Seattle tech nerds are highest-paid in the country

Seattle-area computer programmers are the highest-paid in the nation. That's according to new data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, released today.

It says programmers – or software engineers, in proper parlance – are paid more than $59 an hour on average. That’s if you pull them out of the “Computer and Mathematical” category, circled in red in the graphic above. That makes Seattle "the highest paying area nationwide" for these tech jobs.

Software engineers are not the best-paid workers in the city, however. People at the top of the corporate ladder here are paid more.

The labor statistics bureau says other occupations in the Seattle area are also doing better compared to the rest of the country. Jobs in farming, fishing, personal care and food preparation all pay well above the national average.

Not so for jobs in life sciences, the law, social work and the arts. Overall, jobs in Seattle generally pay more than the national average, according to the labor statistics bureau.

Wages for software engineers are high in Seattle because demand exceeds their supply. It's hard to qualify for the work. And demand among Seattle startups and giants is huge. More than 8,200 Seattle-area software engineer positions are posted on Indeed.com right now.