What are the main factors that influence a Programmer's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change A Programmer's salary?

A Programmer's salary grows with experience: an Programmer (0-2 years)earns $71,707, an Applications Programmer II (2-4 years)earns $93,651, an Applications Programmer III (4-7 years)earns $120,502, an Applications Programmer IV (7+ years)earns $141,214, an Applications Programmer V (7-10 years)earns $164,110,

What are the highest paying states for a Programmer?

Programmer salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Programmer roles are District of Columbia $79,861, California $79,558, Massachusetts $78,497. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Programmer roles make?

Salaries for Programmer level roles vary by specialization: SAS Programmer: $113,502; Android Programmer: $106,154; Ruby Programmer: $92,176; R Programmer: $88,441; CAD Programmer: $86,364.

How do different companies affect a Programmer's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Programmer roles. Large, established industry leaders like C R Bard Inc ($128,509) and Henry Schein Canada ($124,697) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $82,041.

Programmer Salary in the United States

How much does a Programmer make in the United States?

As of June 01, 2026, the average salary for a Programmer in the United States is $72,128 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $35.

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

Top Earners (90th percentile): $83,089
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $68,145 to $77,865
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $64,518

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Programmer Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$77,865	$6,489	$1,497	$37
Average	$72,128	$6,011	$1,387	$35
25th Percentile	$68,145	$5,679	$1,310	$33

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Key Factors That Influence Programmer Salaries

A Programmer'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 and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Programmer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Programmer'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): $71,707
Early Career (1-2 years): $93,651
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $120,502
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $141,214
Expert (over 8 years): $164,110

Levels	Salary
Programme... Level Programmer	$71,707
Applicati... Level Programmer	$93,651
Applicati... Level Programmer	$120,502
Applicati... Level Programmer	$141,214
Applicati... Level Programmer	$164,110

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What Am I Worth?

How Do Programmer 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 Programmers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $79,861.
California: $79,558.
Massachusetts: $78,497.

District of Columbia $79,861 California $79,558 Massachusetts $78,497 Washington $78,209 New Jersey $78,180 Alaska $78,079 Connecticut $77,084 New York $76,680

Hawaii $75,389 Rhode Island $74,783 Maryland $74,372 Minnesota $73,809 Colorado $73,593 Illinois $73,520 Oregon $73,246 Delaware $73,044

New Hampshire $72,917 Virginia $72,633 Pennsylvania $71,804 Nevada $71,385 North Dakota $71,248 Michigan $71,032 Wisconsin $70,953 Vermont $70,794

Texas $70,354 Maine $70,325 Arizona $70,282 Ohio $70,231 Georgia $69,568 Indiana $69,236 Wyoming $69,171 Utah $69,070

Iowa $69,027 Kansas $68,681 Louisiana $68,580 North Carolina $68,544 Missouri $68,529 Florida $68,248 Montana $68,096 Nebraska $67,952

Kentucky $67,873 South Carolina $67,584 Tennessee $67,404 Idaho $67,332 New Mexico $66,805 Oklahoma $66,690 Alabama $66,264 South Dakota $65,550

Arkansas $65,161 West Virginia $64,952 Mississippi $64,324

Top Paying Cities for Programmers

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: $90,976
San Francisco: $89,979
Oakland: $88,083

