Rank gap
#19 vs #12
7 places apart on hub
Compare different careers
BLS May 2024
Software devs vs Lawyers Salary Comparison
Lawyers pays more on the published median — $18,080 per year (14% higher than Software devs). BLS national medians, hourly equivalents, and modeled take-home at each median in Texas, California, New York, and Florida.
By Sammy S. · Founder · AuthorUpdated for 2026
Higher BLS national median
Lawyers pays more
$18,080 more per year on the median — about $8.69/hr at full-time hours.
Hourly gap at median
$8.69/hr
$63.98 vs $72.67
Texas take-home gap
$12,358
At each BLS median · no state income tax
Industry context
Software devs (Technology, SOC 15-1252) vs Lawyers (Legal, SOC 23-1011). Categories group training and licensing paths — the scoreboard compares published BLS medians regardless of industry.
Side-by-side salary scoreboard
Software devs
$133,080
BLS median · $63.98/hr · rank #19
- Texas take-home
- $102,226
- California take-home
- $92,333
- TX effective rate
- 23.2%
Lawyers
$151,160
BLS median · $72.67/hr · rank #12
- Texas take-home
- $114,584
- California take-home
- $102,775
- TX effective rate
- 24.2%
Take-home ladder at each BLS median
Single-filer take-home when gross equals each occupation's published median — Texas gap at median: $12,358.
| State | Software devs | Lawyers | Take-home gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $102,226 | $114,584 | $12,358 |
| California | $92,333 | $102,775 | $10,441 |
| New York | $95,384 | $106,674 | $11,291 |
| Florida | $102,226 | $114,584 | $12,358 |
Texas
Software devs$102,226
Lawyers$114,584
Take-home gap $12,358
California
Software devs$92,333
Lawyers$102,775
Take-home gap $10,441
New York
Software devs$95,384
Lawyers$106,674
Take-home gap $11,291
Florida
Software devs$102,226
Lawyers$114,584
Take-home gap $12,358
Key takeaways — Software devs vs Lawyers
- Lawyers pays more on the published median — $151,160 vs $133,080 ($18,080 / year, ~14% higher).
- Software devs ranks #19 on our hub; Lawyers ranks #12 (#1 = highest BLS median in this set).
- That wage gap is $8.69/hr at full-time hours — $72.67/hr vs $63.98/hr.
- Modeled Texas take-home at each median: $102,226 (Software devs) vs $114,584 (Lawyers) — $12,358 apart before state tax differences elsewhere.
- California shrinks or widens the net gap depending on bracket stacking: $92,333 vs $102,775 ($10,441 take-home difference).
Software devs vs Lawyers salary comparison
Students, career changers, and hiring managers often ask whether Software developers or Lawyers pays more on a nationally representative benchmark. This page anchors that question to BLS OEWS May 2024 national medians — half of workers earn more, half earn less — then layers 2026 paycheck math so you see take-home, not just gross.
Lawyers leads on gross median by $18,080 per year. That is roughly $8.69 per hour on a standard 2,080-hour schedule — before you factor training time, licensing, or non-wage benefits.
Use the scoreboard for medians and ranks, the state ladder for take-home in Texas, California, New York, and Florida, then open each occupation profile for BLS source links and calculator deep links.
What the BLS median includes — and excludes
OEWS medians are employer-reported cash wages for W-2 workers in the occupation nationally. They do not add RSU vests, many bonuses, overtime premiums, or self-employment income.
Software devs (SOC 15-1252) and Lawyers (SOC 23-1011) can look closer or farther apart in a specific metro than on this national line — especially tech and healthcare roles with shift or equity pay.
When an offer exceeds the median, model it in the US paycheck calculator. When you need city context, pair this page with metro paycheck examples or the relocation salary calculator.
From gross median to take-home
At Software devs's median ($133,080), modeled effective employee levy rates run 23.2% in Texas and 30.6% in California. At Lawyers's median ($151,160): 24.2% (TX) and 32.0% (CA).
Texas isolates federal income tax and FICA because it has no state income tax on wages. California and New York show how state brackets compress net pay even when gross medians favor the higher-paying occupation.
These are single-filer vignettes with the standard deduction — not a forecast of your W-2 withholding or year-end refund.
Beyond the headline median
Education debt, licensing exams, night shifts, union steps, and equity refresh cycles can invert a simple median ranking over a full career.
Healthcare pairs often compare years of training (physicians vs nurse practitioners). Tech pairs compare equity-heavy total comp against cash-wage medians.
Use the career path simulator when you need promotion, job-hop, or RSU scenarios above the published median — still after tax, still engine-backed.
Where these occupations sit on the full hub ladder
Software devs ranks #19 of 92 tracked occupations; Lawyers ranks #12.
