What Is the Average Software Developer Salary?

Software developers are responsible for making the technology we all know and use today. These professionals are always in demand, and they will continue to be for many years in the future. If you enjoy computer science and think you may do well in software development, you need to have a firm grasp on how much money you could make in this professions. That is one of the first questions people ask when they consider working in just about any career, and it is something you really do need to keep in mind. The charts below outline some of the most common salary levels you may experience in this profession, courtesy of PayScale.com.

Salary by Years of Experience

• Less than 1 year: $35,125 - $78,230 per year
• 1-4 years: $38,883 - $79,596 per year
• 5-9 years: $47,933 - $92,801 per year
• 10-19 years: $52,402 - $104,261 per year
• 20 years or more: $52,501 - $118,242 per year

Salary by Industry

• Aerospace and Defense: $47,821 - $92,456 per year
• Financial Services Software: $42,821 - $97,819 per year
• Financial Services: $45,327 - $102,367 per year
• Insurance: $48,426 - $86,928 per year
• IT Consulting: $45,917 - $86,890 per year
• Software Applications: $41,411 - $90,093 per year

Salary by Degree

• Associate's Degree: $34,729 - $78,170 per year
• Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science: $44,009 - $91,589 per year
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering: $44,651 - $91,045 per year
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems: $38,689 - $83,729 per year
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science: $40,557 - $84,453 per year
• Master of Science in Computer Science: $46,719 - $90,773 per year

Salary by Employer Type

• College or University: $27,617 - $81,726
  
• Company: $41,288 - $91,651 per year


• Contract: $41,361 - $96,860 per year


• Federal Government: $39,578 - $100,457 per year


• Foundation: $30,000 - $80,000 per year


• Franchise: $45,000 - $80,000 per year


• Hospital: $39,732 - $87,137 per year


• Non-Profit Organization: $38,570 - $81,881 per year


• Private Practice: $42,156 - $92,832 per year


• School District: $28,000 - $90,000 per year


• Self-Employed: $14,813 - $118,066 per year


• State & Local Government: $44,854 - $88,915 per year


• Team: $39,305 - $52,903 per year

Salary by Gender

• Male: $49,606 - $75,023 per year
• Female: $51,544 - $76,758 per year

Salary by Specialty

• ASP.NET: $40,790 - $89,011 per year
• C#: $40,841 - $90,188 per year
• C++: $40,218 - $96,815 per year
• HTML: $39,781 - $88,567 per year
• Java: $41,034 - $91,693 per year
• Microsoft SQL Server: $40,405 - $89,030 per year
• SQL: $40,681 - $88,319 per year
• UNIX: $43,017 - $97,038 per year
• VB.Net: $40,097 - $86,016 per year
• .NET: $41,376 - $88,389 per year

Salary by Location

• California: $44,143 - $100,446 per year
• Florida: $39,709 - $83,316 per year
• Illinois: $43,959 - $86,502 per year
• New York: $40,581 - $101,957 per year
• Ohio: $40,741 - $79,946 per year
• Texas: $41,901 - $89,762 per year
• Washington: $41,672 - $100,378 per year

Salary by Certification

• Cisco Certified Network Associate: $34,919 - $119,219 per year
• Microsoft Certified Database Administrator: $42,400 - $120,064 per year
• Microsoft Certified Professional: $41,993 - $91,148 per year
• Microsoft Certified Professional + Internet: $43,273 - $121,269 per year
• Microsoft Certified Solution Developer: $49,726 - $105,148 per year
• Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator: $46,989 - $122,798 per year
• Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer: $48,079 - $101,367 per year
• Oracle Certified Professional: $38,783 - $103,693 per year
• Sun Certified Java Programmer: $40,166 - $93,119 per year
• Comptia A+ Service Technician: $40,695 - $85,976 per year

It is impossible to predict exactly how much money you could make in a software developer career, but the charts above should give you a rough idea to work with. Your location, experience, and overall expertise will determine how high your salary is in software development. For now, all you can do is get the education you need to make your salary as high as possible. If you have a passion for your job and a drive to succeed, you should have no trouble securing a high pay check in the future.