Computer Programmers
15-1251.00
Updated 2024

The occupation code you requested, 15-1131.00 (Computer Programmers), is no longer in use. In the future, please use 15-1251.00 (Computer Programmers) instead.

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.

Sample of reported job titles: Analyst Programmer, Application Programmer Analyst, Computer Programmer, Computer Programmer Analyst, Internet Programmer, Java Developer, Programmer, Programmer Analyst, Web Applications Programmer, Web Programmer

Occupation-Specific Information

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.
  • Conduct trial runs of programs and software applications to be sure they will produce the desired information and that the instructions are correct.
  • Prepare detailed workflow charts and diagrams that describe input, output, and logical operation, and convert them into a series of instructions coded in a computer language.
  • Compile and write documentation of program development and subsequent revisions, inserting comments in the coded instructions so others can understand the program.
  • Consult with and assist computer operators or system analysts to define and resolve problems in running computer programs.
  • Perform systems analysis and programming tasks to maintain and control the use of computer systems software as a systems programmer.
  • Write or contribute to instructions or manuals to guide end users.
  • Investigate whether networks, workstations, the central processing unit of the system, or peripheral equipment are responding to a program's instructions.
  • Assign, coordinate, and review work and activities of programming personnel.
  • Train subordinates in programming and program coding.
  • Develop Web sites.
  • Train users on the use and function of computer programs.
  • Collaborate with computer manufacturers and other users to develop new programming methods.
Find occupations related to multiple tasks

Technology Skills

  • Access software — Citrix cloud computing software
  • Accounting software — Tax software
  • Analytical or scientific software — IBM SPSS Statistics Hot technology ; Minitab; SAS In-Demand Hot technology ; The MathWorks MATLAB Hot technology ; 2 more
  • Application server software — Docker Hot technology ; GitHub Hot technology ; Red Hat OpenShift Hot technology ; Spring Boot Hot technology ; 2 more
  • Backup or archival software — Veritas NetBackup
  • Business intelligence and data analysis software — IBM Cognos Impromptu; Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition; Qlik Tech QlikView; Tableau Hot technology ; 1 more
  • Cloud-based data access and sharing software — Microsoft SharePoint Hot technology
  • Cloud-based management software — Amazon Web Services AWS CloudFormation Hot technology ; IBM WebSphere; Splunk Enterprise Hot technology
  • Clustering software — VMware
  • Communications server software — IBM Domino
  • Compiler and decompiler software — Command interpreters; Inline code expander software; Retargetable compiler; Threaded code compiler; 9 more
  • Computer aided design CAD software — Bentley MicroStation Hot technology ; Computer aided design and drafting CADD software; Dassault Systemes CATIA
  • Configuration management software — Chef Hot technology ; Perforce Helix software; Puppet Hot technology ; Revision control software; 1 more
  • Content workflow software — Atlassian JIRA Hot technology ; Emerald Software Group Emerald Green Office; Workflow software
  • Data base management system software — Amazon DynamoDB Hot technology ; Elasticsearch Hot technology ; MongoDB Hot technology ; Oracle PL/SQL Hot technology ; 15 more
  • Data base reporting software — Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services SSRS Hot technology ; ReCrystallize Crystal Reports; SAP Crystal Reports
  • Data base user interface and query software — Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2 Hot technology ; Apache Hive Hot technology ; IBM DB2 Hot technology ; Transact-SQL Hot technology ; 10 more
  • Data mining software — Google Analytics Hot technology
  • Desktop publishing software — Microsoft Publisher
  • Development environment software — Apache Kafka Hot technology ; Apache Maven Hot technology ; Go Hot technology ; Microsoft PowerShell Hot technology ; 57 more
  • Document management software — Adobe Acrobat Hot technology ; Virage VS Archive
  • Electronic mail software — IBM Notes; Microsoft Exchange
  • Enterprise application integration software — Atlassian Bamboo Hot technology ; Extensible markup language XML In-Demand Hot technology ; IBM InfoSphere DataStage; Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services SSIS Hot technology ; 5 more
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP software — Microsoft Dynamics Hot technology ; Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne; Oracle PeopleSoft Hot technology ; SAP software Hot technology ; 6 more
  • Enterprise system management software — IBM Power Systems software; Microsoft Systems Management Server
  • Expert system software — Ansible software Hot technology
  • File versioning software — Apache Subversion SVN Hot technology ; Git In-Demand Hot technology
  • Financial analysis software — Delphi Technology; Oracle E-Business Suite Financials
  • Geographic information system — ESRI ArcGIS software Hot technology ; Geographic information system GIS software
  • Graphical user interface development software — Basis BBx VisualPRO/5; Graphical user interface GUI design software; Salesforce Visualforce
  • Graphics or photo imaging software — Adobe Illustrator Hot technology ; Adobe Photoshop Hot technology ; Corel CorelDraw Graphics Suite
  • Human resources software — Human resource management software HRMS
  • Industrial control software — Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
  • Medical software — Epic Systems Hot technology
  • Metadata management software — Quest Erwin Data Modeler
  • Network monitoring software — Nagios; Network intrusion prevention systems NIPS; Snort; Wireshark
  • Network security and virtual private network VPN equipment software — Virtual private networking VPN software
  • Object or component oriented development software — Apache Spark Hot technology ; jQuery Hot technology ; Scala Hot technology ; Swift Hot technology ; 25 more
  • Object oriented data base management software — Hibernate ORM Hot technology ; Microsoft Visual FoxPro; PostgreSQL Hot technology
  • Office suite software — Microsoft Office software In-Demand Hot technology
  • Operating system software — Bash Hot technology ; Microsoft Windows Server Hot technology ; Red Hat Enterprise Linux Hot technology ; UNIX Shell Hot technology ; 10 more
  • Portal server software — Apache HTTP Server
  • Presentation software — Microsoft PowerPoint In-Demand Hot technology
  • Process mapping and design software — Microsoft Visio Hot technology
  • Program testing software — Hewlett Packard LoadRunner; JUnit Hot technology ; Selenium Hot technology ; Symbolic debugger software; 3 more
  • Project management software — Atlassian Confluence Hot technology ; Microsoft Project Hot technology
  • Requirements analysis and system architecture software — Unified modeling language UML
  • Spreadsheet software — Microsoft Excel In-Demand Hot technology
  • Storage networking software — Amazon Simple Storage Service S3 Hot technology
  • Transaction security and virus protection software — McAfee
  • Transaction server software — Customer information control system CICS
  • Web page creation and editing software — Adobe Dreamweaver; CoffeeCup The HTML Editor; Microsoft FrontPage
  • Web platform development software — Django Hot technology ; Google Angular Hot technology ; React Hot technology ; Spring Framework Hot technology ; 25 more
  • Word processing software — Microsoft Word Hot technology
Hot technology
Hot Technologies are requirements most frequently included across all employer job postings.
In demand
In Demand skills are frequently included in employer job postings for this occupation.

