How Much Do Coders Make? 2024 Salary Guide + Hiring Factors

Nearly every company in existence is a tech company to some degree. This is true for businesses that rely on a website to generate new income, sell their products, or provide information about their services. But it’s also true for businesses that use computer programs to store and manage their data, coordinate their operations, and create physical and digital products. 

As such, the US is seeing tremendous growth in the tech sector across every one of its niches and fields of expertise. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, We will likely see a 15% growth in tech job opportunities over the next decade, resulting in an additional 682,800 jobs.

So how much do coders make?

The average median salaries for coders reach in the $150,000 range nationwide. Additionally, there are currently about 4.5 million tech jobs in the United States. This means working in tech is an extremely lucrative career choice with nearly limitless potential for growth.

With that said, there are many factors that can influence how much coders make. If you are considering a career change and would like to find some more information about how much coders make, consider the different  roles of a coder, the macroeconomic climate, hireability factors, and what kinds of opportunities are available in the current job market.

What Is a Coder?

The title coder is a general term used to describe a wide variety of different roles and positions within the technology industry. Coders are also known as developers, engineers, and programmers, and all of these names can be used somewhat interchangeably.

Essentially, a coder is a person who uses a number of different programming languages to interact with computers and teach them to perform specific functions. This can be accomplished by building software and applications, but it can also take the form of performing command functions within a computer’s command line interface.

As a coder, how you achieve your tasks will depend on what you’re trying to accomplish and what kinds of resources you have available to you. Whatever the case may be, it is a good idea to have a working knowledge of many different aspects of programming, such as programming languages, types of operating systems, and design principles.

So if you’re wondering how much coders make, keep in mind that having a diverse skill set and a strong knowledge base will help position you to develop a more lucrative career in coding.

What Skills Do Coders Need?

The more you know, the more money you can make. So again, if you’re asking how much coders make, you might look at it like this: the more of these skills that you have, the more zeros you can add to your paycheck.

That’s not to say that you need to have all of the following skills to start a coding career. 

As you grow into your role as a coder, you will continue to pick up new skills and develop your current abilities. As the tech sector continues to grow, change, and expand, coders also have many opportunities to progress and mature in their roles.

Let’s take a look at some of the essential skills that coders should possess when entering the job market:

Programming Languages

Depending on which direction you plan to go as a coder, you may need to learn some different sets of programming languages. 

• Web Developers: HTML, JavaScript

• Network Infrastructures: Python, Java, Node.js

• Mobile Development: JavaScript, Java, Swift, Objective C

Many different programming languages and libraries have similar syntax and functionality, making it easier to learn new programming languages once you have mastered some of the most common ones. 

Furthermore, programming languages often work in tandem with one another, meaning that your abilities will be severely limited when you only have a working knowledge of one of these essential languages.

Data Structures

To create a useful computer program, your code needs to interact with different kinds of data to retrieve, interpret, and display it in a helpful way for the user. This means that coders need to understand how data is stored, along with its hierarchy and formatting.

When it comes to programming, the more diverse, interactive, and dynamic a piece of software is, the more it can process complicated data and return valuable results. As such, how much coders make can be greatly influenced by their abilities to write code capable of communicating with data structures and utilizing their contents to return useful information.

Problem-Solving Skills

When developing a piece of code or software, coders will encounter many issues that they must identify, diagnose, and debug to refine the program’s operations and make it run smoothly. This can require a great deal of patience and persistence on the part of the coder, as well as the ability to work independently.

Look at it this way. When you begin to write code, you are already attempting to solve some kind of problem. Whether you need to write a program that automates tasks, retrieves information, or creates computer models for scientific research, there is always an issue you are trying to address from the outset of your project.

This means that, as a coder, you will always need to look at your work with a solution-oriented mindset. And you will need to apply some degree of creativity and innovation to achieve your programming goals. Being able to overcome challenges and produce results will have a big impact on how much coders make.

Which Factors that Affect How Much Coders Make?

How much do coders make? 

It depends. 

Here are some of the factors that influence how much coders make:

• Experience

• Location

• Skill set

• Education

Experience

The more experience a coder has, the higher their earning potential will be. But that doesn’t mean entry-level coders can’t earn a decent salary. On average, coders who are just starting their careers can earn around one and a half to two times the median average salary for the United States.

• Median Average U.S. Salary: $54,132

• Entry-level Coding Salary: $85,239

However, as you continue your coding career, you will undoubtedly gain new skills and experiences that will open doors to earning more money.

