How much does a software developer make?
Software developers are technical professionals who use their coding, communication, and analytical skills to develop new computer programs or improve existing ones.
Some software developers specialize in the front-end of software, and some software developers focus on the back-end of the applications.
The yearly average Software Developer salary in the USA:
- Entry level Software Developer Salary: $76,882 per year
- Mid-level Software Developer Salary: $94,003 per year
- Senior Software Developer Salary: $1,31,206 per year
We will tell you everything you need to know about software developer salaries and how to get better pay as a software developer.
Table of Content:
- What are some high-paying cities for a software developer?
- What are some high -paying countries for a software developer?
- What are the factors that affect a software developer's salary?
- What skill do you need to develop to become a high-paying software developer?
Highest-paying Cities for a Software Developer?
It is no secret that a software developer’s salary depends heavily on the location you are applying for a job.
However, when you do choose a location to apply for a software development job, you should consider the living cost at that location along with the salary bump.
To get a better idea of the salaries in the USA, here is an in-depth breakdown of salaries in different regions in the USA:
| Region | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Software developer salary California | $122,500 per year |
| Massachusetts | $121,566 per year |
| Virginia | $122,486 per year |
| New Mexico | $117,250 per year |
| Georgia | $117,000 per year |
| New York | $116,834 per year |
| Illinois | $115,000 per year |
| New Hampshire | $112,700 per year |
| Rhode Island | $112,501 per year |
| Colorado | $112,095 per year |
| North Carolina | $110,070 per year |
| Maine | $110,000 per year |
| Connecticut | $110,000 per year |
| Washington | $110,000 per year |
| Minnesota | $108,699 per year |
| Maryland | $107,518 per year |
| Pennsylvania | $107,500 per year |
| New Jersey | $107,347 per year |
| Alaska | $107,250 per year |
| Arizona | $105,000 per year |
| Software Developer Salary Texas | $105,000 per year |
| Nevada | $102,250 per year |
| South Carolina | $101,346 per year |
| West Virginia | $100,000 per year |
| Tennessee | $100,000 per year |
| Utah | $100,000 per year |
| Iowa | $100,000 per year |
| Indiana | $99,400 per year |
| Oregon | $97,500 per year |
| Michigan | $95,000 per year |
| Florida | $95,000 per year |
| Oklahoma | $93,600 per year |
| Vermont | $92,500 per year |
| Alabama | $91,874 per year |
| Hawaii | $90,000 per year |
| Delaware | $90,000 per year |
| Kentucky | $90,000 per year |
| Missouri | $88,077 per year |
| Nebraska | $87,750 per year |
| Ohio | $87,750 per year |
| Louisiana | $85,000 per year |
| Wisconsin | $85,000 per year |
| North Dakota | $83,880 per year |
| Arkansas | $83,750 per year |
| Idaho | $82,500 per year |
| Kansas | $81,450 per year |
| Wyoming | $75,758 per year |
| Mississippi | $70,000 per year |
| Montana | $64,500 per year |
| South Dakota | $53,625 per year |
Also Read: How to write an entry level software developer resume in 2022?
Highest Paying Countries for Software Developers
According to the data provided by indeed.com, the USA has the highest salary for software developers.
In the USA, the average software developer salary in 2022 is $127,278 per year.
Here’s a country-wise breakdown of a software developer's salary
| Country | Software Developer Salary |
|---|---|
| The USA | $110,638 |
| Switzerland | $95,394 |
| New Zealand | $46,229 |
| Norway | $64,202 |
| Denmark | $72,151 |
| United Kingdom | $42,394 |
| Sweden | $51,396 |
| Germany | $60,162 |
| Netherlands | $54,025 |
| Finland | $49,203 |
| Australia | $53,669 |
| France | $46,508 |
Also Read: How to write a junior software developer resume in 2022?
What Are The Factors That Affect a Software Developer's Salary?
Different factors that affect the salary of a software developer are:
- Your experience level
- Company size
- Industry
- Skills
- Your location
- Your college
All of these factors play a role in determining your salary. For example, if you work in a service-based company, your salary will be far less than in a product company.
Similarly, if you have a niche technology skill, your salary will be comparatively higher than other people in the same industry.
Level of Relevant Experience.
The more experience the developer has, the higher they can expect to be paid. This is particularly true for senior developers with 15 years or more experience.
If you have demonstrated that you can do the job, you are worth investing in.
Moreover, you can be assigned critical tasks assuming that your skills will grow with these tasks.
| Experience (in years) | Salary |
|---|---|
| 0-2 years Entry level Software Developer Salary | $64,000 per year |
| 2-4 years Junior Software Developer Salary | $71,000 per year |
| 5-9 years | $84,000 per year |
| 10-19 years | $95,000 per year |
| 20+ years | $99,000 per year |
Source: Payscale
2. Company Type & Size
A software developer who works for a small startup company might earn less than a developer who works for a large corporation or government agency.
The reason being that large companies typically have more money to spend on developing software and can therefore afford to pay their developers better salaries.
Also, because they are larger and has higher scope , they will often hire developers who have more experience than those working for smaller companies and startups.
