What are the main factors that influence a Programmer III'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 Applications Programmer I (0-2 years)earns $73,794, an Applications Programmer II (2-4 years)earns $96,402, an Programmer III (4-7 years)earns $124,015, an Applications Programmer IV (7+ years)earns $145,307, an Applications Programmer V (7-10 years)earns $168,845,

What are the highest paying states for a Programmer III?

Programmer III salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Programmer III roles are District of Columbia $138,153, California $137,629, Massachusetts $135,795. 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 III: $128,733; Programmer Analyst III: $123,503; Application Programmer Analyst III: $122,600; Applications Programmer III: $122,544; IT Systems Programmer III: $118,500.

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

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

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

As of March 01, 2026, the average salary for a Programmer III in the United States is $124,777 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $60.

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

Top Earners (90th percentile): $144,575
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $115,275 to $135,140
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $106,624

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Programmer III Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$135,140	$11,262	$2,599	$65
Average	$124,777	$10,398	$2,400	$60
25th Percentile	$115,275	$9,606	$2,217	$55

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Key Factors That Influence Programmer III Salaries

A Programmer III'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 Programmer III Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Programmer III'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): $73,794
Early Career (1-2 years): $96,402
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $124,015
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $145,307
Expert (over 8 years): $168,845

Levels	Salary
Applicati... Level Programmer III	$73,794
Applicati... Level Programmer III	$96,402
Programme... Level Programmer III	$124,015
Applicati... Level Programmer III	$145,307
Applicati... Level Programmer III	$168,845

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What Am I Worth?

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

District of Columbia: $138,153.
California: $137,629.
Massachusetts: $135,795.

District of Columbia $138,153

California $137,629

Massachusetts $135,795

Washington $135,296

New Jersey $135,246

Alaska $135,071

Connecticut $133,349

New York $132,650

Hawaii $130,417

Rhode Island $129,369

Maryland $128,658

Minnesota $127,684

Colorado $127,310

Illinois $127,185

Oregon $126,711

Delaware $126,362

New Hampshire $126,142

Virginia $125,650

Pennsylvania $124,216

Nevada $123,492

North Dakota $123,255

Michigan $122,880

Wisconsin $122,743

Vermont $122,469

Texas $121,707

Maine $121,658

Arizona $121,583

Ohio $121,495

Georgia $120,347

Indiana $119,773

Wyoming $119,661

Utah $119,486

Iowa $119,412

Kansas $118,813

Louisiana $118,638

North Carolina $118,576

Missouri $118,551

Florida $118,064

Montana $117,802

Nebraska $117,552

Kentucky $117,415

South Carolina $116,916

Tennessee $116,604

Idaho $116,479

New Mexico $115,568

Oklahoma $115,369

Alabama $114,633

South Dakota $113,397

Arkansas $112,724

West Virginia $112,362

Mississippi $111,276

Top Paying Cities for Programmer IIIs

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: $157,381
San Francisco: $155,834
Oakland: $152,378

