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 $73,793, an Applications Programmer II (2-4 years)earns $96,385, an Programmer III (4-7 years)earns $124,009, an Applications Programmer IV (7+ years)earns $145,316, an Applications Programmer V (7-10 years)earns $168,868,

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 $138,148, California $137,624, Massachusetts $135,789. 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: $123,501; Application Programmer Analyst III: $122,600; Applications Programmer III: $122,539; 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 May 01, 2026, the average salary for a Programmer III in the United States is $124,772 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): $144,595
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $115,280 to $135,148
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $106,638

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Programmer III Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$135,148	$11,262	$2,599	$65
Average	$124,772	$10,398	$2,399	$60
25th Percentile	$115,280	$9,607	$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): $73,793
Early Career (1-2 years): $96,385
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $124,009
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $145,316
Expert (over 8 years): $168,868

Levels	Salary
Applicati... Level Programmer III	$73,793
Applicati... Level Programmer III	$96,385
Programme... Level Programmer III	$124,009
Applicati... Level Programmer III	$145,316
Applicati... Level Programmer III	$168,868

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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: $138,148.
California: $137,624.
Massachusetts: $135,789.

District of Columbia $138,148

California $137,624

Massachusetts $135,789

Washington $135,290

New Jersey $135,240

Alaska $135,066

Connecticut $133,344

New York $132,645

Hawaii $130,412

Rhode Island $129,364

Maryland $128,652

Minnesota $127,679

Colorado $127,305

Illinois $127,180

Oregon $126,706

Delaware $126,357

New Hampshire $126,137

Virginia $125,645

Pennsylvania $124,211

Nevada $123,487

North Dakota $123,250

Michigan $122,875

Wisconsin $122,738

Vermont $122,464

Texas $121,703

Maine $121,653

Arizona $121,578

Ohio $121,490

Georgia $120,343

Indiana $119,769

Wyoming $119,656

Utah $119,482

Iowa $119,407

Kansas $118,808

Louisiana $118,633

North Carolina $118,571

Missouri $118,546

Florida $118,059

Montana $117,797

Nebraska $117,548

Kentucky $117,410

South Carolina $116,911

Tennessee $116,599

Idaho $116,475

New Mexico $115,564

Oklahoma $115,364

Alabama $114,628

South Dakota $113,393

Arkansas $112,719

West Virginia $112,357

Mississippi $111,272

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: $157,375
San Francisco: $155,652
Oakland: $152,372

