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

A Programmer I's salary grows with experience: starting around $71,777 for beginners, reaching about $73,517 at mid-level, and approach $73,941 for experts.

What are the highest paying states for a Programmer I?

Programmer I salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Programmer I roles are District of Columbia $80,270, California $79,966, Massachusetts $78,900. 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: Enterprise Applications Programmer I: $79,833; IT Systems Programmer I: $79,480; Software Systems Programmer I: $79,473; Midrange Programmer I: $73,389; Application Programmer Analyst I: $73,000.

How do different companies affect a Programmer I's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Programmer I 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 I Salary in the United States

How much does a Programmer I make in the United States?

As of January 01, 2026, the average salary for a Programmer I in the United States is $72,498 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $35.

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

Top Earners (90th percentile): $83,522
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $68,454 to $78,269
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $64,772

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Programmer I Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$78,269	$6,522	$1,505	$38
Average	$72,498	$6,042	$1,394	$35
25th Percentile	$68,454	$5,704	$1,316	$33

You may get higher pay by adjusting the following factors:

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Key Factors That Influence Programmer I Salaries

A Programmer I'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 I Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Programmer I'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): $71,777
Early Career (1-2 years): $72,244
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $73,517
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $73,771
Expert (over 8 years): $73,941

Levels	Salary
Entry Level Programmer I	$71,777
Intermediate Level Programmer I	$72,244
Senior Level Programmer I	$73,517
Specialist Level Programmer I	$73,771
Expert Level Programmer I	$73,941

View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

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

District of Columbia: $80,270.
California: $79,966.
Massachusetts: $78,900.

District of Columbia $80,270

California $79,966

Massachusetts $78,900

Washington $78,610

New Jersey $78,581

Alaska $78,480

Connecticut $77,479

New York $77,073

Hawaii $75,775

Rhode Island $75,166

Maryland $74,753

Minnesota $74,188

Colorado $73,970

Illinois $73,898

Oregon $73,622

Delaware $73,419

New Hampshire $73,292

Virginia $73,006

Pennsylvania $72,172

Nevada $71,752

North Dakota $71,614

Michigan $71,396

Wisconsin $71,317

Vermont $71,157

Texas $70,715

Maine $70,686

Arizona $70,642

Ohio $70,592

Georgia $69,925

Indiana $69,591

Wyoming $69,526

Utah $69,424

Iowa $69,381

Kansas $69,033

Louisiana $68,931

North Carolina $68,895

Missouri $68,881

Florida $68,598

Montana $68,446

Nebraska $68,301

Kentucky $68,221

South Carolina $67,931

Tennessee $67,750

Idaho $67,677

New Mexico $67,148

Oklahoma $67,032

Alabama $66,604

South Dakota $65,887

Arkansas $65,495

West Virginia $65,285

Mississippi $64,654

Top Paying Cities for Programmer Is

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: $91,442
San Francisco: $90,543
Oakland: $88,535