San Jose, CA $157,381

San Francisco, CA $155,834

Oakland, CA $152,378

New York, NY $144,604

Queens Village, NY $143,668

Paramus, NJ $142,670

Passaic, NJ $142,545

Bergenfield, NJ $142,420

Stamford, CT $142,233

Huntington, NY $142,109

Newark, NJ $141,297

Bridgeport, CT $141,048

New Brunswick, NJ $140,636

Vallejo, CA $140,374

Middlesex, NJ $140,299

Somerset, NJ $140,187

Petaluma, CA $139,900

Santa Cruz, CA $139,413

Boston, MA $139,164

Monterey, CA $138,540

Fairbanks, AK $138,453

Los Angeles, CA $138,215

Washington, DC $138,153

Seattle, WA $137,928

Santa Rosa, CA $137,904

Juneau, AK $137,542

Orange, CA $137,130

Anchorage, AK $136,905

Anaheim, CA $136,818

Santa Ana, CA $136,631

Nassau, NY $136,556

Long Beach, CA $136,506

Danbury, CT $136,469

Santa Maria, CA $136,044

Everett, WA $136,019

Bremerton, WA $135,408

Trenton, NJ $135,171

Sacramento, CA $135,121

San Diego, CA $135,059

Brockton, MA $135,009

Tacoma, WA $134,959

Santa Barbara, CA $134,784

Lowell, MA $134,285

New Suffolk, NY $134,235

Nashua, NH $134,085

Lompoc, CA $133,886

Ventura, CA $133,761

Stockton, CA $133,724

New Haven, CT $133,474

Atlantic City, NJ $133,150

Hartford, CT $132,875

Modesto, CA $132,813

Poughkeepsie, NY $132,538

New Britain, CT $132,476

Olympia, WA $132,301

Kennewick, WA $132,301

New London, CT $132,276

Norwich, CT $132,239

Lawrence, MA $132,176

Bakersfield, CA $131,827

Riverside, CA $131,652

New Bedford, MA $131,652

Richland, WA $131,527

Portsmouth, NH $131,428

Vineland, NJ $131,403

San Bernardino, CA $131,303

Boulder, CO $130,953

Worcester, MA $130,854

Portland, OR $130,741

Saint Paul, MN $130,592

Minneapolis, MN $130,592

Philadelphia, PA $130,417

Honolulu, HI $129,756

Springfield, MA $129,319

Providence, RI $129,306

Chicago, IL $128,945

Bellingham, WA $128,795

Baltimore, MD $128,658

Chico, CA $128,346

Wilmington, DE $128,134

Pittsfield, MA $128,009

Manchester, NH $127,772

Spokane, WA $127,223

Denver, CO $127,210

Albany, NY $126,624

Troy, NY $126,574

Schenectady, NY $126,312

Burlington, VT $126,037

Portland, ME $125,601

Salem, OR $125,501

Yakima, WA $125,476

Ann Arbor, MI $125,438

Rochester, MN $125,089

Fresno, CA $125,027

Reno, NV $125,027

Milwaukee, WI $124,914

Detroit, MI $124,789

Allentown, PA $124,752

Carson City, NV $124,740

Houston, TX $124,552

Colorado Springs, CO $124,540

Syracuse, NY $124,478

Eugene, OR $124,240

Bismarck, ND $124,091

Gary, IN $124,091

Galveston, TX $124,091

Springfield, OR $123,991

Medford, OR $123,691

Fort Collins, CO $123,642

Austin, TX $123,542

Mesa, AZ $123,280

Phoenix, AZ $123,255

Dallas, TX $123,217

Reading, PA $123,142

Saint Cloud, MN $123,093

Concord, NH $122,980

Madison, WI $122,930

Utica, NY $122,593

Raleigh, NC $122,494

Las Vegas, NV $122,481

Rochester, NY $122,394

Des Moines, IA $122,381

Atlanta, GA $122,182

Battle Creek, MI $122,144

Salt Lake City, UT $122,107

Lancaster, PA $121,920

Champaign, IL $121,895

Harrisburg, PA $121,745

Durham, NC $121,633

Kansas City, MO $121,620

Kansas City, KS $121,595

Fort Worth, TX $121,583

Boca Raton, FL $121,533

Cleveland, OH $121,520

Columbus, OH $121,495

Pittsburgh, PA $121,483

Richmond, VA $121,433

Indianapolis, IN $121,408

Cincinnati, OH $121,246

Petersburg, VA $121,059

Billings, MT $120,784

Lansing, MI $120,784

Huntsville, AL $120,784

Lebanon, PA $120,772

Dayton, OH $120,759

Pueblo, CO $120,759

Appleton, WI $120,722

Buffalo, NY $120,672

Racine, WI $120,609

Charlotte, NC $120,597

Saint Louis, MO $120,560

Springfield, IL $120,510

Elkhart, IN $120,485

York, PA $120,485

Gastonia, NC $120,472

Benton Harbor, MI $120,472

Beaumont, TX $120,397

Lorain, OH $120,372

Toledo, OH $120,322

Binghamton, NY $120,260

Rock Hill, SC $120,248

Rockford, IL $120,185

Fargo, ND $120,123

Elyria, OH $120,123

Flagstaff, AZ $120,035

Fort Lauderdale, FL $119,961

Miami, FL $119,886

Duluth, MN $119,686

Bangor, ME $119,524

Cedar Rapids, IA $119,387

Louisville, KY $119,324

Grand Rapids, MI $119,299

Hialeah, FL $119,287

Casper, WY $119,112

Scranton, PA $118,962

New Orleans, LA $118,925

Virginia Beach, VA $118,912

Akron, OH $118,850

Peoria, IL $118,688

Sarasota, FL $118,663

Green Bay, WI $118,576

Baton Rouge, LA $118,513

Charleston, SC $118,488

Nashville, TN $118,451

Jamestown, NY $118,426

Davenport, IA $118,426

Tucson, AZ $118,363

Cheyenne, WY $118,326

Saint Petersburg, FL $118,289

Tampa, FL $118,264

Omaha, NE $118,239

Port Arthur, TX $118,189

Evansville, IN $118,189

Bradenton, FL $118,139

Santa Fe, NM $117,914

Orlando, FL $117,789

Clearwater, FL $117,652

Canton, OH $117,390

La Crosse, WI $117,390

Grand Forks, ND $117,353

Albuquerque, NM $117,315

Tulsa, OK $117,315

Newport News, VA $117,303

High Point, NC $117,265

Ogden, UT $117,216

Corpus Christi, TX $117,116

Laramie, WY $117,041

Norfolk, VA $117,041

Rock Island, IL $116,966

Saginaw, MI $116,941

Jacksonville, FL $116,929

Salisbury, NC $116,904

Memphis, TN $116,879

Moline, IL $116,816

Fort Myers, FL $116,779

Waterloo, IA $116,617

Spartanburg, SC $116,492

Lincoln, NE $116,429

