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The highest May 2024 U.S. median wage among the technology occupations covered here was $140,910 for computer and information research scientists, followed by $133,080 for software developers. These are Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) occupation-level medians—not starting salaries, guaranteed offers, or total compensation. The available official figures support five useful occupation examples, not a verified ranking of ten jobs.
How to read these salary figures
The figures below are U.S. national median annual wages for May 2024, published by the BLS in 2025. A median is the midpoint: half of workers in the occupation earned more and half earned less. It is not a promise of what a particular person will earn, nor does it show a local wage, salary range, bonus, equity, or other total compensation.
The BLS presents both individual occupation figures and one combined figure for software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers. Those measures overlap and should not be treated as separate job titles in a single ranked list.
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| Occupation or BLS category | May 2024 U.S. median annual wage | What the figure represents |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and information research scientists | $140,910 | Individual occupation; the largest figure among the examples cited here. |
| Software developers | $133,080 | Individual occupation. |
| Software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers | $131,450 | Combined category; overlaps with the individual developer and tester occupations below. |
| Information security analysts | $124,910 | Individual occupation. |
| Software quality assurance analysts and testers | $102,610 | Individual occupation. |
Sources: BLS Computer and Information Technology Occupations, Information Security Analysts, and Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers. All figures are May 2024 medians reported by the BLS in 2025.
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What the pay figures say—and what they do not
Computer and information research scientists
At $140,910, this occupation has the highest median among the five cited examples. That does not establish it as the highest-paid technology occupation overall; the comparison is limited to the figures listed here.
Software developers
The occupation-specific median is $133,080. The broader software developers, QA analysts, and testers category has a separate median of $131,450, while the individual software QA analyst and tester median is $102,610. Because the broad category includes multiple occupations, its value is not another independent job title to rank alongside them.
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Information security analysts
The May 2024 median was $124,910. The BLS projects employment in this occupation to grow 29% from 2024 to 2034. It describes a bachelor’s degree and related work experience as typical, and notes that employers may prefer professional certification. Those entry expectations apply to this profile; they should not be assumed for every technology occupation.
How to compare opportunities beyond the national median
- Match the occupation: Compare duties and occupational definitions, not just a familiar job-title label. The BLS occupation profiles include descriptions of work and education.
- Match the geography: A national median is not a local salary estimate. Compare figures for the same location when evaluating a specific opportunity.
- Match the compensation measure: Distinguish base salary from total compensation, including any bonus or equity. These BLS medians do not establish the value of an individual offer.
- Consider outlook and preparation: Pay is one factor. The BLS profiles also provide occupation-specific outlook, duties, and education context; requirements vary by role.
Why this is not a verified top-ten ranking
The official figures cited here establish five pay measures, including one combined category that overlaps with two individual occupation figures. They do not identify the source or ranking method behind a ten-job list. Presenting these examples as ten distinct occupations, or labeling them a definitive top ten, would go beyond what the cited BLS information supports.
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