We are surrounded by Digital technology in this modern age. Digital technology makes use of software that humans develop. They are currently in high demand. So, to be in demand, you need to master an in-demand programming language.
However, you can not just learn any language out there. Trends change quickly in technology, and you have to adapt to these trends to make a profitable career. Popular languages have become obsolete, and new languages have taken over. If you intend to make a career in programming, it is imperative to remain updated on the in-demand languages.
In this blog post, I’ll discuss the top 10 highest-paying programming languages of 2023. I’ll discuss what makes a high-paying programming language and the differences between the various coding languages.
So, let’s dive right in and begin our journey to discover the highest-paying programming languages of 2023!
What Makes a Programming Language High Paying?
Regarding programming language salaries, a few factors come into play. The first is experience. Generally speaking, the more experience you have with a particular language, the higher your salary will be.
The second factor is demand. If there is a high demand for a particular language, then the salaries for those who know that language will likely be higher.
The third factor is the specific language itself. Some programming languages are more complex and require more experience and knowledge. As a result, these languages tend to pay higher salaries.
Finally, the industry itself plays a role in programming language salaries. Industries such as finance and banking often have higher salaries for programming languages due to the complexity of the tasks being performed.
The Top 10 Highest-Paying Programming Languages
Now that we’ve discussed what makes a programming language high paying. Let’s look at the top 10 highest-paying programming languages based on data from 2022.
Python
As discussed in our previous blog post, according to Stack Overflow’s 2022 survey, Python is the fourth most used programming language by professional developers. But it is considered the language for the future due to its simplicity as coding feels just like writing English.
Python is a high-level programming language that is used for a wide variety of tasks. Python is used in various industries, from web development to machine learning and artificial intelligence. It’s also one of the most popular programming languages in the world.
According to Indeed.com, the average salary for a python developer is $116,807 annually in the United States.
Python is a great language for those looking to get into the world of programming, as it’s relatively easy to learn and has a wide range of applications.
JavaScript
JavaScript is a programming language used for web development and other tasks. It’s one of the most popular programming languages in the world and is used in a variety of industries.
According to Stack Overflow 2022 Survey, JavaScript was the most used language in the last year.
The average salary for a JavaScript developer in the United States was $110,628 per year in 2022.
Java
Java is a general-purpose programming language that is used for a wide variety of tasks. From web development to mobile development, Java is used in various industries. It’s also one of the most popular programming languages in the world.
According to Indeed.com, the average salary for a java developer is $106,630 per year in the United States.
Java is an excellent language for those looking to get into the world of programming, as it’s relatively easy to learn and has a wide range of applications.
C++
C++ is a general-purpose programming language created by Bjarne Stroustrup in the early 1980s. It extends the C programming language, adding object-oriented and generic programming capabilities. C++ is widely used to develop operating systems, games, and system software.
The average salary for a C++ developer is $115,512 per year in the United States.
C++ is an object-oriented programming language that is notorious for security issues. It also uses a large amount of memory, which makes it unsuitable for several devices. Therefore, its use is declining. However, it is still among the highest-paying programming languages.
C#
C#, known as “C sharp,” is a modern, object-oriented programming language developed by Microsoft as part of its .NET initiative.
It was first released in 2000 and is used to develop desktop applications, web applications, mobile apps, games, and other software. C# is known for its simplicity, type safety, and automatic memory management features, making it a popular choice for Windows application development.
The language is designed to be easy for programmers familiar with C and C++. It can be used with various tools and platforms, including Visual Studio, .NET Framework, and Xamarin for cross-platform mobile development.
C# is also an important language for game development, as it is used for creating games for Windows, Xbox, and other platforms.
According to Indeed, the average salary for a .net developer is $113,799 annually in the United States.
Visual Basic
Visual Basic (VB) is a high-level, event-driven programming language created by Microsoft. It was first released in 1991 as a tool for building graphical user interfaces for Windows. VB is known for its simplicity, ease of use, and rapid application development capabilities, making it a popular choice for beginning programmers and business developers.
Visual Basic combines elements of BASIC programming language with the visual design and event-driven programming paradigms of visual programming languages. In addition to Windows desktop applications, Visual Basic can be used to develop web and mobile applications and for automation tasks such as creating macros in Microsoft Office.
Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET) is the latest language version, released in 2002 as part of the .NET initiative. VB.NET adds features such as garbage collection, type safety, and web and mobile development support while focusing on simplicity and ease of use.