Fort Wayne, IN $116,404

Birmingham, AL $116,267

Cedar Falls, IA $116,242

Provo, UT $116,230

Springfield, OH $116,217

San Antonio, TX $116,192

Greensboro, NC $116,142

South Bend, IN $116,130

Winston Salem, NC $116,117

Boise, ID $116,080

Savannah, GA $115,993

Muskegon, MI $115,768

Lima, OH $115,618

Lake Charles, LA $115,568

Anderson, IN $115,544

Lexington, KY $115,506

Augusta, GA $115,469

Greenville, SC $115,469

Wichita, KS $115,356

Tuscaloosa, AL $115,356

Columbia, SC $115,244

Bloomington, IN $114,932

Roanoke, VA $114,857

Asheville, NC $114,695

Knoxville, TN $114,483

Shreveport, LA $114,470

Wilmington, NC $114,308

Frankfort, KY $114,071

Oklahoma City, OK $113,984

Chillicothe, OH $113,934

Longview, TX $113,921

Topeka, KS $113,884

Mobile, AL $113,697

Terre Haute, IN $113,647

Erie, PA $113,634

Altoona, PA $113,572

Melbourne, FL $113,535

Amarillo, TX $113,485

Killeen, TX $113,447

Fayetteville, AR $113,347

Sioux Falls, SD $113,260

Chattanooga, TN $113,185

Idaho Falls, ID $113,173

Gainesville, FL $112,911

Portsmouth, OH $112,848

Little Rock, AR $112,823

Lynchburg, VA $112,823

Lafayette, LA $112,773

Youngstown, OH $112,773

Temple, TX $112,724

Daytona Beach, FL $112,699

Clarksville, TN $112,686

Pensacola, FL $112,674

Hopkinsville, KY $112,299

Charleston, WV $112,287

Florence, SC $112,224

Sioux City, IA $112,150

Macon, GA $111,788

Tallahassee, FL $111,775

Fayetteville, NC $111,750

Waco, TX $111,725

Wichita Falls, TX $111,725

Pine Bluff, AR $111,675

Vincennes, IN $111,438

Lubbock, TX $111,388

Great Falls, MT $111,314

Alamogordo, NM $111,301

Abilene, TX $111,201

Rapid City, SD $111,039

Monroe, LA $111,039

Albany, GA $110,964

Huntington, WV $110,952

Jackson, MS $110,939

Greenville, MS $110,927

Parkersburg, WV $110,802

Montgomery, AL $110,777

Johnstown, PA $110,752

Springfield, MO $110,652

Biloxi, MS $110,590

Sumter, SC $110,328

Columbus, GA $110,315

Twin Falls, ID $110,240

Pascagoula, MS $110,078

Kingsport, TN $109,754

Gulfport, MS $109,716

Alexandria, LA $109,305

Fort Smith, AR $108,993

El Paso, TX $108,656

Helena, MT $108,494

Las Cruces, NM $108,094

Harlingen, TX $107,745

Pocatello, ID $107,633

Florence, AL $107,595

Brownsville, TX $107,570

Dothan, AL $107,371

Mcallen, TX $107,308

Columbus, MS $106,385

Altus, OK $105,811

Lawton, OK $105,574

Pierre, SD $105,125

What Skills Can Increase a Programmer III's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Analysis (Mentioned in 6.29% 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 2.96% 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.
HTML (Mentioned in 1.79% Job Postings): A computer language that used in creating, updating and maintaining text, graphics and links in a website.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Analysis	6.29%
Application Development	2.96%
HTML	1.79%

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 III's salary.

Python: Can increase your salary by up to 2%.
Presentation: Can increase your salary by up to 2%.
Agile: Can increase your salary by up to 1%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Python	$127,273	2%
Presentation	$127,273	2%
Agile	$126,025	1%
Software Development	$126,025	1%
Collaboration	$126,025	1%
Team Development	$126,025	1%

Get Latest Data

How Education impacts a Programmer III's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Programmer IIIs 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 Programmer III with a Associate's Degree is between $113,417 and $120,234).

Programmer III Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Programmer III

No Diploma 1.8%

High School 4.0%

Associates 10.1%

Bachelors 57.9%

Masters 25.3%

Doctorate 0.8%

view as table

Degree Level	% of user with this level of education
No Diploma	1.8%
High School	4.0%
Associates	10.1%
Bachelors	57.9%
Masters	25.3%
Doctorate	0.8%

view as graph

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

Understanding how a Programmer III'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 March 01, 2026

$115,275

Average $124,777/year

$135,140

$9,606

Average $10,398/month

$11,262

$2,217

Average $2,400/week

$2,599

$55

Average $60/hour

$65

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$135,140	$11,262	$2,599	$65
Average	$124,777	$10,398	$2,400	$60
25th Percentile	$115,275	$9,606	$2,217	$55

Salaries of jobs related to Programmer III

Salary Trends for Programmer III

Salaries for a Programmer III can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $119,156 in 2023 to around $117,472 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Programmer III salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Programmer III Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$119,156

2024

$118,664

2025

$117,472

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$119,156
2024	$118,664
2025	$117,472
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Programmer III

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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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