San Jose, CA $90,976

San Francisco, CA $89,979

Oakland, CA $88,083

New York, NY $83,048

Paramus, NJ $82,038

Queens Village, NY $82,035

Passaic, NJ $81,966

Bergenfield, NJ $81,960

Stamford, CT $81,801

Huntington, NY $81,771

Newark, NJ $81,238

Bridgeport, CT $81,086

Vallejo, CA $80,942

New Brunswick, NJ $80,914

Petaluma, CA $80,870

Middlesex, NJ $80,733

Somerset, NJ $80,683

Santa Cruz, CA $80,589

Boston, MA $80,149

Monterey, CA $79,896

Seattle, WA $79,731

Santa Rosa, CA $79,716

Los Angeles, CA $79,695

Juneau, AK $79,507

Washington, DC $79,428

Orange, CA $79,171

Santa Ana, CA $78,981

Long Beach, CA $78,908

Anaheim, CA $78,894

Anchorage, AK $78,858

Santa Maria, CA $78,642

Everett, WA $78,627

Danbury, CT $78,373

Bremerton, WA $78,274

Tacoma, WA $78,014

New Suffolk, NY $78,013

Sacramento, CA $77,992

Santa Barbara, CA $77,913

Trenton, NJ $77,834

San Diego, CA $77,834

Brockton, MA $77,754

Fairbanks, AK $77,578

Lompoc, CA $77,394

Lowell, MA $77,335

Ventura, CA $77,322

Nashua, NH $77,307

Stockton, CA $77,300

Modesto, CA $76,773

Poughkeepsie, NY $76,615

Olympia, WA $76,478

Kennewick, WA $76,478

New Haven, CT $76,449

Lawrence, MA $76,189

Hartford, CT $76,117

Riverside, CA $76,103

New Bedford, MA $76,031

Richland, WA $76,031

Bakersfield, CA $75,930

San Bernardino, CA $75,901

New Britain, CT $75,894

Atlantic City, NJ $75,894

New London, CT $75,865

Norwich, CT $75,843

Portsmouth, NH $75,829

Boulder, CO $75,676

Portland, OR $75,576

Worcester, MA $75,569

Minneapolis, MN $75,345

Philadelphia, PA $75,244

Honolulu, HI $75,006

Saint Paul, MN $74,972

Vineland, NJ $74,956

Providence, RI $74,747

Chicago, IL $74,537

Bellingham, WA $74,451

Springfield, MA $74,393

Baltimore, MD $74,372

Chico, CA $74,191

Pittsfield, MA $73,997

Manchester, NH $73,859

Spokane, WA $73,542

Denver, CO $73,535

Albany, NY $73,196

Troy, NY $73,167

Nassau, NY $73,090

Schenectady, NY $73,016

Wilmington, DE $72,958

Burlington, VT $72,857

Salem, OR $72,828

Portland, ME $72,604

Yakima, WA $72,532

Rochester, MN $72,309

Reno, NV $72,273

Fresno, CA $72,273

Milwaukee, WI $72,208

Detroit, MI $72,136

Ann Arbor, MI $72,123

Allentown, PA $72,114

Colorado Springs, CO $71,991

Syracuse, NY $71,955

Carson City, NV $71,955

Houston, TX $71,854

Eugene, OR $71,818

Gary, IN $71,732

Springfield, OR $71,674

Bismarck, ND $71,660

Galveston, TX $71,609

Medford, OR $71,501

Fort Collins, CO $71,472

Concord, NH $71,436

Austin, TX $71,414

Mesa, AZ $71,263

Reading, PA $71,256

Phoenix, AZ $71,248

Dallas, TX $71,227

Saint Cloud, MN $71,158

Madison, WI $71,061

Utica, NY $70,866

Rochester, NY $70,751

Des Moines, IA $70,744

Raleigh, NC $70,736

Atlanta, GA $70,628

Battle Creek, MI $70,606

Salt Lake City, UT $70,585

Lancaster, PA $70,477

Harrisburg, PA $70,376

Kansas City, MO $70,304

Champaign, IL $70,289

Kansas City, KS $70,289

Fort Worth, TX $70,282

Columbus, OH $70,270

Boca Raton, FL $70,253

Pittsburgh, PA $70,224

Richmond, VA $70,195

Indianapolis, IN $70,181

Cleveland, OH $70,174

Las Vegas, NV $70,087

Cincinnati, OH $70,087

Petersburg, VA $69,979

Huntsville, AL $69,871

Lansing, MI $69,822

Lebanon, PA $69,813

Pueblo, CO $69,806

Appleton, WI $69,784

Buffalo, NY $69,755

Dayton, OH $69,734

Racine, WI $69,719

Charlotte, NC $69,712

Saint Louis, MO $69,690

York, PA $69,647

Elkhart, IN $69,647

Gastonia, NC $69,633

Billings, MT $69,616

Beaumont, TX $69,597

Lorain, OH $69,582

Benton Harbor, MI $69,568

Toledo, OH $69,553

Binghamton, NY $69,517

Rock Hill, SC $69,510

Rockford, IL $69,474

Springfield, IL $69,445

Elyria, OH $69,438

Fargo, ND $69,438

Flagstaff, AZ $69,388

Fort Lauderdale, FL $69,344

Duluth, MN $69,301

Miami, FL $69,301

Cheyenne, WY $69,250

Grand Forks, ND $69,250

Bangor, ME $69,092

Cedar Rapids, IA $69,012

Durham, NC $68,982

Louisville, KY $68,976

Grand Rapids, MI $68,962

Hialeah, FL $68,955

Casper, WY $68,854

Scranton, PA $68,767

New Orleans, LA $68,746

Virginia Beach, VA $68,738

Akron, OH $68,702

Peoria, IL $68,609

Sarasota, FL $68,594

Nashville, TN $68,544

Omaha, NE $68,544

Green Bay, WI $68,544

Baton Rouge, LA $68,508

Charleston, SC $68,493

Jamestown, NY $68,457

Davenport, IA $68,457

Tucson, AZ $68,421

Saint Petersburg, FL $68,378

Tampa, FL $68,363

Evansville, IN $68,320

Port Arthur, TX $68,320

Bradenton, FL $68,291

Santa Fe, NM $68,161

Orlando, FL $68,032

Clearwater, FL $68,010

Canton, OH $67,858

La Crosse, WI $67,858

Albuquerque, NM $67,815

Newport News, VA $67,808

High Point, NC $67,786

Ogden, UT $67,757

Corpus Christi, TX $67,700

Norfolk, VA $67,656

Laramie, WY $67,656

Rock Island, IL $67,613

Saginaw, MI $67,599

Jacksonville, FL $67,592

Salisbury, NC $67,577

Boise, ID $67,563

Moline, IL $67,527

Fort Myers, FL $67,505