San Jose, CA $91,442

San Francisco, CA $90,543

Oakland, CA $88,535

New York, NY $84,018

Queens Village, NY $83,475

Paramus, NJ $82,895

Passaic, NJ $82,822

Bergenfield, NJ $82,750

Stamford, CT $82,641

Huntington, NY $82,568

Newark, NJ $82,097

Bridgeport, CT $81,952

New Brunswick, NJ $81,713

Vallejo, CA $81,561

Middlesex, NJ $81,517

Somerset, NJ $81,452

Petaluma, CA $81,285

Santa Cruz, CA $81,002

Boston, MA $80,857

Monterey, CA $80,495

Fairbanks, AK $80,444

Los Angeles, CA $80,306

Washington, DC $80,270

Seattle, WA $80,140

Santa Rosa, CA $80,125

Juneau, AK $79,915

Orange, CA $79,676

Anchorage, AK $79,545

Anaheim, CA $79,494

Santa Ana, CA $79,386

Nassau, NY $79,342

Long Beach, CA $79,313

Danbury, CT $79,292

Santa Maria, CA $79,045

Everett, WA $79,031

Bremerton, WA $78,675

Trenton, NJ $78,538

Sacramento, CA $78,509

San Diego, CA $78,472

Brockton, MA $78,443

Tacoma, WA $78,414

Santa Barbara, CA $78,313

Lowell, MA $78,023

New Suffolk, NY $77,994

Nashua, NH $77,907

Lompoc, CA $77,791

Ventura, CA $77,718

Stockton, CA $77,697

New Haven, CT $77,552

Atlantic City, NJ $77,363

Hartford, CT $77,204

Modesto, CA $77,167

Poughkeepsie, NY $77,008

New Britain, CT $76,972

Olympia, WA $76,870

Kennewick, WA $76,870

New London, CT $76,856

Norwich, CT $76,834

Lawrence, MA $76,798

Bakersfield, CA $76,595

Riverside, CA $76,493

New Bedford, MA $76,493

Richland, WA $76,421

Portsmouth, NH $76,363

Vineland, NJ $76,348

San Bernardino, CA $76,290

Boulder, CO $76,087

Worcester, MA $76,029

Portland, OR $75,964

Saint Paul, MN $75,877

Minneapolis, MN $75,877

Philadelphia, PA $75,775

Honolulu, HI $75,391

Springfield, MA $75,137

Providence, RI $75,130

Chicago, IL $74,920

Bellingham, WA $74,833

Baltimore, MD $74,753

Chico, CA $74,572

Wilmington, DE $74,449

Pittsfield, MA $74,376

Manchester, NH $74,238

Spokane, WA $73,919

Denver, CO $73,912

Albany, NY $73,571

Troy, NY $73,542

Schenectady, NY $73,390

Burlington, VT $73,231

Portland, ME $72,977

Salem, OR $72,919

Yakima, WA $72,904

Ann Arbor, MI $72,883

Rochester, MN $72,680

Fresno, CA $72,643

Reno, NV $72,643

Milwaukee, WI $72,578

Detroit, MI $72,506

Allentown, PA $72,484

Carson City, NV $72,477

Houston, TX $72,368

Colorado Springs, CO $72,361

Syracuse, NY $72,324

Eugene, OR $72,187

Bismarck, ND $72,100

Gary, IN $72,100

Galveston, TX $72,100

Springfield, OR $72,042

Medford, OR $71,868

Fort Collins, CO $71,839

Austin, TX $71,781

Mesa, AZ $71,628

Phoenix, AZ $71,614

Dallas, TX $71,592

Reading, PA $71,549

Saint Cloud, MN $71,520

Concord, NH $71,454

Madison, WI $71,425

Utica, NY $71,230

Raleigh, NC $71,172

Las Vegas, NV $71,164

Rochester, NY $71,114

Des Moines, IA $71,106

Atlanta, GA $70,990

Battle Creek, MI $70,969

Salt Lake City, UT $70,947

Lancaster, PA $70,838

Champaign, IL $70,824

Harrisburg, PA $70,737

Durham, NC $70,671

Kansas City, MO $70,664

Kansas City, KS $70,650

Fort Worth, TX $70,642

Boca Raton, FL $70,613

Cleveland, OH $70,606

Columbus, OH $70,592

Pittsburgh, PA $70,584

Richmond, VA $70,555

Indianapolis, IN $70,541

Cincinnati, OH $70,447

Petersburg, VA $70,338

Billings, MT $70,178

Lansing, MI $70,178

Huntsville, AL $70,178

Lebanon, PA $70,171

Dayton, OH $70,164

Pueblo, CO $70,164

Appleton, WI $70,142

Buffalo, NY $70,113

Racine, WI $70,077

Charlotte, NC $70,070

Saint Louis, MO $70,048

Springfield, IL $70,019

Elkhart, IN $70,004

York, PA $70,004

Gastonia, NC $69,997

Benton Harbor, MI $69,997

Beaumont, TX $69,954

Lorain, OH $69,939

Toledo, OH $69,910

Binghamton, NY $69,874

Rock Hill, SC $69,867

Rockford, IL $69,830

Fargo, ND $69,794

Elyria, OH $69,794

Flagstaff, AZ $69,743

Fort Lauderdale, FL $69,700

Miami, FL $69,656

Duluth, MN $69,540

Bangor, ME $69,446

Cedar Rapids, IA $69,366

Louisville, KY $69,330

Grand Rapids, MI $69,316

Hialeah, FL $69,308

Casper, WY $69,207

Scranton, PA $69,120

New Orleans, LA $69,098

Virginia Beach, VA $69,091

Akron, OH $69,055

Peoria, IL $68,960

Sarasota, FL $68,946

Green Bay, WI $68,895

Baton Rouge, LA $68,859

Charleston, SC $68,844

Nashville, TN $68,823

Jamestown, NY $68,808

Davenport, IA $68,808

Tucson, AZ $68,772

Cheyenne, WY $68,750

Saint Petersburg, FL $68,728

Tampa, FL $68,714

Omaha, NE $68,699

Port Arthur, TX $68,670

Evansville, IN $68,670

Bradenton, FL $68,641

