Java Developer Salary in the United States 2023

Java is among the most popular programming languages on the planet. Currently, it’s competing with C and Python for the first position in the popularity rankings for programming languages. It’s one of the industry staples and has become a must-have for many software roles. 

Due to the huge popularity of this programming language, the demand for its experts, Java developers, is substantially high. Java developers are professionals who use the Java programming language to create software solutions and applications. 

In today’s column, we’ll explore how much you can expect to earn when you enter this industry. We’ll discuss the average Java programmer salary, entry-level Java developer salary, and what’s the best way to pursue a career in this field in 2023. 

What is the average Java developer salary in the United States? 

The average salary of a Java developer in the United States is $76k per annum. Pay for this role starts from $51k per annum and goes up to $118k per annum. Shared profits for this role go up to $10k while the bonuses go up to $11k. 

Java developers are experts in using the Java programming language. They use Java to develop advanced web applications. Java offers many functionalities, and these professionals know how to apply them effectively in a project. They might create a project from scratch or work on improving an already-existing product. 

The primary responsibility of Java developers is to write programs according to the requirements of their client or organization. What kind of a solution they develop and what functionalities they implement depend on their project. For example, if a Java developer works on an E-commerce website, they will have to work on data collection and user validation. They modify websites per their clients’ requests.

Java developers test their products regularly to look for bugs and issues. They must also be skilled at debugging applications. Java developers must have a knack for learning as they have to stay updated with the industry trends. Similarly, they must also have robust communication skills as most Java developers work in teams and with other professionals such as managers, analysts, assistants, etc.

With sufficient experience and skill, you can also get promoted to the role of senior Java developer whose average income is $103k per annum. Also, the average senior Java developer salary can go up to $150k per annum, so there’s an excellent chance to earn a six-figure salary in this field.

What factors affect the average Java developer salary in the United States 

Your Java programmer salary would depend mainly on the following three factors:

• Experience
•  Skills
• Location 

Being familiar with how these factors are connected to your payment can greatly help you plan your career. It will also help you in estimating how much you can earn in this field more accurately. 

Experience

How much experience you have as a Java developer plays a huge role in determining your pay in this industry. The entry-level Java developer salary is 20% less than the industry average, and the early-career salary for this role is 4% less than the average. On a similar note, the pay of late-career Java developers and highly experienced Java developers is 31% and 35% higher than the industry average, respectively.

Java developers with less than a year’s experience earn $61k per annum on average, while those with one to four years of professional experience make $73k per annum. Similarly, Java developers with five to nine years of experience earn $86k per annum. With a little more experienced, you can easily make six figures in this role as Java developers with 10+ years of experience earn $100k-$103k per annum on average.

Skills

Java developers must stay up to date with the industry trends. That’s because what skills they possess plays a great role in determining your pay. The most popular skills among Java developers are SQL, JavaScript, and Spring.

The skill that offers the highest salaries to Java developers is Scala. Professionals with this skill earn 64% more than the industry average. Other skills that can help you earn significantly higher wages as a Java developer are:

• Node.js (15% more than the average)
• REST (25% more than the average)
• Angular (13% more than the average)
• XML web services (11% more than the average)
• Software development (19% more than the average)

Location

Your pay would also depend on the city you work in. That’s because the cost of living varies from city to city. 

Locations that offer the highest salaries to Java developers in the US are Dallas (5.6% more than the average), Washington, District of Columbia (5.9% more than the average), and New York (17.5% more than the average). On the other hand, cities that offer below-average pay for this role are Atlanta (1% less than the average) and Chicago (3% less than the average

How to Become a Java Developer?

Java developers earn attractive salaries, enjoy high demand, and have tons of career opportunities in multiple sectors. Certainly, it’s one of the best careers you can pursue if you have a knack for programming and coding. To become a Java developer, you’ll need to learn about Java, software development, and other related skills, as learning the programming language alone wouldn’t be sufficient.

It would be best to learn the programming language under the context of a specific domain such as software development. This way, you’d learn the language efficiently and would be able to understand its applications more effectively.

If you’re interested in becoming a Java developer, we recommend taking the Executive PG Program in Software Development we offer with the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore.

This is a 13-month online program that only requires you to study 15 hours a week. At upGrad, we have a learner base of more than 40,000 students spread across 85 countries all over the globe.

This program offers online sessions and live lectures where you can resolve your doubts quickly. You also get to choose from six specializations according to your background and career aspirations. They are:

• Cybersecurity
• DevOps
• Big data
• Blockchain development
• Cloud computing
• Full-stack development

During the course, you’ll learn 30+ programming languages and tools. It also offers 30+ case studies and projects that allow you to test your knowledge of the concepts you have studied in the project. In terms of content, the course offers 400+ hours of study material and 10+ live sessions

You only need to have a bachelor’s degree with 50% or equivalent passing marks to be eligible for this program. This course doesn’t require any coding experience. The program will teach you software development by using Java, Python, and other programming languages along with your chosen specialization. Some of the technologies you’ll learn about in this program are Apache Spark, HBase, Hive, Hadoop, and many more

upGrad also offers 360-degree career support with this program. Hence, you’ll be able to develop multiple soft skills and enter the tech sector as a job-ready Java developer when you complete the course. 

Conclusion

Java developers attract one of the highest salaries in the tech sector. This is a huge indicator of how much demand there is for this profession. Moreover, you can easily enhance your pay in this field by developing in-demand skills.

If you want to become a highly sought-after and skilled Java developer, we recommend joining the Executive PG Program in Software Development. It would teach you the various skills needed to become a Java professional and would provide you with the guidance to kickstart your tech career comfortably.

Prepare for a Career of the Future

Apply for Executive PG Program in Software Development