Memphis, TN $67,491

Tulsa, OK $67,454

Waterloo, IA $67,411

Spartanburg, SC $67,339

Lincoln, NE $67,303

Fort Wayne, IN $67,289

Provo, UT $67,281

Cedar Falls, IA $67,195

San Antonio, TX $67,166

Greensboro, NC $67,137

South Bend, IN $67,130

Savannah, GA $67,051

Muskegon, MI $67,022

Birmingham, AL $67,014

Winston Salem, NC $66,979

Lake Charles, LA $66,805

Anderson, IN $66,791

Lexington, KY $66,769

Augusta, GA $66,748

Greenville, SC $66,748

Lima, OH $66,690

Wichita, KS $66,683

Tuscaloosa, AL $66,683

Columbia, SC $66,618

Springfield, OH $66,603

Asheville, NC $66,488

Bloomington, IN $66,437

Knoxville, TN $66,178

Shreveport, LA $66,171

Wilmington, NC $66,077

Roanoke, VA $66,077

Topeka, KS $65,947

Frankfort, KY $65,939

Oklahoma City, OK $65,889

Chillicothe, OH $65,860

Longview, TX $65,853

Melbourne, FL $65,846

Sioux Falls, SD $65,731

Mobile, AL $65,723

Terre Haute, IN $65,695

Altoona, PA $65,651

Amarillo, TX $65,601

Killeen, TX $65,579

Fayetteville, AR $65,521

Chattanooga, TN $65,500

Sioux City, IA $65,435

Idaho Falls, ID $65,420

Lynchburg, VA $65,363

Gainesville, FL $65,269

Portsmouth, OH $65,233

Little Rock, AR $65,218

Lafayette, LA $65,190

Youngstown, OH $65,190

Daytona Beach, FL $65,146

Clarksville, TN $65,139

Pensacola, FL $65,132

Temple, TX $65,127

Hopkinsville, KY $64,916

Erie, PA $64,901

Florence, SC $64,872

Charleston, WV $64,757

Great Falls, MT $64,721

Macon, GA $64,620

Tallahassee, FL $64,613

Fayetteville, NC $64,598

Waco, TX $64,584

Helena, MT $64,533

Pine Bluff, AR $64,506

Vincennes, IN $64,418

Lubbock, TX $64,389

Alamogordo, NM $64,346

Twin Falls, ID $64,281

Rapid City, SD $64,259

Jackson, MS $64,129

Huntington, WV $64,124

Greenville, MS $64,122

Parkersburg, WV $64,049

Montgomery, AL $64,036

Wichita Falls, TX $63,963

Springfield, MO $63,963

Biloxi, MS $63,927

Monroe, LA $63,855

Johnstown, PA $63,805

Sumter, SC $63,776

Columbus, GA $63,769

Pascagoula, MS $63,632

Abilene, TX $63,632

Kingsport, TN $63,444

Albany, GA $63,444

Gulfport, MS $63,423

Alexandria, LA $63,184

Fort Smith, AR $63,004

El Paso, TX $62,809

Las Cruces, NM $62,485

Harlingen, TX $62,302

Pocatello, ID $62,290

Florence, AL $62,196

Brownsville, TX $62,182

Mcallen, TX $62,030

Dothan, AL $61,929

Columbus, MS $61,501

Altus, OK $61,165

Lawton, OK $61,028

Pierre, SD $60,768

What Skills Can Increase a Programmer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Analysis (Mentioned in 6.43% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
Application Development (Mentioned in 2.53% Job Postings): Application development may refer to: Mobile application development ("app development") or the process of developing desktop application software. Mobile app development is the act or process by which a mobile app is developed for mobile devices, such as personal digital assistants, enterprise digital assistants or mobile phones. These applications can be pre-installed on phones during manufacturing platforms, or delivered as web applications using server-side or client-side processing (e.g., JavaScript) to provide an "application-like" experience within a Web browser.
CSS (Mentioned in 1.7% 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.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Analysis	6.43%
Application Development	2.53%
CSS	1.7%

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 Programmer's salary.

Python: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
Products and Services: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
Java: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Python	$78,620	9%
Products and Services	$77,177	7%
Java	$77,177	7%
Collaboration	$76,456	6%
Leadership	$76,456	6%
Agile	$76,456	6%

Get Latest Data

Programmer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Programmer'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 June 01, 2026

$68,145

Average $72,128/year

$77,865

$5,679

Average $6,011/month

$6,489

$1,310

Average $1,387/week

$1,497

$33

Average $35/hour

$37

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$77,865	$6,489	$1,497	$37
Average	$72,128	$6,011	$1,387	$35
25th Percentile	$68,145	$5,679	$1,310	$33

Salaries of jobs related to Programmer

Salary Trends for Programmer

Salaries for a Programmer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $76,956 in 2023 to around $76,286 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Programmer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Programmer Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$76,956

2024

$76,756

2025

$76,286

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$76,956
2024	$76,756
2025	$76,286
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Programmer

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