National salary comparison — BLS OES 2024-2025 data
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Software Engineers earn a national median of $132,270/year vs Doctors at $236,000/year. Doctors earn 78% more nationally. The gap is $103,730 per year — or $8,644 per month.
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Software Engineer
$132,270
national median/year
$11,023/mo • $64/hr
VS
Doctor
$236,000
national median/year
$19,667/mo • $113/hr
Annual salary gap
$103,730
Doctors earn 78% more per year nationally. Over 30 years at 7% investment return that gap compounds to approximately $1,175,810.
Best states for Doctors
vs Software Engineers
Alaska+$136,000
North Dakota+$136,000
South Dakota+$136,000
Wisconsin+$136,000
Kentucky+$130,000
Best states for Software Engineers
vs Doctors
California+$-84,000
Washington+$-90,000
Colorado+$-100,000
Oregon+$-100,000
New York+$-104,000
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Doctors earn more nationally. The median annual salary for Software Engineers is $132,270 versus $236,000 for Doctors — a difference of $103,730 per year or $8,644 per month.
The national median salary gap between Software Engineers and Doctors is $103,730 per year. Doctors earn 78% more. Over a 30-year career this difference, if invested at 7% annual return, compounds to approximately $1,175,810.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, California pays Software Engineers the highest median salary at $168,320 per year.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, Massachusetts pays Doctors the highest median salary at $258,320 per year.
Salary is one factor — Doctors earn more nationally. But career choice involves job satisfaction, work-life balance, education requirements, and job growth. Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Physicians and Surgeons both have different educational paths, licensing requirements, and long-term growth projections. Use salary as a starting point, not the only factor.
Based on a standard 2,080-hour work year, Software Engineers earn approximately $64 per hour nationally and Doctors earn approximately $113 per hour. Actual hourly rates vary based on overtime, part-time work, and whether the role is salaried or hourly.
Methodology: Salary data from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) 2024-2025. Figures represent median annual wages for wage and salary workers. Self-employed excluded. Hourly rates calculated at 2,080 hours per year. State salary figures from same BLS OES dataset. Updated annually.
