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Rails Developer Salary in the United States

How much does a Rails Developer make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Rails Developer in the United States is $89,514 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $43.

However, a Rails Developer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $106,269
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $79,218 to $98,284
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $69,845
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Rails Developer Salaries

A Rails Developer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Rails Developer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Rails Developer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $70,302
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $91,659
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $114,294
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $140,255
  • Expert (over 8 years): $141,360
Levels Salary
Web Appli... Level Rails Developer$70,302
Rails Dev... Level Rails Developer$91,659
Web Appli... Level Rails Developer$114,294
Web Appli... Level Rails Developer$140,255
Web Appli... Level Rails Developer$141,360
View as Graph

How Do Rails Developer Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Rails Developers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $99,110.
  • California: $98,734.
  • Massachusetts: $97,418.

Top Paying Cities for Rails Developers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $112,904
  • San Francisco: $111,667
  • Oakland: $109,314

What Skills Can Increase a Rails Developer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 1.96% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • Software Development (Mentioned in 3.64% Job Postings): Software development is the process of conceiving, specifying, designing, programming, documenting, testing, and bug fixing involved in creating and maintaining applications, frameworks, or other software components. Software development is a process of writing and maintaining the source code, but in a broader sense, it includes all that is involved between the conception of the desired software through to the final manifestation of the software, sometimes in a planned and structured process. Therefore, software development may include research, new development, prototyping, modification, reuse, re-engineering, maintenance, or any other activities that result in software products. Software can be developed for a variety of purposes, the three most common being to meet specific needs of a specific client/business (the case with custom software), to meet a perceived need of some set of potential users (the case with commercial and open source software), or for personal use (e.g. a scientist may write software to automate a mundane task). Embedded software development, that is, the development of embedded software, such as used for controlling consumer products, requires the development process to be integrated with the development of the controlled physical product. System software underlies applications and the programming process itself, and is often developed separately.
  • CSS (Mentioned in 2.98% Job Postings): Cascading Style Sheets is a style sheet language used for describing the presentation of a document written in a markup language such as HTML or XML. CSS is a cornerstone technology of the World Wide Web, alongside HTML and JavaScript.
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 1.96%
Software Development 3.64%
CSS 2.98%
See More Skills

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Rails Developer's salary.

  • Microservices: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
  • Python: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
  • Docker: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Microservices $92,199
3%
Python $92,199
3%
Docker $92,199
3%
Get Latest Data

Rails Developer Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Rails Developer roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 70% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Pharmaceuticals and Internet sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 44% above the average. In contrast, Rails Developer positions in Retail & Wholesale or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Rails Developer as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Rails Developer

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Pharmaceuticals$128,900$62.044%
Internet$119,948$58.034%
Software & Networking$115,473$56.029%
Financial Services$110,997$53.024%
Insurance$106,521$51.019%

How Education impacts a Rails Developer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Rails Developers enter the field with a Associate's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Rails Developer with a Associate's Degree is between $87,299 and $94,203).

Rails Developer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Rails Developer
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 1.7%
High School 9.2%
Associates 7.5%
Bachelors 62.6%
Masters 18.8%
Doctorate 0.3%
View as Graph

Rails Developer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Rails Developer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$79,218
Average $89,514/year
$98,284
$6,602
Average $7,459/month
$8,190
$1,523
Average $1,721/week
$1,890
$38
Average $43/hour
$47
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $98,284 $8,190 $1,890 $47
Average $89,514 $7,459 $1,721 $43
25th Percentile $79,218 $6,602 $1,523 $38

Most common benefits for Rails Developer

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Rails Developer

Here are companies hiring for Rails Developer and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Rails Developer

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Rails Developer?

The Pharmaceuticals industry offers the highest average compensation for Rails Developer roles, with salaries approximately 44% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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