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Computer Programmers

Computer and Mathematical · SOC 15-1251

74.5% AI Exposure — Very High
$100,390
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
Proj. Annual Openings
92,230
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-12.1%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
25/100
AI Resiliency Score

AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.

Decision card

Career Evidence Passport

SOC 15-1251 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.

Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
SOC exposure
74.5%
Very High · Anthropic AEI
Automation friction
28/100
Low friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
Wages
$100,390
H-1B offered wage $91,042; LCAs are filings.
Projected openings
BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -6.0%.
Observed/proxy demand
13,485
FY2025 certified LCAs; 2,959 postings in 2025.

Skill evidence

ProgrammingActive ListeningCritical ThinkingComplex Problem SolvingQuality Control Analysis
  • H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
  • Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
  • Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
  • This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.

Best transitions from here

Explore all pathways

Lower AI-exposure roles that reuse your skills, ranked by a transition score (skills that transfer, safety gain, pay and retraining effort).

AI Exposure Analysis

AI Exposure74.5%
AI Resiliency25/100
Exposure BandVery High
Sector Avg. Exposure35.3%

Across AI measures

Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.

87.8%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic74.5%
AI capability · OpenAI95%
AI ability · AIOE93.9%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne48%

AI could do ~95% of this role but only ~74.5% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.

Top Skills

1.Programming
2.Active Listening
3.Critical Thinking
4.Complex Problem Solving
5.Quality Control Analysis

H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand

View full H-1B trends →

Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.

225,987
Decade Total (Certified LCAs)
13,485
FY2025 Volume
2% of all H-1B filings in FY2025
$91,042
Median Offered Wage (Latest Year)
#4 of 776
Rank by Total Volume
H-1B filing volume, FY2016–FY2025

O*NET occupation profile

What this work involves

Create, modify, and test the code and scripts that allow computer applications to run. Work from specifications drawn up by software and web developers or other individuals. May develop and write computer programs to store, locate, and retrieve specific documents, data, and information.

Common titles: Analyst Programmer, Application Programmer Analyst, Computer Programmer, Computer Programmer Analyst, Internet Programmer, Java Developer

Representative Tasks

  • Write, analyze, review, and rewrite programs, using workflow chart and diagram, and applying knowledge of computer capabilities, subject matter, and symbolic logic.
  • Correct errors by making appropriate changes and rechecking the program to ensure that the desired results are produced.
  • Perform or direct revision, repair, or expansion of existing programs to increase operating efficiency or adapt to new requirements.
  • Write, update, and maintain computer programs or software packages to handle specific jobs such as tracking inventory, storing or retrieving data, or controlling other equipment.
  • Consult with managerial, engineering, and technical personnel to clarify program intent, identify problems, and suggest changes.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Modify software programs to improve performance.
  • Write computer programming code.
  • Test software performance.
  • Resolve computer software problems.
  • Collaborate with others to resolve information technology issues.

Tools & Technologies

Microsoft PowerPoint · hotAmazon DynamoDB · hotApache Kafka · hotApache Maven · hotApache Spark · hotDjango · hotElasticsearch · hotGo · hotGoogle Angular · hotjQuery · hot

Employment Projections & AI Exposure

5
Occupations Shown
31.9%
Avg AI Exposure
4
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.

Employment & Wage Trend

BLS OEWS, 2019–2025


Occupation Employment & Wage TrendMulti-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 15-1251: 2019 — employment: 199,540, median wage: $86,550; 2020 — employment: 178,140, median wage: $89,190; 2021 — employment: 152,610, median wage: $93,000; 2022 — employment: 132,740, median wage: $97,800; 2023 — employment: 120,370, median wage: $99,700; 2025 — employment: 92,230, median wage: $100,390.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.

Sector Comparison

MetricThis CareerSector Average
AI Exposure74.5%35.3%
OutlookAverage19% Bright
Median Salary$100,390N/A
AI Resiliency25/100N/A