Software Developers salary in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Software Developers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Pennsylvania tax rules.
The figures
The median Software Developers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area earns $133,040 a year ($63.96 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Software Developers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn between $103,920 and $165,140 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $82,960 or less and the top 10 percent earn $190,180 or more. BLS estimates 28,480 Software Developers jobs in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area — 9.829 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.91 (below the national concentration). That is 1.7% of all Software Developers employment in the United States (1,687,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD is the #12 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Software Developers. In aggregate, Software Developers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn about $3.87 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $100,079.52 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Software Developers is about $2.85 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 2.5% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD stands #16 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Software Developers. By employment, Software Developers is the #18 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD. Placed against the national distribution for Software Developers, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $133,040 falls between the national 25th percentile ($105,210) and the national median ($135,980). Across all occupations, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median is $54,310 a year — Software Developers pay is 145.0% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $65.41 | $136,050 |
| 10th percentile | $39.89 | $82,960 |
| 25th percentile | $49.96 | $103,920 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $63.96 | $133,040 |
| 75th percentile | $79.39 | $165,140 |
| 90th percentile | $91.43 | $190,180 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Software Developers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn 2.3 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($190,180 against $82,960). The middle half spans $61,220 — from $103,920 to $165,140. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($91.43) is 2.29 times the 10th ($39.89). In the upper half of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $165,140 takes home $119,069.30 and the 90th percentile wage of $190,180 takes home $135,415.42 — $16,346.12 more net for $25,040 more gross. Against the median take-home of $98,114.46, the top decile keeps 1.38 times as much. The mean wage of $136,050 sits 2.3% above the median: higher-paid Software Developers pull the average up in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD. Among the 30 covered occupations in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, Software Developers ranks #1 by median pay. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD wage ladder of covered occupations, Software Developers sits just above General and Operations Managers at $121,630. Software Developers accounts for 1.0% of all employment in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area. The average covered metro employs 36,902 Software Developers; Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD employs 0.8 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Pennsylvania
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Pennsylvania; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $133,040.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $20,663.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $8,248.48 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $1,929.08 |
| Pennsylvania income tax | $4,084.33 |
| Total deductions | $34,925.54 |
| Net pay (annual) | $98,114.46 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $3,773.63 |
| Total deduction rate | 26.25% of gross |
At the median, $98,114.46 of the $133,040 gross is kept ($3,773.63 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 26.25%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 22.08% at the 10th percentile, 24.22% at the 25th percentile, 27.90% at the 75th percentile, 28.80% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $40,322.24 on a gross rise of $61,220.
The same engine at the other published points of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($82,960) | $64,645.34 | $2,486.36 | 22.08% |
| 25th percentile ($103,920) | $78,747.06 | $3,028.73 | 24.22% |
| Median ($133,040) | $98,114.46 | $3,773.63 | 26.25% |
| 75th percentile ($165,140) | $119,069.30 | $4,579.59 | 27.90% |
| 90th percentile ($190,180) | $135,415.42 | $5,208.29 | 28.80% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $64,645.34 a year at the 10th percentile to $135,415.42 at the 90th — a spread of $70,770.08 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median wage of $54,310 takes home $44,150.50 a year ($1,698.10 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.71%). The Software Developers median take-home of $98,114.46 sits $53,963.96 (above that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD also covers parts of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland. The take-home estimate above uses Pennsylvania rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland paycheck calculators.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Software Developers earns $135,980 a year ($65.38 an hour). The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $133,040 is $2,940 (2.2%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $136,050 a year in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD against $148,100 nationally, a gap of $12,050 (8.1%).
Set against the whole local market, the Software Developers 90th percentile of $190,180 is 146% of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,280), and its 10th percentile of $82,960 is 266% of the area-wide 10th ($31,200).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $133,040 | $63.96 | $136,050 |
| United States | $135,980 | $65.38 | $148,100 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Software Developers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
$133,040 a year ($63.96 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $136,050 a year. Ranked by median pay, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD stands #16 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $133,040 in Pennsylvania?
About $98,114.46 a year ($3,773.63 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 26.25% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $165,140, take-home is $119,069.30.
How does pay in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD compare with the national median for Software Developers?
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $133,040 is $2,940 (2.2%) below the national median of $135,980 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $190,180, against a national 90th percentile of $214,670.
How much do the top 10% of Software Developers earn in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
$190,180 a year or more ($91.43 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Software Developers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
On $190,180 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $135,415.42 a year ($5,208.29 per biweekly paycheck) in Pennsylvania under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 28.80%.
How many Software Developers jobs are there in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
BLS estimates 28,480 Software Developers jobs in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area — 9.829 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Software Developers jobs in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
The location quotient is 0.91 — below the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Software Developers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
From $64,645.34 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($82,960) to $135,415.42 at the 90th ($190,180), under the same single-filer assumptions in Pennsylvania.
What is the total wage bill for Software Developers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
About $3.87 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 28,480 multiplied by the mean wage of $136,050.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.