How much does a programmer make?

The median programmer salary in the United States is $100,390 per year ($48.26/hour). Salaries range from $57,710 (10th percentile) to $160,460 (90th percentile). There are 92,230 programmer jobs in the U.S. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS.

Which state pays programmers the most?

The highest paying state for programmers is Connecticut at $133,820 median salary.

Is programmer a good career?

Programmer employment is projected to decline 6% from 2024 to 2034 (decline). There are approximately 5,500 job openings per year. Typical education required: Bachelor's degree.

What interview questions are asked for programmer roles?

Common programmer interview questions include: "Walk me through debugging a COBOL abend.", "How do you handle undocumented legacy code?", "Explain CICS + JCL relationship.". Interview format at top employers ranges from behavioral panels (STAR method) to technical case rounds — for example Money center banks (JPMorgan + Chase + BofA + Wells + Citi) typically uses 3-4 rounds.

What is the career ladder for programmers?

The typical programmer career ladder: Junior Programmer / Application Developer (0-3 yrs, $55-78k) → Programmer / Application Analyst (3-8 yrs, $75-110k) → Senior Programmer / Lead (8-15 yrs, $105-155k) → Principal Programmer / Consultant (15+ yrs, $140-240k+ (contract higher)).

What certifications should programmers get?

Top-ROI certifications for programmers: IBM Certified Application Developer - z/OS ($200 per exam); IBM COBOL Application Programmer ($200); IBM DB2 Database Administrator ($200 per exam (2 needed)).

How do you negotiate a programmer salary?

Anchor on documented market data (BLS median $100,390, p75 $130,680), specific outcomes you've delivered, and the specific band for your years of experience. Thanks for the offer. With my 6 years of COBOL/CICS + IBM certifications + $2B loan system experience, market for Senior Programmer at this scale is $110-135k. Could we get to $125k base with $10k sign-on given the scar...

Programmer Salary

Bureau of Labor Statistics title: Computer Programmers

The median programmer salary in the United States is $100,390 per year ($48.26/hour). Salaries range from $57,710 at the entry level to $160,460+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 92,230 programmer jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to decline 6% through 2034.

Last updated: June 2026 · Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Also known asProgrammerCoderApplication Programmer

Median Salary

$100,390

per year

Hourly Rate

$48.26

per hour

Employment

92,230

jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile

$57,710

25th percentile

$75,850

Median

$100,390

75th percentile

$130,680

90th percentile

$160,460

Job Growth (2024-2034)

-6%

Decline

Annual Openings

5,500

jobs/year (growth + replacements)

Education Required

Bachelor's degree

Programmer Career Guide

Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for programmers.

Computer Programmer is a shrinking BLS category as companies fold coding responsibilities into Software Developer roles. If you're being hired under this title today, it's usually maintenance/modernization on legacy systems (COBOL + mainframe + VB + older enterprise Java/.NET). Pay ranges $65-125k typical, but rare high-scarcity mainframe/COBOL contracts hit $180-250k+ at banks + insurers + federal.

Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For

Legacy language fluency

COBOL + mainframe assembler + PL/I + RPG + VB6 + classic ASP + older .NET/Java. Depth in at least one.

Mainframe + system tools

z/OS + JCL + CICS + IMS + DB2 + VSAM. TSO/ISPF navigation + JCL debugging.

Debugging + maintenance

Trace + fix bugs in undocumented 20+ year old codebases. Read code someone else wrote decades ago.

SQL + data manipulation

DB2 + Oracle + SQL Server. ETL scripts + stored procedures.

Modernization patterns

Screen scraping + APIs on top of legacy + Java/COBOL interop + refactoring toward services.

Version control + change management

Endevor + ChangeMan + newer Git. Enterprise change control processes.

Documentation + business rules

Reverse-engineer business logic from code + document for stakeholders + train replacements.

How to Become a Programmer

1
Get a CS/IS degree or equivalent
Most employers require a bachelor's in CS/IS/related. Bootcamp path is possible but harder for this legacy niche.
2
Learn a scarce legacy stack
COBOL + mainframe = highest scarcity + pay. IBM has free zPDT + Master the Mainframe learning path.
3
Get IBM/vendor certifications
IBM z/OS + COBOL + DB2 + CICS certs signal legitimacy for banks + insurers hiring.
4
Land a role at a bank + insurer + government agency
These are where legacy still runs: State Farm + JPMorgan + Chase + IRS + SSA + Fannie Mae + insurers + airlines + Fortune 500.
5
Consider transitioning to Developer
Long-term BLS is declining. Add Java/Python + cloud skills so you can move to Software Developer titles + $100-200k pay bands.

Career Progression

Junior Programmer / Application Developer

0-3 yrs$55-78k

•Bug fixes + minor enhancements
•Learn codebase + business rules
•Support tickets
•Documentation updates

Next: Programmer 2 / Analyst after 2-4 years.

Programmer / Application Analyst

3-8 yrs$75-110k

•Own feature enhancements
•Design + implement changes
•Mentor juniors
•Support production incidents

Next: Senior Programmer / Lead at 8-12 years.

Senior Programmer / Lead

8-15 yrs$105-155k

•Own major system components
•Architecture decisions
•Modernization roadmap
•Team lead responsibilities

Next: Principal / Technical Lead / move to Developer track.

