Annual Salary, Salary Range, and Highest Paying States and Industries
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Computer Programmers
Computer Programmers create, modify, and test the code, forms, and script that allow computer applications to run. Work from specifications drawn up by software developers or other individuals. May assist software developers by analyzing user needs and designing software solutions. May develop and write computer programs to store, locate, and retrieve specific documents, data, and information.
Table of contents
- Average salary
- Starting salary
- Salary rank
- Salary range
- Highest paying states
- Highest paying industries
Average salary
Starting salary
Entry-level Computer Programmers with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $51,440 to $67,370 per year or $25 to $32 per hour. Similar to any other job, their salary will increase as they gain experience.
Salary rank
We wanted to make it easy for our readers to compare the salary of Computer Programmers to all the other careers out there. So we created Salary Rank. We compared the salary of all careers then we gave them a rank of A, B, C, or D depending on where their average salary sit in comparison to other careers.
Salary range
| Level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Highest (Top 10%) | $70 | $146,050 |
| Senior (Top 25%) | $56 | $116,220 |
| Middle (Mid 50%) | $43 | $89,190 |
| Junior (Bottom 25%) | $32 | $67,370 |
| No experience (Bottom 10%) | $25 | $51,440 |
Highest paying states
| State | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| WA | $85 | $177,210 |
| DC | $57 | $119,010 |
| CA | $52 | $107,300 |
| VA | $50 | $103,150 |
| TX | $49 | $102,650 |
| MA | $49 | $102,170 |
| IL | $48 | $100,320 |
| NC | $47 | $97,200 |
| MD | $46 | $95,320 |
| VT | $45 | $93,760 |
Another simple way to increase your salary as a Computer Programmer is to move to a higher paying state. However moving to a higher paying state like WA doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the expenses at WA might be much higher than where you are currently living at right now.
According to BLS, the highest paid Computer Programmers are in the states of WA, DC, CA, VA and TX.
Highest paying industries
| Salary by industry | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Software Publishers | $129410 | $62.21 |
| Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets | $123280 | $59.27 |
| Other Personal Services | $119160 | $57.29 |
| Other Information Services | $117840 | $56.66 |
| Spectator Sports | $117160 | $56.33 |
| Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services | $116090 | $55.81 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | $108850 | $52.33 |
| Oil and Gas Extraction | $107920 | $51.88 |
| Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities | $106780 | $51.33 |
| Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | $106180 | $51.05 |
| Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | $105350 | $50.65 |
| Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | $105220 | $50.59 |
| Home Health Care Services | $104920 | $50.44 |
| Employment Services | $104230 | $50.11 |
| Grantmaking and Giving Services | $103790 | $49.90 |
| Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | $103350 | $49.69 |
| Investigation and Security Services | $103320 | $49.67 |
| Office Administrative Services | $102590 | $49.32 |
| Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services | $102350 | $49.21 |
| Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services | $101720 | $48.91 |
| Rental and Leasing Services | $101600 | $48.85 |
| Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing | $100400 | $48.27 |
| Apparel, Piece Goods, and Notions Merchant Wholesalers | $98850 | $47.52 |
| Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | $98820 | $47.51 |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | $98690 | $47.45 |
| Chemical Manufacturing | $98500 | $47.36 |
| Motion Picture and Video Industries | $97840 | $47.04 |
| Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories | $97810 | $47.02 |
| Support Activities for Mining | $97710 | $46.98 |
| Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing | $97590 | $46.92 |
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