5112/Software Publishers
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
1.01M
employees, 2023
1.01M
employees, 2023
In 2023, 18,425 US Software Publishers business locations employed 1.01 million people and paid $203.7 billion in annual payroll, $201,426 per employee on average. Employment was up 15.6% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
18,425
+5.7% vs 2022
Employees
1,011,187
+15.6% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$203.7B
+17.9% vs 2022
Average pay
$201,426
+2.0% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Software Publishers in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 3,890 | 300,096 | $245,608 | 1.83% |
| Washington | 860 | 98,089 | $286,039 | 3.21% |
| Texas | 1,302 | 76,184 | $162,682 | 0.63% |
| Massachusetts | 756 | 57,916 | $192,597 | 1.66% |
| New York | 1,264 | 46,590 | $206,929 | 0.53% |
| Florida | 908 | 37,510 | $149,314 | 0.38% |
| Illinois | 618 | 32,688 | $171,561 | 0.58% |
| Georgia | 531 | 32,216 | $168,975 | 0.73% |
| Utah | 418 | 31,018 | $145,141 | 1.96% |
| Virginia | 494 | 25,789 | $193,953 | 0.72% |
| Colorado | 587 | 25,649 | $212,824 | 1.00% |
| North Carolina | 524 | 24,981 | $175,435 | 0.58% |
| Wisconsin | 201 | 22,577 | $141,055 | 0.85% |
| Pennsylvania | 468 | 20,115 | $167,068 | 0.35% |
| Ohio | 368 | 16,403 | $130,406 | 0.32% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Software Publishers employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 1,504 | 112,237 | $251,324 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 645 | 93,968 | $292,718 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 685 | 91,253 | $294,188 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 700 | 57,225 | $192,535 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 1,346 | 52,271 | $205,503 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 1,019 | 40,604 | $183,632 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 455 | 30,653 | $169,474 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 427 | 30,603 | $165,099 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 535 | 29,114 | $177,300 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 567 | 28,768 | $195,091 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 425 | 27,160 | $178,798 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 348 | 18,239 | $224,520 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 272 | 18,005 | $187,783 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 472 | 17,986 | $156,852 |
| Madison, WI | 61 | 14,068* | $148,803 |
Business size
US Software Publishers business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 9,238 | 50.1% |
| 5 to 9 | 2,489 | 13.5% |
| 10 to 19 | 1,948 | 10.6% |
| 20 to 49 | 1,956 | 10.6% |
| 50 to 99 | 1,032 | 5.6% |
| 100 to 249 | 987 | 5.4% |
| 250 to 499 | 426 | 2.3% |
| 500 to 999 | 204 | 1.1% |
| 1,000 or more | 145 | 0.8% |
Related industries
Software Publishers and the 1 industry directly below it
Part of Information 51Publishing Industries (except Internet) 511
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51121 | Software Publishers | 1,011,187 | $201,426 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Software Publishers in the US?
1.01 million people worked at 18,425 US Software Publishers business locations in 2023, up 15.6% from 2022. That is 0.72% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Software Publishers?
$201,426 a year per employee in 2023, from $203.7 billion in annual payroll (up 2.0% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Software Publishers jobs?
California had the most, with 300,096 employees in 2023, followed by Washington (98,089) and Texas (76,184).
Which metro areas have the most Software Publishers jobs?
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA (112,237), Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (93,968), San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (91,253) had the most Software Publishers employees in 2023.
Are most Software Publishers businesses small?
74.2% of the 18,425 Software Publishers business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 349 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. * Less accurate: changed by 5% or more to protect privacy. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.