Occupational Requirements

Work Activities

  • Working with Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
  • Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
  • Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information — Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
  • Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Developing and Building Teams — Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Providing Consultation and Advice to Others — Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
  • Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others — Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.

Detailed Work Activities

Find occupations related to multiple detailed work activities

Work Context

Experience Requirements

Job Zone

Title
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Education
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Related Experience
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Job Zone Examples
Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include real estate brokers, sales managers, database administrators, graphic designers, conservation scientists, art directors, and cost estimators.
SVP Range
(7.0 to < 8.0)

Training & Credentials

State training
Local training
Certifications
Find certifications nationwide

Apprenticeship Opportunities

Example apprenticeship titles for this occupation:

  • Computer Programmer
  • Programmer, Engineer & Scientific

Specific title(s) listed above are vetted by industry and approved by the U.S. Department of Labor for use in a Registered Apprenticeship Program.

Start your career and build your skillset. Visit Apprenticeship.gov to learn about opportunities related to this occupation.

Worker Requirements

Skills

  • Programming — Writing computer programs for various purposes.
  • Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Quality Control Analysis — Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
  • Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Systems Analysis — Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
  • Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Mathematics — Using mathematics to solve problems.
  • Operations Analysis — Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
  • Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Systems Evaluation — Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
  • Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.
  • Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Knowledge

  • Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Engineering and Technology — Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
  • English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Administration and Management — Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Education

How much education does a new hire need to perform a job in this occupation? Respondents said:

  • 88%
     
    Bachelor’s degree required
  • 9%
     
    Associate’s degree required
  • 3%
     
    Some college, no degree required

Worker Characteristics

Abilities

  • Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Mathematical Reasoning — The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
  • Number Facility — The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
  • Selective Attention — The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Flexibility of Closure — The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.

Interests

Interest code: CI
Want to discover your interests? Take the O*NET Interest Profiler at My Next Move.
  • Conventional — Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
  • Investigative — Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Work Values

  • Achievement — Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
  • Working Conditions — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
  • Independence — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

Work Styles

  • Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
  • Analytical Thinking — Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
  • Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.
  • Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
  • Independence — Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
  • Achievement/Effort — Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
  • Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
  • Persistence — Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
  • Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
  • Self-Control — Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
  • Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
  • Innovation — Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
  • Stress Tolerance — Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
  • Concern for Others — Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
  • Leadership — Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
  • Social Orientation — Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.

Workforce Characteristics

Wages & Employment Trends

Median wages (2023)
$47.94 hourly, $99,700 annual
State wages
Local wages
Employment (2023)
139,400 employees
Projected growth (2023-2033)
Decline (-1% or lower)
Projected job openings (2023-2033)
6,400
State trends
Top industries (2023)

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2023 wage data and 2023-2033 employment projections . “Projected growth” represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2023-2033). “Projected job openings” represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Job Openings on the Web

State job openings
Local job openings

More Information

Professional Associations

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National Associations
Accreditation, Certification, & Unions