Software Publishers: By the Numbers
101,139 establishments, 645,495 employees and $154.2 billion in annual payroll. Most of them run on software that records how the work gets done. Here's the industry, state by state.
Establishments
Software Publishers worksites in the U.S.
Employees
About 6 per location on average
Average annual pay
$154.2 billion in total payroll
Job growth, 1 year
Year-over-year employment change
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), 2025 annual averages, private ownership. Establishment counts are worksites, not companies. Pulled November 4, 2026. bls.gov/cew
Most jobs
- California: 107,263 employees
- Washington: 80,570 employees
- Massachusetts: 41,181 employees
- Texas: 39,101 employees
- New York: 37,165 employees
Fastest growing
- Rhode Island: +19.5% jobs in a year
- Oklahoma: +16.8% jobs in a year
- Arkansas: +14.6% jobs in a year
- Nevada: +13.8% jobs in a year
- District of Columbia: +10.1% jobs in a year
Most concentrated
- Washington: 5.40× the national share
- Massachusetts: 2.73× the national share
- Utah: 2.44× the national share
- Oregon: 1.60× the national share
- Nebraska: 1.57× the national share
All States, Ranked by Employment
| State | Establishments | Employees | Avg. pay | 1-yr jobs | Concentration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 5,862 | 107,263 | $374,816 | +1.8% | 1.42 |
| Washington | 4,446 | 80,570 | $342,898 | -2.1% | 5.40 |
| Massachusetts | 4,387 | 41,181 | $244,297 | -0.7% | 2.73 |
| Texas | 3,831 | 39,101 | $181,721 | +0.6% | 0.67 |
| New York | 6,605 | 37,165 | $221,657 | -0.3% | 0.92 |
| North Carolina | 3,856 | 30,855 | $186,556 | +1.7% | 1.51 |
| Florida | 6,624 | 30,065 | $178,010 | +1.3% | 0.73 |
| Georgia | 3,514 | 22,384 | $175,320 | +0.2% | 1.10 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,362 | 19,532 | $198,678 | +5.9% | 0.78 |
| Colorado | 2,145 | 18,710 | $226,384 | +1.2% | 1.56 |
| Wisconsin | 1,252 | 17,896 | $150,321 | +1.6% | 1.47 |
| Utah | 2,272 | 17,577 | $171,980 | +5.3% | 2.44 |
| Illinois | 3,190 | 17,471 | $202,210 | +7.3% | 0.69 |
| Tennessee | 5,014 | 15,363 | $163,428 | +6.5% | 1.14 |
| Oregon | 4,019 | 13,142 | $180,510 | -5.1% | 1.60 |
| Ohio | 3,393 | 12,127 | $144,874 | +2.3% | 0.53 |
| Arizona | 2,385 | 11,275 | $164,451 | +0.9% | 0.84 |
| New Jersey | 2,114 | 11,228 | $202,734 | +1.4% | 0.63 |
| Minnesota | 2,868 | 10,365 | $149,645 | +7.9% | 0.85 |
| Virginia | 2,028 | 9,721 | $208,970 | +5.2% | 0.57 |
| Michigan | 3,033 | 9,528 | $162,387 | +4.4% | 0.52 |
| Missouri | 2,236 | 7,189 | $140,013 | +0.6% | 0.60 |
| Nevada | 2,464 | 7,008 | $193,101 | +13.8% | 1.08 |
| Nebraska | 403 | 6,637 | $115,194 | +1.1% | 1.57 |
| Maryland | 1,759 | 6,491 | $202,663 | +0.5% | 0.57 |
| Connecticut | 1,496 | 5,409 | $205,940 | -0.3% | 0.77 |
| South Carolina | 1,576 | 5,139 | $177,570 | +2.6% | 0.53 |
| Alabama | 1,667 | 4,228 | $117,533 | -2.0% | 0.48 |
| New Hampshire | 568 | 3,274 | $262,445 | -4.2% | 1.15 |
| Kansas | 1,009 | 2,962 | $131,712 | +2.2% | 0.50 |
| Indiana | 799 | 2,842 | $139,890 | +5.3% | 0.21 |
| Kentucky | 1,723 | 2,409 | $122,346 | +0.3% | 0.29 |
| District of Columbia | 608 | 2,204 | $582,097 | +10.1% | 0.72 |
| Iowa | 768 | 1,922 | $154,170 | -1.7% | 0.30 |
| Oklahoma | 1,044 | 1,910 | $104,351 | +16.8% | 0.27 |
| Idaho | 893 | 1,688 | $145,039 | -3.1% | 0.47 |
| Maine | 793 | 1,601 | $178,798 | +4.6% | 0.59 |
| Louisiana | 856 | 1,463 | $129,231 | +5.6% | 0.18 |
| Vermont | 491 | 1,144 | $139,315 | -1.9% | 0.90 |
| North Dakota | 272 | 1,137 | $183,279 | -2.2% | 0.64 |
| Mississippi | 344 | 1,122 | $88,862 | +3.3% | 0.23 |
| Rhode Island | 468 | 1,105 | $164,759 | +19.5% | 0.53 |
| Arkansas | 195 | 683 | $106,099 | +14.6% | 0.13 |
| New Mexico | 428 | 637 | $145,749 | -4.9% | 0.18 |
| Hawaii | 555 | 627 | $239,569 | +2.1% | 0.23 |
| Montana | 162 | 561 | $194,022 | +4.7% | 0.26 |
| West Virginia | 336 | 495 | $108,474 | +2.9% | 0.17 |
| Delaware | 494 | 487 | $157,325 | +0.6% | 0.24 |
| Wyoming | 274 | 245 | $141,846 | +18.4% | 0.21 |
| South Dakota | 139 | 232 | $128,595 | +36.5% | 0.12 |
| Alaska | 120 | 122 | $227,809 | +2.5% | 0.09 |
Concentration = location quotient (1.00 = the industry's national share of jobs).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), 2025 annual averages, private ownership. Establishment counts are worksites, not companies. Pulled November 4, 2026. bls.gov/cew
What This Means for Your Data
Buyers value data that is deep, large and fresh. An industry with 645,495 people working in software every day produces exactly that: years of operating history that the public internet doesn't have. Established companies (roughly 20+ staff, 2+ years, software every day) fit best today.
MLM Data never asks for personal data. See what that data looks like, or text Lexi for a free appraisal.
Software Publishers: Data FAQ
How many software publishers are there in the U.S.?
About 101,139 private software publishers establishments employed 645,495 people in 2025 (BLS QCEW annual average).
Which state has the most software publishers jobs?
California leads with 107,263 employees across 5,862 establishments (2025, BLS QCEW).
What is the average pay in software publishers?
The average annual pay was $238,933 in 2025, according to BLS QCEW.
Is software publishers business data valuable to AI companies?
It can be. With about 645,495 people logging daily work in software, established software publishers create years of operating records. MLM Data helps established companies find out what their business data could be worth, free, by text with Lexi. Business data only, never personal data.
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