Principal Programmer / Consultant

15+ yrs$140-240k+ (contract higher)

•System architecture ownership
•Modernization strategy
•Vendor + consultant management
•Rare/scarce SME work

Next: Independent contractor (COBOL contracts $180-350k/yr) or transition to modern Developer roles.

Interview Questions & Answers

5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 15 total plus resume bullets for every level.

Q1. Walk me through debugging a COBOL abend.technical

Read SYSOUT + JES logs + identify abend code + trace back through JCL + program logic + check data conditions + fix + retest in Dev.

Q2. How do you handle undocumented legacy code?situational

Read code carefully + trace data flow + interview business users to confirm behavior + add unit tests before changing + document as you go.

Q3. Explain CICS + JCL relationship.technical

JCL runs batch on z/OS. CICS is online transaction processing. Batch produces files that online reads/updates. They coordinate via VSAM/DB2.

Q4. How do you approach modernization of a mainframe app?technical

Assess: what business logic exists + can it be exposed via APIs + what data volumes + risk tolerance. Options: rehost + replatform + refactor + rewrite. Usually API wrapper first + then incremental.

Q5. Where do you see your role in 5 years?closer

Deepen COBOL/mainframe expertise + add Java/Python + cloud so I can lead modernization projects at intersection.

Resume Template — Junior Programmer (0-3 yrs)

Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.

Junior Programmer (0-3 yrs)

▸Maintained + enhanced 250k+ line COBOL/CICS batch system processing 8M daily transactions for regional bank.
▸Debugged + resolved 60+ production incidents in 18 months — average MTTR reduced from 4 hours to 90 minutes.
▸Wrote SQL/DB2 stored procedures for month-end reporting reducing runtime from 6 hours to 45 minutes.
▸Documented business rules for 4 core modules — used by new hires + informed 2024 modernization RFP.

What Gets You Rejected

✗No production experience in legacy stack — this is a specialty role.
✗Wants to only write greenfield code (this is 95% maintenance).
✗Cant debug someone else's undocumented code.
✗Weak SQL/database skills.
✗Poor written communication (documentation is core).
✗Career-stalling: no plan to learn modern stack.

Salary Negotiation Levers

✓COBOL/mainframe scarcity = 20-40% premium at banks + insurers.
✓IBM certifications = $5-15k.
✓Modernization/API skills bridging legacy + modern = premium at consulting.
✓Contract rates for COBOL: $95-175/hr.
✓Federal + defense clearance = $15-30k premium.
✓Remote flexibility often available given scarcity.
✓Sign-on: $5-20k common at banks/insurers.

Programmer Resume Review — $29

Personalized resume review from someone who has hired programmers. Purchase, email your resume to support@weblabra.com, and receive detailed written feedback within 7 days.

✓ Occupation-specific critique (not generic)
✓ Rewrite suggestions for weak bullets
✓ Missing skills / keywords flagged
✓ Formatting + ATS-readability feedback
✓ 7-day turnaround, 100% refund if we miss it

Programmer Career Kit — $19

✓ All 15 interview questions with expert answers
✓ 7 real questions aggregated from Glassdoor, Blind, Reddit, LinkedIn
✓ Interview format intel for 7 top employers
✓ 3 copy-paste salary negotiation emails
✓ Resume bullets for every level of the career ladder
✓ 30–60–90 day plan for your first role
✓ Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
✓ Detailed salary negotiation script
✓ Ranked list of certifications with cost + ROI
✓ Downloadable PDF for offline access
✓ Instant access, no expiration, no subscription

✓ 7-day money-back guarantee — no questions asked

One-time purchase. 7-day refund guarantee.

Sample reviews — real customer reviews will appear here as they come in.

“The interview question bank saved me. I got the exact question about 'walking through a DCF' at my Goldman Sachs superday, verbatim.”

— Anonymous, Financial Analyst

“Copy-paste negotiation emails are worth the price alone. I used the 'accepting with counter' template and got an extra $8k signing bonus.”

— Anonymous, Software Developer

“The 30-60-90 day plan for a new grad RN was better than the orientation my hospital gave. Wish I'd bought this in nursing school.”

— Anonymous, Registered Nurse

Programmer Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) →

Salary Map — Click a state for details

$58K

$134K■ No data

Top Paying States

Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.

State	Median	vs. National	Employment
Connecticut	$133,820	+33.3%	1,650
Massachusetts	$128,390	+27.9%	1,930
Washington	$125,620	+25.1%	2,540
Maryland	$125,570	+25.1%	2,490
Virginia	$121,610	+21.1%	3,070
Hawaii	$118,180	+17.7%	450
California	$116,760	+16.3%	11,340
Arkansas	$111,840	+11.4%	1,050
Minnesota	$107,250	+6.8%	2,070
New Jersey	$104,940	+4.5%	3,930

Showing 1–10 of 46

Programmer Salary by Metro Area

Metro Area	Median	vs. National
Boulder, CO	$155,030	+54.4%
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$154,920	+54.3%
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT	$141,920	+41.4%
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR	$136,880	+36.3%
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$134,130	+33.6%
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	$132,850	+32.3%
Bend, OR	$132,280	+31.8%
Portland-South Portland, ME	$131,960	+31.4%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT	$130,790	+30.3%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$130,730	+30.2%

Showing 1–10 of 208

Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.

How does this compare to pro athletes?

A programmer earning $100,390/year would need 594 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 638 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.

See all sports & celebrity salaries →

📈 See how programmer salaries have changed over the past decade.

View Programmer salary trend (2011–2024) →