San Jose, CA $157,375

San Francisco, CA $155,652

Oakland, CA $152,372

New York, NY $143,661

Paramus, NJ $141,914

Queens Village, NY $141,908

Passaic, NJ $141,790

Bergenfield, NJ $141,778

Stamford, CT $141,504

Huntington, NY $141,453

Newark, NJ $140,531

Bridgeport, CT $140,267

Vallejo, CA $140,019

New Brunswick, NJ $139,969

Petaluma, CA $139,894

Middlesex, NJ $139,657

Somerset, NJ $139,570

Santa Cruz, CA $139,408

Boston, MA $138,647

Monterey, CA $138,209

Seattle, WA $137,923

Santa Rosa, CA $137,898

Los Angeles, CA $137,861

Juneau, AK $137,536

Washington, DC $137,399

Orange, CA $136,955

Santa Ana, CA $136,625

Long Beach, CA $136,501

Anaheim, CA $136,476

Anchorage, AK $136,413

Santa Maria, CA $136,039

Everett, WA $136,014

Danbury, CT $135,575

Bremerton, WA $135,403

Tacoma, WA $134,953

New Suffolk, NY $134,951

Sacramento, CA $134,916

Santa Barbara, CA $134,779

Trenton, NJ $134,641

San Diego, CA $134,641

Brockton, MA $134,504

Fairbanks, AK $134,199

Lompoc, CA $133,880

Lowell, MA $133,779

Ventura, CA $133,756

Nashua, NH $133,731

Stockton, CA $133,718

Modesto, CA $132,807

Poughkeepsie, NY $132,533

Olympia, WA $132,296

Kennewick, WA $132,296

New Haven, CT $132,246

Lawrence, MA $131,797

Hartford, CT $131,672

Riverside, CA $131,647

New Bedford, MA $131,522

Richland, WA $131,522

Bakersfield, CA $131,347

San Bernardino, CA $131,298

New Britain, CT $131,285

Atlantic City, NJ $131,285

New London, CT $131,235

Norwich, CT $131,198

Portsmouth, NH $131,173

Boulder, CO $130,908

Portland, OR $130,736

Worcester, MA $130,724

Minneapolis, MN $130,337

Philadelphia, PA $130,162

Honolulu, HI $129,750

Saint Paul, MN $129,691

Vineland, NJ $129,663

Providence, RI $129,301

Chicago, IL $128,939

Bellingham, WA $128,790

Springfield, MA $128,690

Baltimore, MD $128,652

Chico, CA $128,340

Pittsfield, MA $128,004

Manchester, NH $127,767

Spokane, WA $127,218

Denver, CO $127,205

Albany, NY $126,619

Troy, NY $126,569

Nassau, NY $126,435

Schenectady, NY $126,307

Wilmington, DE $126,207

Burlington, VT $126,032

Salem, OR $125,982

Portland, ME $125,595

Yakima, WA $125,471

Rochester, MN $125,084

Reno, NV $125,022

Fresno, CA $125,022

Milwaukee, WI $124,909

Detroit, MI $124,784

Ann Arbor, MI $124,763

Allentown, PA $124,747

Colorado Springs, CO $124,535

Syracuse, NY $124,473

Carson City, NV $124,473

Houston, TX $124,298

Eugene, OR $124,235

Gary, IN $124,086

Springfield, OR $123,986

Bismarck, ND $123,961

Galveston, TX $123,874

Medford, OR $123,686

Fort Collins, CO $123,637

Concord, NH $123,574

Austin, TX $123,537

Mesa, AZ $123,275

Reading, PA $123,262

Phoenix, AZ $123,250

Dallas, TX $123,212

Saint Cloud, MN $123,093

Madison, WI $122,925

Utica, NY $122,588

Rochester, NY $122,389

Des Moines, IA $122,376

Raleigh, NC $122,364

Atlanta, GA $122,177

Battle Creek, MI $122,139

Salt Lake City, UT $122,102

Lancaster, PA $121,915

Harrisburg, PA $121,740

Kansas City, MO $121,615

Champaign, IL $121,590

Kansas City, KS $121,590

Fort Worth, TX $121,578

Columbus, OH $121,557

Boca Raton, FL $121,528

Pittsburgh, PA $121,478

Richmond, VA $121,428

Indianapolis, IN $121,403

Cleveland, OH $121,391

Las Vegas, NV $121,241

Cincinnati, OH $121,241

Petersburg, VA $121,054

Huntsville, AL $120,867

Lansing, MI $120,783

Lebanon, PA $120,767

Pueblo, CO $120,754

Appleton, WI $120,717

Buffalo, NY $120,667

Dayton, OH $120,630

Racine, WI $120,605

Charlotte, NC $120,592

Saint Louis, MO $120,555

York, PA $120,480

Elkhart, IN $120,480

Gastonia, NC $120,456

Billings, MT $120,426

Beaumont, TX $120,393

Lorain, OH $120,368

Benton Harbor, MI $120,343

Toledo, OH $120,318

Binghamton, NY $120,255

Rock Hill, SC $120,243

Rockford, IL $120,180

Springfield, IL $120,130

Elyria, OH $120,118

Fargo, ND $120,118

Flagstaff, AZ $120,031

Fort Lauderdale, FL $119,956

Duluth, MN $119,881

Miami, FL $119,881

Cheyenne, WY $119,794

Grand Forks, ND $119,794

Bangor, ME $119,519

Cedar Rapids, IA $119,382

Durham, NC $119,329

Louisville, KY $119,319

Grand Rapids, MI $119,295