Location

Depending on the state or city you live in, you may be able to start at a significantly higher rate within certain companies. Salaries can vary greatly from one state to another, usually in line with the average cost of living for the area where their employees live.

• New York

  • Average Coding Salary: $60,924

  • Average Cost of Living: $175,500

• California

  • Average Coding Salary: $65,508

  • Average Cost of Living: $204,300

• Kansas

  • Average Coding Salary: $43,851

  • Average Cost of Living: $70,000

• Iowa

  • Average Coding Salary: $49,118

  • Average Cost of Living: $73,400

Although employees who live in expensive areas, such as New York and Los Angeles, tend to earn higher wages, they also pay quite a bit more in rent and other basic living costs. But the advantage of working in the tech sector is that there are plenty of opportunities for finding remote work. This means that you may be able to land a higher-paying job within a company that offers a higher starting wage while living in an area with a lower cost of living.

Skill Set

Even if you are new to the coding industry, you can still start your first job with diverse skills that will make you a valuable employee. The skills we mentioned previously are just a few of the basic abilities that coders will need to have when starting their coding careers. But the more coding skills you can add to your resume, the more power you will have to leverage a higher salary.

Since how much coders make is strongly influenced by the quality and variety of their skills, it is a good idea to seek out some form of education to prepare you for your career.

Education

There are many options when learning to be a software engineer or computer programmer. However, most people looking for a way to find a job in this field will go with either a traditional university education or an intensive shorter-term course like a coding bootcamp.

Whether you choose to get a degree or a certificate, they are both great things to have on your resume when looking for a job as a coder. And either one will improve your ability to earn more when starting your career. Although how much coders make can vary, depending on whether you have a degree or a certificate, many people prefer to attend a coding bootcamp for a number of different reasons.

For example, even though you will likely be able to find a higher-paying job with a degree in coding, you will also start your career with a significant amount of student debt. When you factor this into your overall salary, chances are you will be able to earn a comparable amount with a certificate from a reputable coding bootcamp.

How Much Do Coders Make?

Now that we have addressed the ins and outs of what a coder does and which factors can influence how much coders make, let’s take a look at the actual numbers.

As we mentioned before, how much coders make depends on a number of factors, so these figures are meant to give you a general idea of what you can expect when you enter the job market. Keep in mind that these numbers come directly from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and they represent Nationwide averages.

Computer Programmers

It is estimated that there are over 100,000 computer programming jobs in the United States, but this number is expected to grow over the coming years. On average, computer programmers earn $102,780 annually.

Web Developers

Although web developers come in slightly lower than computer programmers in terms of their average salary, web development is an exciting career that offers many opportunities within growing companies. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, web developers earn, on average, around $87,580 per year.

Software Developers

Software development offers one of the most diverse career paths with endless employment opportunities. Software development is becoming increasingly important as more and more aspects of our daily lives are driven by the powerful tools that software development can provide. With a mean annual wage of $132,390, software development is among coders’ most lucrative career paths.

Although this is not an exhaustive list of all the different career opportunities and their corresponding salaries, hopefully, this has given you an idea of how much coders make. In short, once you land your first job as a coder, you could be earning over $100,000 annually in just a few short years.

How Much Do Coders Make at LearningFuze

Here at LearningFuze, we are dedicated to preparing our students for successful careers in many different areas within the tech industry. Our intensive educational bootcamps are designed to prepare you for your dream job within months rather than years.

We’re realistic when speaking to our students about how much they can expect to make directly out of bootcamp, one year into their career, five years in, and beyond. 

On average, graduates from our full-time development bootcamp earn between $70,000-$80,000 and are supported by lifetime career services beyond their first placement. 

LearningFuze has an extensive network of employers who come to us, again and again, to hire our students for exciting jobs in a quickly growing field.

Where Do Developers Find Jobs?

In addition to LinkedIn, Indeed, and Google Jobs, our students use Otta, Handshake, and Jooble to find job opportunities

• Handshake's jobs are curated by our career coaches to connect graduates with employers, providing access to internships and entry-level positions. (Contact us if you're a LearningFuze alumni who needs access!)

• Jooble connects you with top companies looking for talented engineers and developers, standing out as a valuable resource for developers seeking software developer opportunities. Jooble's straightforward search function makes it easy to find the right fit for your skills and career goals.

• Otta offers a personalized job search experience, tailoring recommendations to individual career goals, making it easier for developers to find the right positions.