New York vs. Seattle
Software Developers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 15-1252
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
Seattle's median is 0.3% higher — but at national prices the two medians buy almost exactly the same.
New York's median $166,830 buys $148,200 at national prices (price parity 112.6); Seattle's $167,280 buys $150,500 (111.1).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Seattle against New York.
| New York | Seattle | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 121,000 | 92,770 | −23.3% |
| 10th percentile | $101,690 | $99,190 | −2.5% |
| 25th percentile | $130,650 | $132,800 | +1.6% |
| Median | $166,830 | $167,280 | +0.3% |
| 75th percentile | $205,970 | $211,860 | +2.9% |
| 90th percentile | $224,590 | $257,960 | +14.9% |
Sources
How this page was made
- Wage data
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. Public domain.
- Price parity
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
- Full pages
- Software Developers in New York · Software Developers in Seattle
Percentiles are reported exactly as released. Derived (price-adjusted) figures round to the nearest hundred. We take no payment for how any figure is presented.