Hialeah, FL $119,282

Casper, WY $119,107

Scranton, PA $118,958

New Orleans, LA $118,920

Virginia Beach, VA $118,908

Akron, OH $118,845

Peoria, IL $118,683

Sarasota, FL $118,658

Nashville, TN $118,571

Omaha, NE $118,571

Green Bay, WI $118,571

Baton Rouge, LA $118,508

Charleston, SC $118,483

Jamestown, NY $118,421

Davenport, IA $118,421

Tucson, AZ $118,359

Saint Petersburg, FL $118,284

Tampa, FL $118,259

Evansville, IN $118,184

Port Arthur, TX $118,184

Bradenton, FL $118,134

Santa Fe, NM $117,910

Orlando, FL $117,685

Clearwater, FL $117,648

Canton, OH $117,385

La Crosse, WI $117,385

Albuquerque, NM $117,311

Newport News, VA $117,298

High Point, NC $117,261

Ogden, UT $117,211

Corpus Christi, TX $117,111

Norfolk, VA $117,036

Laramie, WY $117,036

Rock Island, IL $116,961

Saginaw, MI $116,936

Jacksonville, FL $116,924

Salisbury, NC $116,899

Boise, ID $116,874

Moline, IL $116,812

Fort Myers, FL $116,774

Memphis, TN $116,749

Tulsa, OK $116,687

Waterloo, IA $116,612

Spartanburg, SC $116,487

Lincoln, NE $116,425

Fort Wayne, IN $116,400

Provo, UT $116,387

Cedar Falls, IA $116,238

San Antonio, TX $116,188

Greensboro, NC $116,138

South Bend, IN $116,125

Savannah, GA $115,988

Muskegon, MI $115,938

Birmingham, AL $115,926

Winston Salem, NC $115,865

Lake Charles, LA $115,564

Anderson, IN $115,539

Lexington, KY $115,501

Augusta, GA $115,464

Greenville, SC $115,464

Lima, OH $115,364

Wichita, KS $115,352

Tuscaloosa, AL $115,352

Columbia, SC $115,239

Springfield, OH $115,214

Asheville, NC $115,015

Bloomington, IN $114,927

Knoxville, TN $114,478

Shreveport, LA $114,466

Wilmington, NC $114,304

Roanoke, VA $114,304

Topeka, KS $114,079

Frankfort, KY $114,065

Oklahoma City, OK $113,979

Chillicothe, OH $113,929

Longview, TX $113,917

Melbourne, FL $113,904

Sioux Falls, SD $113,705

Mobile, AL $113,692

Terre Haute, IN $113,642

Altoona, PA $113,567

Amarillo, TX $113,480

Killeen, TX $113,443

Fayetteville, AR $113,343

Chattanooga, TN $113,305

Sioux City, IA $113,193

Idaho Falls, ID $113,168

Lynchburg, VA $113,068

Gainesville, FL $112,906

Portsmouth, OH $112,844

Little Rock, AR $112,819

Lafayette, LA $112,769

Youngstown, OH $112,769

Daytona Beach, FL $112,694

Clarksville, TN $112,682

Pensacola, FL $112,669

Temple, TX $112,660

Hopkinsville, KY $112,295

Erie, PA $112,270

Florence, SC $112,220

Charleston, WV $112,020

Great Falls, MT $111,958

Macon, GA $111,783

Tallahassee, FL $111,771

Fayetteville, NC $111,746

Waco, TX $111,721

Helena, MT $111,634

Pine Bluff, AR $111,586

Vincennes, IN $111,434

Lubbock, TX $111,384

Alamogordo, NM $111,309

Twin Falls, ID $111,197

Rapid City, SD $111,159

Jackson, MS $110,935

Huntington, WV $110,926

Greenville, MS $110,922

Parkersburg, WV $110,795

Montgomery, AL $110,773

Wichita Falls, TX $110,648

Springfield, MO $110,648

Biloxi, MS $110,585

Monroe, LA $110,461

Johnstown, PA $110,373

Sumter, SC $110,323

Columbus, GA $110,311

Pascagoula, MS $110,074

Abilene, TX $110,074

Kingsport, TN $109,749

Albany, GA $109,749

Gulfport, MS $109,712

Alexandria, LA $109,300

Fort Smith, AR $108,988

El Paso, TX $108,651

Las Cruces, NM $108,090

Harlingen, TX $107,773

Pocatello, ID $107,753

Florence, AL $107,591

Brownsville, TX $107,566

Mcallen, TX $107,304

Dothan, AL $107,129

Columbus, MS $106,388

Altus, OK $105,807

Lawton, OK $105,570

Pierre, SD $105,120

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	$127,267	2%
Presentation	$127,267	2%
Agile	$126,020	1%
Software Development	$126,020	1%
Collaboration	$126,020	1%
Team Development	$126,020	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 May 01, 2026

$115,280

Average $124,772/year

$135,148

$9,607

Average $10,398/month

$11,262

$2,217

Average $2,399/week

$2,599

$55

Average $60/hour

$65

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$135,148	$11,262	$2,599	$65
Average	$124,772	$10,398	$2,399	$60
25th Percentile	$115,280	$9,607	$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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