Santa Fe, NM $68,511

Orlando, FL $68,438

Clearwater, FL $68,359

Canton, OH $68,206

La Crosse, WI $68,206

Grand Forks, ND $68,185

Albuquerque, NM $68,163

Tulsa, OK $68,163

Newport News, VA $68,156

High Point, NC $68,134

Ogden, UT $68,105

Corpus Christi, TX $68,047

Laramie, WY $68,003

Norfolk, VA $68,003

Rock Island, IL $67,960

Saginaw, MI $67,946

Jacksonville, FL $67,938

Salisbury, NC $67,924

Memphis, TN $67,909

Moline, IL $67,873

Fort Myers, FL $67,851

Waterloo, IA $67,757

Spartanburg, SC $67,685

Lincoln, NE $67,648

Fort Wayne, IN $67,634

Birmingham, AL $67,554

Cedar Falls, IA $67,540

Provo, UT $67,532

Springfield, OH $67,525

San Antonio, TX $67,511

Greensboro, NC $67,482

South Bend, IN $67,474

Winston Salem, NC $67,467

Boise, ID $67,445

Savannah, GA $67,395

Muskegon, MI $67,264

Lima, OH $67,177

Lake Charles, LA $67,148

Anderson, IN $67,134

Lexington, KY $67,112

Augusta, GA $67,090

Greenville, SC $67,090

Wichita, KS $67,025

Tuscaloosa, AL $67,025

Columbia, SC $66,960

Bloomington, IN $66,778

Roanoke, VA $66,735

Asheville, NC $66,641

Knoxville, TN $66,517

Shreveport, LA $66,510

Wilmington, NC $66,416

Frankfort, KY $66,278

Oklahoma City, OK $66,227

Chillicothe, OH $66,198

Longview, TX $66,191

Topeka, KS $66,169

Mobile, AL $66,061

Terre Haute, IN $66,032

Erie, PA $66,024

Altoona, PA $65,988

Melbourne, FL $65,966

Amarillo, TX $65,937

Killeen, TX $65,916

Fayetteville, AR $65,858

Sioux Falls, SD $65,807

Chattanooga, TN $65,763

Idaho Falls, ID $65,756

Gainesville, FL $65,604

Portsmouth, OH $65,568

Little Rock, AR $65,553

Lynchburg, VA $65,553

Lafayette, LA $65,524

Youngstown, OH $65,524

Temple, TX $65,495

Daytona Beach, FL $65,481

Clarksville, TN $65,473

Pensacola, FL $65,466

Hopkinsville, KY $65,249

Charleston, WV $65,241

Florence, SC $65,205

Sioux City, IA $65,162

Macon, GA $64,951

Tallahassee, FL $64,944

Fayetteville, NC $64,930

Waco, TX $64,915

Wichita Falls, TX $64,915

Pine Bluff, AR $64,886

Vincennes, IN $64,748

Lubbock, TX $64,719

Great Falls, MT $64,676

Alamogordo, NM $64,669

Abilene, TX $64,611

Rapid City, SD $64,516

Monroe, LA $64,516

Albany, GA $64,473

Huntington, WV $64,466

Jackson, MS $64,458

Greenville, MS $64,451

Parkersburg, WV $64,379

Montgomery, AL $64,364

Johnstown, PA $64,350

Springfield, MO $64,292

Biloxi, MS $64,255

Sumter, SC $64,103

Columbus, GA $64,096

Twin Falls, ID $64,052

Pascagoula, MS $63,958

Kingsport, TN $63,770

Gulfport, MS $63,748

Alexandria, LA $63,509

Fort Smith, AR $63,327

El Paso, TX $63,132

Helena, MT $63,037

Las Cruces, NM $62,805

Harlingen, TX $62,602

Pocatello, ID $62,537

Florence, AL $62,515

Brownsville, TX $62,501

Dothan, AL $62,385

Mcallen, TX $62,349

Columbus, MS $61,812

Altus, OK $61,479

Lawton, OK $61,341

Pierre, SD $61,080

What Skills Can Increase a Programmer I'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 I'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	$79,023	9%
Products and Services	$77,573	7%
Java	$77,573	7%
Collaboration	$76,848	6%
Leadership	$76,848	6%
Agile	$76,848	6%

Get Latest Data

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

Understanding how a Programmer I'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 January 01, 2026

$68,454

Average $72,498/year

$78,269

$5,704

Average $6,042/month

$6,522

$1,316

Average $1,394/week

$1,505

$33

Average $35/hour

$38

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$78,269	$6,522	$1,505	$38
Average	$72,498	$6,042	$1,394	$35
25th Percentile	$68,454	$5,704	$1,316	$33

Salaries of jobs related to Programmer I

Salary Trends for Programmer I

Salaries for a Programmer I can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $77,347 in 2023 to around $76,674 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Programmer I salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Programmer I Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$77,347

2024

$77,146

2025

$76,674

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$77,347
2024	$77,146
2025	$76,674
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Programmer I

Social Security

401(k)

Disability

Healthcare

Pension

Time Off (days)

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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.)

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