Average IQ of a software engineer: 110

The average IQ of a software engineer is about 110 to 112. No study covers the modern job title, but in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study men in computer occupations had a median IQ of about 110, with the middle half between 102 and 120.

Software engineers average about 110. What's yours?

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Key facts

Best estimate
110, median, computer occupations (WLS men)
Middle 50%
102 to 120 (25th to 75th percentile)
Main source
Hauser 2002. Closest group: computer occupations.

Wonderlic data on programmer and analyst applicants gives about 112.

On the standard scale, where 100 is the average, 110 is higher than about 75% of people. See what an IQ of 110 means, or check any score with the IQ percentile calculator or the IQ chart.

Your score next to software engineers

Inside the typical range for software engineers, right at the middle.

In the general population, 110 is higher than about 75% of people. Shaded band: middle 50% (102 to 120).

What the studies show

No published study measures IQ for "software engineers" as the job exists today. The closest groups are older. In the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, men in computer occupations in the early 1990s had a median IQ of about 110, and women in a "technicians and computer programmers" group about 112. In 1992 Wonderlic data, programmer and analyst applicants had a median at the 81st percentile of adults, about IQ 112.

Software work has changed a great deal since then, so treat these as a rough guide. The spread is wide: a tenth of the Wisconsin computer group scored below 94 and a tenth above 129.

The Wisconsin study is one US state, one generation born around 1939, and almost entirely white. Its IQ scale is anchored to Wisconsin high-school juniors in 1951, not to a national norm. Treat every figure as an estimate within a few points.

Published figures relevant to software engineers

  1. Median 110 (middle half 102 to 120)

    Hauser (2002), WLS. Men in computer occupations, 1992 to 1994. People in the job.

  2. Median 112 (middle half 99 to 121)

    Hauser (2002), WLS. Women: technicians and computer programmers. Mixed group.

  3. 81st percentile of adults, about IQ 112

    Wonderlic (1992), in Gottfredson (1997). Programmer and analyst applicants. People applying.

Software engineers next to other jobs

Best estimates from the same sources, so the jobs can be compared. Ranges overlap a lot: every job has people well above and well below its average.

JobMedianMiddle 50%
DentistsClosest group120112 to 127
Doctors120112 to 127
SurgeonsClosest group120112 to 127
Professors116106 to 125
Electrical engineers113103 to 121
Lawyers113109 to 124
Mechanical engineersClosest group11099 to 123
Software developers110102 to 120
Software engineers110102 to 120
ActuariesClosest group10999 to 117
Civil engineersClosest group10999 to 120
Nurses10799 to 117

Medians from Hauser (2002), Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. “Closest group” rows have no study of their own and use the nearest published group.

What the job demands

Cognitive load is Medium. That means sustained reasoning is required, not occasional cleverness.

LifeScore role ratings, 1 to 10. Editorial, not measured.

Logic and analysis
10
Stress
6
Social contact
5
Structure and routine
5
Creativity
2

Making the career sustainable

If your raw cognitive speed is below the median for this field, you can still succeed by using systems: checklists, templates, code reuse, deliberate practice, and tight feedback loops.

General reasoning affects how fast people learn a role, but it is not a gate. Qualifications, practice, domain knowledge, tools, teamwork and job design all change performance.

Average IQ of a software engineer: questions people ask

What is the average IQ of a software engineer?

About 110 to 112, from the closest groups in published data: computer occupations in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (median about 110) and programmer applicants in Wonderlic data (about 112). No study covers the modern job title directly.

Do you need a high IQ to be a programmer?

No. A quarter of people in computer jobs in the Wisconsin study scored below 102. Practice, persistence and knowing your tools matter a great deal in programming.

Is the average IQ of a programmer 120 or more?

Not in the published data. Figures above 120 that circulate online are usually guesses or come from elite samples. The best sources put the middle of the field around 110 to 112.

Are software engineers smart?

On average they score above the population mean of 100, at about 110 to 112 in the best available data. That is higher than about three quarters of people, but the spread is wide, and skills like debugging, communication and domain knowledge matter as much as raw reasoning.

Is the average IQ of a Google or FAANG engineer higher?

No study measures it. Big technology companies hire selectively, so their engineers may average higher than the field as a whole, but any specific number you see online is a guess.

Do software engineers have a higher IQ than doctors?

Not in the published data. Physicians have a median of about 120 in the Wisconsin study and computer occupations about 110. Ranges overlap heavily, and each group includes people far above and below its median.

Is being a software engineer stressful?

Stress demand is rated 6/10 with burnout risk Moderate. If you don’t build recovery (sleep, boundaries, exercise), stress compounds.

What personality traits help a software engineer?

Roles with high structure demand (5/10) reward conscientiousness; roles with high social demand (5/10) reward social energy and emotional regulation.

Can I succeed as a software engineer if I’m below the “recommended” IQ?

Yes. There is no valid IQ cutoff for this occupation. Qualifications, deliberate practice, experience, support and role specialization are more useful career decisions than comparing yourself with an estimated benchmark.

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Software engineers average about 110. What's yours?

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