Top companies for Software Engineers in the United States
| Company | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Apple | $173,236 per year |
| Meta | $161,175 per year |
| $159,262 per year | |
| Walmart | $154,055 per year |
| Octo Consulting | $153,511 per year |
| Visa | $148,047 per year |
| Tesla | $141,092 per year |
| Intuit | $138,977 per year |
| Amazon.com | $138,464 per year |
| Cisco | $138,148 per year |
| Wipro | $134,500 per year |
| Hewlett Packard Enterprise | $133,818 per year |
| Intel Corporation | $128,032 per year |
| General Atomics | $127,707 per year |
| Charles Schwab | $126,311 per year |
| Salesforce | $126,239 per year |
| NCR | $125,613 per year |
| Expedia Group | $123,437 per year |
| Nokia | $122,377 per year |
| Wells Fargo | $121,975 per year |
3. Industry
The type of industry you work in seemingly impacts on your salary.
For example, if you work in healthcare or finance then your salary is likely to be higher than if you worked in retail or hospitality.
In some industries like healthcare, there is a shortage of qualified software developers.
So salaries are high to attract people into these roles.
In other industries such as retail, there may be more applicants than jobs available so employers can afford to pay less for their employees' services.
4. Your Skillset
Another factor that affects your salary is your skillset - what programming languages and frameworks do you know?
If you're familiar with a very common language and framework, then it is unlikely to get a comparatively high salary than someone with a niche language and framework such as “Golang”, “Kafka”, “Swift”, etc.
5. Work Location
Your work location also affects how much money you can make as a software developer.
If you are located in Silicon Valley, California, or Seattle, Washington, then it is likely that you will be able to earn more than someone who is located in a smaller town or city.
More companies are looking for talent in those areas than elsewhere.
Here are some cities where you can get a high salary as a software developer:
| City | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $140,079 per year |
| New York, NY | $134,768 per year |
| Chicago, IL | $134,516 per year |
| San Diego, CA | $130,746 per year |
| Austin, TX | $124,047 per year |
| Seattle, WA | $123,793 per year |
| Houston, TX | $123,639 per year |
| San Jose, CA | $123,368 per year |
| Atlanta, GA | $104,615 per year |
6. Your College
Another important factor that affects a software developer's salary is the college they attended.
If you went to a prestigious university, such as MIT or Stanford, then you will probably be able to get a job with better pay than someone who went to UC Berkeley or another university in California.
However, there are exceptions to this rule: if someone has an excellent track record and is from a less prestigious school (such as Harvard), then their salary may still be higher than someone else who has an inferior track record but went to Stanford or MIT instead (or vice versa).
Also Read: How to get a software developer job in 2022?
What Skill Do You Need to Develop to lang a High-paying Software Developer Job?
In order to become a high-paying software developer, you need to have some key skills, including:
- Programming Languages
- Frameworks
- Database knowledge
- Data structures and algorithms
- Source control
- Testing procedures
1. Programming Languages
It's essential for any high-paying developers to learn more than 1 programming language so that they can work on different technologies.
Some of the most popular programming languages are:
- JavaScript
- Java
- Python
- C#
2. Frameworks
Learning only the programming language is not enough.
Companies use powerful frameworks based on these languages to develop their applications.
So, you need to have this framework knowledge to get high-paying jobs.
Some frameworks are:
- React.JS
- Node.JS
- Angular.JS
- Django
- Flask
- Spring
- Spring Boot
3. Database Knowledge
Databases are storage systems that allow an organization to store and structure information securely.
A high-paying software developer must know how to use and manipulate these databases to store and maintain sensitive information on the system.
They should also be able to understand how to secure a database and conduct data-backup operations periodically.
4. Data Structure & Algorithms
These are the building blocks of computer science.
Evey high-paying software developers need to understand how data is stored, manipulated, and organized in memory. This helps software developers write efficient codes.
For example, if you want to write an application that calculates the distance between two cities, you can either use an algorithm like Euclidean distance or Manhattan distance to efficiently create the code.
5. Source Control
The software developer does not work by themselves. They often have to collaborate with a team of developers to create the desired software.
The ability to use source control is one of the most important skills for any software developer, especially for this reason.
Because it allows them to keep track of changes made over time. It also helps them recover from mistakes easily by going back in time and undoing changes they've made accidentally or intentionally.
Without source control, it will be difficult for any software developer to collaborate with other team members.
6. Testing Procedures
Testing procedures are another essential skill for all software developers since they allow us to ensure the quality of our code before releasing it into production.
There are different types of testing procedures a software developer must know:
1. Unit Testing
Unit testing is the process of writing and running tests on small units of code (or units) to ensure that they operate as expected. Unit testing can be done manually or through automation.
2. Integration Testing
Integration testing is the process of testing how well discrete components work together in a larger application. An integration test indicates whether the system's components work together properly and perform as expected.
3. System Testing
System testing is used to verify that an entire application or a website works as expected under various scenarios and conditions. System testing involves trying out the application with real end-users. System testing also refers to checking how effective a particular system is at achieving its objectives.
That said, many companies offer to provide training to software developers to help them grow in their careers. And after they acquire more skills, their salaries also grow substantially.
Key Takeaways
Here are some key takeaways from the blog:
- The average salary of a software developer is around $127,278 per year.
- The salary of a software developer depends on many factors, such as work location, industry, location, company size, valuation, experience, etc.
- Cities like San Francisco has the highest salary for a software developer
If you want to become a software developer first, you have to create a stellar software developer resume from the Hiration Online Resume Builder tool.
Reach out to support@hiration.com if you want any information regarding creating a software developer salary.
