Average Software Developer Salary Overview
Technology specialties continue to lead top ratings of the most in-demand jobs. According to Glassdoor research, full-stack developers take the second position in a list of the best jobs in the U.S. for 2022. The average salary for software developers is in-between USD 100 – 120 thousand per year.
While software engineering attracts more and more job seekers with flexible hours and high salaries, for business owners talent hunting becomes a challenge. Knowing how much money a skilled developer makes a year helps business owners make cost-effective decisions.
The strategy of acquiring talent from abroad has become popular nowadays. For example, Ukrainian developers are highly-skilled and according to DOU, a reliable developer portal in Ukraine, middle software engineers earn USD 30, 000 per year on average.
The average salary for developers differs from country to country, however, developers’ proficiency is also crucial. Specific knowledge of tools and languages costs more, and years of experience can also influence the hourly rate of a developer. In this article, we compare the salaries of junior, middle, and senior developers of JavaScript, Python, Java, .NET, and PHP specialties.
Key points
Developers’ Salaries By Country
Among the countries that offer the highest salaries for software developers are the USA, Switzerland, Israel, Denmark, and the UK. The average paycheck for software engineers in these countries ranges from USD 70 to 110 thousand per year. However, it’s worth considering the region from where you hire your coders. Take the average salary in Florida (USD 87,000/year) vs California (USD 116,000/year) as an example. The same rule works with countries. The U.S. is the best payer for software developers, while India and Western Europe are considered more cost-effective.
Here’s a comparison table of average developers’ annual salaries considering a country and a proficiency level.
| Country | Junior developer | Middle developer | Senior developer |
| USA | $65,000 | $81,300 | $103,300 |
| Germany | $56,900 | $66,500 | $80,400 |
| The UK | $34,100 | $50,500 | $88,300 |
| Ukraine | $10,800 | $30,000 | $54,500 |
| The Netherlands | $37,500 | $46,000 | $69,000 |
Let’s now dive deep and see how seniority level influences the wage for developers in various fields.
Junior Software Developer Salary
Programmers’ field of expertise influences the starting point in wages. For example, JavaScript is a language of wide application and it’s become the most commonly used programming language. The demand for JS developers is high, moreover, JS has a lower entry barrier. So, companies have to offer competitive paychecks to win the best candidates from the talent market.
Still, language complexity is considered an advantage for earning opportunities. Discover how much money junior software developers earn per year depending on the language they know.
| Average Junior Software Developer Salary | ||||
| JavaScript | Python | Java | .Net | PHP |
| $71,000 | $72,000 | $75,000 | $73,000 | $66,000 |
Note that salaries depending on seniority level for specialists of different skill sets are indicated based on the U.S. market.
Middle Software Developer Salary
Mid-level developers have enough experience (2-4 years) to complete tasks without constant guidance from more skillful colleagues. They are required to have a more advanced skill set compared to juniors and handle specific tasks autonomously. Moreover, middle developers are engaged in managerial tasks and are responsible for junior colleagues in the team (mentoring, coaching, etc).
The experience and level of responsibility assigned to the developer affect his average annual salary. Let’s compare the salaries of middle developers from different fields.
| Average Middle Software Developer Salary | ||||
| JavaScript | Python | Java | .Net | PHP |
| $79,000 | $82,000 | $69,700 | $69,000 | $82,000 |
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Contact us to find out how Talentica Agency can help you to save on your budget.
Senior Software Developer Salary
Senior developers are experienced specialists often well-versed in several tools and technologies and have advanced skills in a specific one. Seniors make decisions on the project’s architecture, prioritize tasks, manage subordinates, make sure the code is written according to the standards, and other highly responsible tasks.
Usually, senior specialists have from 4 to 10 years of experience that pay off well enough. The average salary of senior software engineers reaches USD 121,000 with the highest wages of USD 180,000 per year.
| Average Senior Software Developer Salary | ||||
| JavaScript | Python | Java | .Net | PHP |
| $117,000 | $119,000 | $107,000 | $111,000 | $100,000 |
Where to Outstaff Software Developers?
Outstaffing has become a part of the cost-optimization strategy for IT projects of different levels that allow businesses to hire the best specialists worldwide. Outstaffing gives business owners a power to strengthen their internal team with qualified specialists and take over managerial tasks. Other the benefits of hiring an outstaffed team include but aren’t limited to:
- flexibility to join the project at any stage,
- insights based on internal expertise,
- faster recruitment,
- access to specific knowledge,
- faster time to market.
If you are interested in hiring an outstaffed team, consider the following simple tips.
Tips on Hiring Outstaffed Teams
Tip 1. Define your goals
Before introducing an outstaffed team to your project, you should decide what tasks you want to hire them for. Perhaps you are missing a narrow specialist or there is an urgent task that requires more hands that you’ve already had. If so, then an outstaffing team is perfect for you.
Tip 2. Consider management strategies
From onboarding to task assignment it’s best to think through the management routine in advance so that the external team could quickly adapt to the workflow of your internal team.
Tip 3. Evaluate outstaffed team skills
Outstaffed teams work closely with the internal team, so it’s crucial for you to understand if they will fit in. Apart from tech skills, assess their communication and time management skills, and how they respond to your company’s values and culture.
Tip 4. Use staffing services
If you want to skip the part when you choose each member of the team by yourself, you can delegate this to staffing agencies such as Talentica. Staffing agencies help companies extend their teams faster by selecting the talent that fits all the requirements.
Conclusion
The demand for software development experts is growing year by year. It’s no wonder because no new product can thrive without skilled programmers on board. Entrepreneurs understand the value software development can bring to their businesses, that’s why they offer competitive wages to hire the best specialists.
An average annual salary for software developers ranges between USD 100,000 – 120,000 in the U.S. Wise business owners consider outstaffing talent from other countries that offer high expertise at reasonable prices.