The salary for a visual basic developer in the United States ranges between $62,000 and $109,410, according to Indeed.com.
Ruby on Rails
Ruby on Rails, often referred to as Rails, is a web application framework written in the Ruby programming language. It was created in 2003 by David Heinemeier Hansson, and since then it has become one of the most popular and widely-used web development frameworks.
Rails follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern and emphasizes convention over configuration, meaning that developers can create applications quickly and easily by following a set of established conventions. This makes it well-suited for rapid application development and agile software development methodologies.
Ruby on Rails is known for its “Don’t Repeat Yourself” (DRY) philosophy, which emphasizes writing code once and reusing it where possible, reducing the amount of redundant code and making it easier to maintain and update the application.
Ruby on Rails has been used to build various web applications, from e-commerce sites to content management systems. She is known for its focus on developer happiness and its supportive and inclusive community.
Due to its pros as mentioned above, it is currently one of the best-paying languages in the US, with an average annual salary of $125,094. The parent language, Ruby pays even more, as high as $134,549 per year.
PHP
PHP also finds its place in my list of top-10 highest-paying programming languages.
PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a server-side scripting language for web development. It is widely used for creating dynamic websites, e-commerce systems, content management systems, and other web applications.
PHP code is executed on the server, and the output is sent to the client’s browser as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This makes it easy to build websites that interact with databases and generate dynamic content.
PHP is known for its simplicity and ease of use, and it is often used in combination with other web development technologies such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and databases.
PHP is an open-source language, meaning its source code is freely available for anyone to use and modify. This has led to a large and active community of developers contributing to its development, maintaining libraries and extensions, and providing support to other users.
PHP is well-suited for building small to medium-sized websites and web applications and is widely used on popular platforms such as WordPress, Drupal, and Magento.
The average salary for a PHP developer is $94,426 per year in the United States.
Kotlin
Kotlin is a cross-platform, statically-typed, general-purpose programming language that is concise, expressive, and safe. It is widely used for developing Android apps and can also be used for server-side, web, and desktop development.
Kotlin was developed by JetBrains and was officially supported by Google as a first-class language for Android development in 2017. It is fully interoperable with Java and offers improved type inference, null safety, extension functions, and lambdas, among other features.
It improves developer productivity while maintaining Java’s readability and avoiding verbosity. Kotlin’s features make it a popular choice among developers for its conciseness and ability to express complex logic in fewer lines of code than Java.
It also provides a robust type system and helps eliminate common programming errors, such as null pointer exceptions. Additionally, Kotlin offers support for functional programming and features such as higher-order functions and lambdas, making it a versatile language for various programming paradigms.
Overall, Kotlin aims to be a more modern, concise, and expressive alternative to Java while being fully compatible with Java and the JVM.
According to ZipRecruiter, the average salary for a ruby developer is $130,650 per year in the United States.
Swift
Wants to join Steve Jobs’s tech empire Apple, learn Swift.
Swift is a general-purpose, multi-paradigm, compiled programming language developed by Apple Inc. for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and Linux. Swift is designed to be easy to use, fast, and interactive, offering modern programming features and concise syntax.
It was introduced in 2014 and has become a popular choice for developing iOS and macOS applications, replacing Objective-C as the primary language for these platforms.
Swift is a statically typed language, providing type safety and making it easier to catch and fix errors during development. It also offers features such as optionals, closures, and generics, which simplify code and make it easier to write safe and efficient programs.
Additionally, Swift has built-in support for memory management, eliminating the need for manual reference counting and reducing the risk of memory leaks. Overall, Swift aims to be a powerful, fast, and easy-to-use language for developing high-quality software for Apple platforms.
As of January 2023, the average annual pay for a Swift Developer in the United States is $123,942, which is approximately $59.59 an hour. It can go as high as $168,500 in the US.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the highest-paying programming languages vary based on industry demand, job location, and experience level. However, we have discussed the top 10 highest-paying languages: Python, JavaScript, Java, C++, C#, Visual Basic, Ruby on Rails, PHP, Kotlin, and Swift.
Python, in particular, has seen a significant rise in popularity and demand due to its versatility and usage in fields such as data science and machine learning. Ultimately, the choice of the programming language will depend on an individual’s area of interest, experience, and career goals.
However, there may be other higher-paying programming languages. The choice is yours.
