SalaryExplorer

SOC 15-1252 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Software Developers — Eau Claire

Eau Claire, WI · 10 metro areas compared

$104,490 /year
$50.23per hour
440jobs in area
−23.2%vs US median

The median wage for Software Developers in Eau Claire, WI is $104,490 per year, 23.2% below the national median of $135,980.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $135,98010TH$74,80025TH$94,620MEDIAN$104,49075TH$133,15090TH$166,340

How pay has moved

$110,533$74,27820212022202320242025$104,490
$80,320 in 2021 to $104,490 in 2025, +30.1% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow much faster than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+15.8%
Openings per year
115,200
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Eau Claire, WI.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Software Developers in Eau Claire, WI is $104,490 per year, 23.2% below the national median of $135,980. Pay ranges from under $74,800 at the tenth percentile to more than $166,340 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $94,620 to $133,150.

Employment stands at 440, or 5.1 jobs per thousand held locally. Madison leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $130,630. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 22nd of 305 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Eau Claire, WI · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$74,800−45.0%
25th$94,620−30.4%
Median (50th)$104,490−23.2%
75th$133,150−2.1%
90th$166,340+22.3%
Mean$118,220−13.1%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Wisconsin

Median annual wage for Software Developers, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Madison$130,6306,720
2Kenosha$130,330410
3Milwaukee$123,7306,170
4Janesville$105,670280
5Fond du Lac$104,140100
6Oshkosh$104,000600
7Green Bay$103,160860
8Appleton$102,970570
9La Crosse$102,110380
10Sheboygan$101,380190

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Eau Claire run 7.2% below the national average, so the median of $104,490 goes as far as $112,597 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 17.2% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$104,490as reported by BLS

Local price level

92.8US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$112,597US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $104,490 a year, 23.2% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $74,800 to $166,340 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 440 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Madison, at $130,630.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Software Developers in Eau Claire, WI?

The median annual wage is $104,490, or $50.23 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $135,980, so pay in Eau Claire, WI is 23.2% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Eau Claire, WI earns more than $166,340 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $74,800 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Madison, at $130,630 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 440 jobs in this occupation in Eau Claire, WI. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.