The $18,080 gap is 14% relative to Software devs's median — use hourly equivalents when comparing to part-time or contract offers.
Featured corridors on the hub (software vs nursing, lawyers vs accountants) exist because search volume clusters there — your pair may still be valid even when ranks are far apart.
What to do after reading the scoreboard
Open the Software devs and Lawyers profiles for BLS source links, percentile tables when published, and calculator deep links prefilled at each median.
If relocation is involved, stack metro paycheck examples and effective tax rate by state on top of this occupation comparison — gross median alone does not price rent or commute.
When an offer exceeds either median, model it in the US paycheck calculator with your filing status and pre-tax deductions.
Concepts to know for this comparison
Short definitions so BLS medians map to real paycheck math.
National median
Half of workers in the SOC occupation earn more and half earn less nationwide — the BLS anchor for apples-to-apples career comparisons.
Hourly equivalent
Annual median ÷ 2,080 — useful for comparing salaried roles to hourly or part-time offers on the same clock.
Take-home at median
Our paycheck model applied to the BLS gross median in a reference state — federal, state where applicable, and employee payroll only.
Rank on this hub
Sorted by BLS national median within our curated occupation set — not BLS employment counts or growth projections.
Myths vs facts — Software devs vs Lawyers
Higher median guarantees higher lifetime wealth.
Career length, unemployment risk, student debt, and benefits matter. A lower-median teaching row can still win on pension, summers, or forgiveness programs absent from OEWS.
Take-home at median equals your offer net pay.
Filing status, 401(k), HSA, and locality change the result. These columns standardize gross at the BLS median for comparison only.
Two occupations with similar medians feel the same in every city.
Metro demand shifts offers above or below national medians. Always cross-check city tables when relocation is involved.
Who this Software devs vs Lawyers page helps
Useful if…
- •Students weighing medical, nursing, tech, or business paths
- •Career changers comparing published medians before retraining
- •Recruiters grounding offer bands in BLS anchors
- •Parents discussing ROI on professional degrees
Use a fuller model if…
- •Self-employed or 1099 workers — OEWS focuses on W-2 employer reports
- •Equity-heavy tech offers — cash medians understate total comp
- •Shift, overtime, or commission-heavy roles
- •Visa or licensing constraints that block certain occupations
Common mistakes reading this pair
- Treating BLS medians as entry-level or senior offers without reading percentiles
- Ignoring licensing and training time when comparing physicians to nurse practitioners
- Assuming Texas take-home applies after a move to California or New York
- Comparing total comp (base + bonus + RSU) to cash-wage medians without adjustment
Software devs vs Lawyers checklist
Before treating the wage gap as a career decision.
- 1Confirm the SOC title matches your target role (software developers vs web developers, etc.)
- 2Check metro paycheck examples when the job lists a city
- 3Model your exact gross in the US paycheck calculator
- 4Add student debt and training years to the decision — not just year-one median
- 5Compare effective tax rate by state if relocation changes both pay and tax
Software devs vs Lawyers salary FAQs
Lawyers pays more on the published median — $151,160 vs $133,080 ($18,080 / year, about 14% higher).
Software devs: $63.98/hr ($133,080 ÷ 2,080 full-time hours). Lawyers: $72.67/hr. BLS uses 2,080 hours for annual-to-hourly conversion.
At each occupation's BLS median, modeled single-filer take-home in Texas (no state income tax) is $102,226 (Software devs) vs $114,584 (Lawyers). In California: $92,333 vs $102,775.
No. BLS OEWS medians are employer-reported cash wages for the occupation nationally. Bonuses, RSU vests, shift differentials, and self-employment income are outside this table. Use our paycheck calculator to model your exact offer.
National median annual wages from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 (May 2024), SOC 15-1252 and 23-1011. Take-home columns use our 2026 paycheck model at each median.
Lawyers ranks higher (#12 vs #19) with a $18,080 higher BLS median.
Yes — Highest paying jobs Canada uses Job Bank / StatCan medians, Highest paying jobs UK uses ONS ASHE medians, Highest paying jobs Australia uses ABS EEH averages, Highest paying jobs New Zealand uses Stats NZ HLFS major-group medians, and Highest paying jobs Ireland uses CSO SES medians with the same ranking, compare, and profile pattern.
Software devs is classified as Technology (rank #19); Lawyers as Legal (rank #12). Category labels help group training paths — the scoreboard uses BLS medians regardless of industry.
At each BLS median, Texas take-home differs by $12,358; the California ladder shows $10,441. State tax can shrink a large gross gap when both roles land in high-bracket states.
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Project salary 5–15 years ahead after tax
Metro paycheck examples
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Relocation salary calculator
COL-adjusted offers between cities