Software Developer
Information Technology
Design, build, and maintain the software people use every day.
Why it matters here: Federal contractors across the DMV hire heavily for cleared developers.
Labor Market — DMV Region
Sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS releases (DMV metro and nationwide) plus MD, VA, and D.C. workforce agencies.
Local cost of living is why DMV pay often differs from the national median.
- DMV & state figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS wage & employment estimates and Employment Projections, with OEWS area pay relatives for the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria metro, Maryland, D.C., and Northern Virginia · View source
- Occupation profiles & skills: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor) · onetonline.org
All salary figures are published estimates for groups of workers, not offers or guarantees for any individual role.
Education & Career Pathways
Multiple ways to get here — pick the one that fits your life.
Career Progression
How you can grow — with expected salary at each step.
- Entry-level Software DeveloperLearning the role, supervised work, building core skills.$110,090
- Software Developer (experienced)Independent work, mentoring newer team members.$144,170
- Senior / Lead Software DeveloperOwning projects, specialization, higher responsibility.$182,030
- Manager or specialist trackSupervising a team or moving into a high-demand specialty.$218,436
Skills Required
What you'll actually do — and how you'll be judged.
Hybrid office or home, flexible weekday hours, sprint-paced
Where you work
An open office with monitors and whiteboards, or your own desk at home. Most DMV employers are hybrid two or three days in.
Hours and schedule
Flexible weekday hours built around a daily standup; crunch happens near a release, not every week.
Pace and pressure
Two-week sprint rhythm — planning, building, code review, ship, repeat.
Who you work with
A squad of five to nine engineers with a product manager and designer; almost all work is reviewed by a teammate.
Physical demands
Seated screen work; eye strain and posture are the real concerns.
What people wear
Casual. Hoodies and jeans are normal even at federal contractors, though badge-required sites dress up slightly.
Remote reality
One of the most remote-friendly careers in the region, though cleared defense work often requires being on site.
Workplace culture: what's normal here
- Code review comments are about the code, never the person — disagreeing in a pull request is expected.
- Asking a question in the team channel after 15 minutes of being stuck is encouraged over silently struggling.
- Documentation and tests count as real work in performance reviews at most serious shops.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook — Work Environment, with regional detail for the DMV.
Official data behind this career
Federal statistics for DMV Region, translated into plain language.
Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV metro area
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables DP03, DP02, DP05)
- The DMV functions as one labor market: workers routinely cross state lines to get to work.
- The largest employment destinations are D.C., Fairfax County and Montgomery County.
Top places these workers go to work
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — BEA regional GDP and personal income, most recent published year
Private-sector payroll data from ADP. It is a supplemental near-real-time indicator and does not replace BLS government employment statistics.
Source: ADP National Employment Report — Most recent monthly ADP National Employment Report
- 1U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH, OEWS, Employment Projections, CES) — Primary source for occupation wages, outlook, projected openings, education and training.
- 2U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey — Primary source for income, educational attainment, labor force and demographic context by place.
- 3Census LEHD (LODES / OnTheMap) — Primary source for where workers live versus where they work, and local workforce flows.
- 4U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Primary source for regional GDP, industry contribution, compensation and personal income.
- 5ADP National Employment Report — Supplemental near-real-time private-sector employment and pay indicator. Not a replacement for BLS.
Figures describe groups of workers, not any one person. Where an official figure is not published for a category, this page says “Data unavailable for this category.” rather than estimating.
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