Software Engineer vs Data Scientist: pay, outlook, education and work, side by side.
Every row comes from one named source and says which career leads on that one dimension. There is no overall score.
Software Engineer vs Data Scientist: BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 15-1252 and 15-2051). The national median annual wage is $135,980 for software engineers and $120,230 for data scientists (BLS, May 2025). BLS projects national employment to change +10.2% for software engineers and +34.6% for data scientists from 2025 to 2035. Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree vs Bachelor's degree. Which fits better depends on what you value; the table shows who leads on each dimension, with no overall winner.
Side by side
Data Differences smaller than a stated threshold read “About the same” (pay 5%, growth 2 points, openings 10%, one education level, ORS 10 points, O*NET 0.2).
Pick what matters to you; the matching rows are highlighted. Nothing is combined into a score.
| Dimension · source | Software EngineerSOC 15-1252 | Data ScientistSOC 15-2051 | Leads on this dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wageBLS OEWS, May 2025 (national) | $135,980 | $120,230 | Software Engineer |
| EmploymentBLS OEWS, May 2025 | 1,687,890 | 262,440 | Not ranked |
| Projected employment change, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) | +10.2% | +34.6% | Data Scientist |
| Projected numeric change in jobs, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · A count, not a rate: it scales with the size of the occupation. | +174,700 jobs | +95,400 jobs | Not ranked |
| Projected openings (annual average)BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 | 95,300 a year | 24,800 a year | Software Engineer |
| Typical entry-level educationBLS Employment Projections · typical, not a legal requirement | Bachelor's degree | Bachelor's degree | About the same |
| Typical work experience in a related occupationBLS Employment Projections | None | None | About the same |
| Typical on-the-job trainingBLS Employment Projections | None | None | Not ranked |
| Pressure level (O*NET, 1–5; lower = less)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 2.36 | 2.47 | About the same |
| Social-contact level (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context · not ranked: neither direction is better | 3.02 | 3.16 | Not ranked |
| Freedom to make decisions (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 4.27 | 4.04 | Software Engineer |
| Work styles O*NET rates most importantO*NET® 31.0 work styles (occupation ratings, not a personality test) | Attention to Detail, Innovation, Dependability | Intellectual Curiosity, Attention to Detail, Innovation | Not ranked |
Choose based on what matters to you
Data Each line restates a measured difference from the table; nothing here predicts how you will feel about a job.
- higher median pay matters most ($135,980 vs $120,230)
- more decision-making freedom matters (4.27 vs 4.04)
- faster projected national growth matters (+34.6% vs +10.2%)
Which skills each one leans on
Data O*NET 31.0 skill ratings: level (0–7) and importance.
Skill-profile match: 17% (similarity of the two O*NET skill profiles, importance × level; 100% = identical).
- Systems Evaluation (+4.1 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Systems Analysis (+3.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Technology Design (+2.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Troubleshooting (+2.4 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Mathematics (+1.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Quality Control Analysis (+1.4 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Active Learning (+0.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Complex Problem Solving (+0.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
What each career involves
Data Core tasks from O*NET 31.0.
Software Engineer
- Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints.
- Develop or direct software system testing or validation procedures, programming, or documentation.
- Confer with systems analysts, engineers, programmers and others to design systems and to obtain information on project limitations and capabilities, performance requirements and interfaces.
- Modify existing software to correct errors, adapt it to new hardware, or upgrade interfaces and improve performance.
Data Scientist
- Analyze, manipulate, or process large sets of data using statistical software.
- Create graphs, charts, or other visualizations to convey the results of data analysis using specialized software.
- Test, validate, and reformulate models to ensure accurate prediction of outcomes of interest.
- Deliver oral or written presentations of the results of mathematical modeling and data analysis to management or other end users.
Largest employing industries
Data Share of all jobs in each occupation, BLS Employment Matrix 2025.
Software Engineer
- Professional, scientific, and technical services (40.1% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Management of companies and enterprises (5.6% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Computer and electronic product manufacturing (4.5% of all jobs in this occupation)
Data Scientist
- Professional, scientific, and technical services (25.1% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Insurance carriers and related activities (10.0% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Management of companies and enterprises (9.6% of all jobs in this occupation)
Moving between these careers
Data The comparison shows which; the career-change guides show how.
- Software Engineer → Data Scientist: skills to build: Mathematics, Quality Control Analysis, Active Learning.
- Data Scientist → Software Engineer: skills to build: Systems Evaluation, Systems Analysis, Technology Design. Careers after Data Scientist
Go deeper
Software Engineer career hub · Software Engineer salary · Software Engineer how to become · Data Scientist career hub · Data Scientist salary · Data Scientist career change
Common questions
Which pays more, Software Engineer or Data Scientist?
Which is growing faster?
Which is better?
How this page is built
BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 15-1252 and 15-2051). Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for each occupation's SOC code. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (growth, numeric change and annual openings are separate metrics). Requirements rows: 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, shown only when both roles have detailed-occupation estimates. Work environment: O*NET 31.0 work context. This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Searches this page answers include “software engineer vs data scientist”, “software engineer vs data scientist salary”, “software developer vs data scientist” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
- Any one employer's pay, schedule or culture.
- Job security, ease of hiring or work-life balance: these are not measured here.
- Which career you will prefer: the rows describe the occupations, not you.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 national projections (growth, openings, typical entry-level education and experience).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary: two of the third wave's samples, collected August 2023 to July 2025; released January 16, 2026), public domain.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (all jobs, including self-employed).