverse it. The national medians for software developers and for data scientists (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025) say nothing about Texas versus New York versus California; the state and metro estimates in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program do. Pull the May 2023 OEWS percentile estimates for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) alongside the current year for both jobs to see how far the spread moves, and remember the within-state spread is driven by experience and employer type too.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers : Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: 15-1252 Software Developers (2023-05)
Written by
Felix writes a column on the inner life of work — burnout, ambition, the quiet math people do about whether a job is worth it. He prefers plain language to management jargon and says so often.
