A mainframe developer is essentially a software developer but one who works within the mainframe system. As such, they have similar responsibilities as a software developer.
Mainframe experts are a diminishing group of developers. This has created an increasing demand for mainframe experts on a global scale. With the right skill set, they could find work in a wide range of industries anywhere in the world.
To start, they need to have a strong knowledge of mainframe languages and tools. Additionally, knowledge of project management and software development cycle can also be beneficial. Depending on the sector, industry-specific skills and knowledge may be required, too.
Most mainframe programmers have a bachelor's degree; however, some employers hire workers who have an associate's degree. While a degree in computer science is important, in the programming field, programming skill is what counts.
What is a Mainframe Developer?
What Does a Mainframe Developer Do
There are certain skills that many mainframe developers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed troubleshooting skills, detail oriented and analytical skills.
How To Become a Mainframe Developer
If you're interested in becoming a mainframe developer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 75.9% of mainframe developers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 14.4% of mainframe developers have master's degrees. Even though most mainframe developers have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Mainframe Developer Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of senior software engineer you might progress to a role such as team leader eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title contract project manager.
Average Salary for a Mainframe Developer
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Mainframe Developer Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active mainframe developer jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where mainframe developers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Mainframe Developer Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 6,900 | $105,541 |
| 2 | Texas | 4,365 | $92,413 |
| 3 | Virginia | 3,099 | $90,236 |
| 4 | Florida | 2,459 | $84,726 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 2,261 | $90,451 |
| 6 | New York | 2,191 | $93,569 |
| 7 | Maryland | 2,131 | $92,319 |
| 8 | Illinois | 2,076 | $84,059 |
| 9 | Ohio | 1,896 | $88,828 |
| 10 | New Jersey | 1,851 | $94,231 |
| 11 | Washington | 1,825 | $110,097 |
| 12 | Georgia | 1,798 | $94,641 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | 1,764 | $94,393 |
| 14 | North Carolina | 1,701 | $92,301 |
| 15 | Indiana | 1,297 | $81,264 |
| 16 | Michigan | 1,276 | $83,808 |
| 17 | Minnesota | 1,239 | $82,614 |
| 18 | Colorado | 1,218 | $89,761 |
| 19 | Arizona | 1,133 | $91,779 |
| 20 | Oregon | 1,052 | $96,278 |
| 21 | Missouri | 946 | $82,042 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | 847 | $87,041 |
| 23 | Utah | 803 | $89,680 |
| 24 | Tennessee | 770 | $86,066 |
| 25 | Alabama | 673 | $90,119 |
| 26 | Kansas | 610 | $83,205 |
| 27 | Connecticut | 565 | $88,823 |
| 28 | Iowa | 558 | $80,758 |
| 29 | Kentucky | 551 | $84,144 |
| 30 | South Carolina | 494 | $92,200 |
| 31 | Arkansas | 469 | $80,945 |
| 32 | Nebraska | 455 | $82,470 |
| 33 | Louisiana | 435 | $87,621 |
| 34 | Nevada | 405 | $94,189 |
| 35 | New Mexico | 397 | $77,137 |
| 36 | Rhode Island | 356 | $96,025 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | 353 | $84,870 |
| 38 | Delaware | 326 | $78,708 |
| 39 | Idaho | 323 | $94,555 |
| 40 | New Hampshire | 305 | $82,457 |
| 41 | Maine | 241 | $93,029 |
| 42 | Montana | 240 | $77,839 |
| 43 | West Virginia | 211 | $77,028 |
| 44 | Mississippi | 209 | $86,642 |
| 45 | Vermont | 208 | $89,648 |
| 46 | South Dakota | 192 | $85,871 |
| 47 | North Dakota | 190 | $89,639 |
| 48 | Hawaii | 142 | $87,632 |
| 49 | Alaska | 132 | $100,183 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 120 | $79,416 |
Top Colleges for Mainframe Developers
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
6. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
8. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
9. Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH • Private
10. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Top Skills For a Mainframe Developer
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 11.1% of mainframe developers listed db2 on their resume, but soft skills such as troubleshooting skills and detail oriented are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Mainframe Developer Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Mainframe Developer templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Mainframe Developer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Mainframe Developer Demographics
Mainframe Developer Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among mainframe developers, 26.4% of them are women, while 73.6% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among mainframe developers is White, which makes up 61.3% of all mainframe developers.
- The most common foreign language among mainframe developers is Spanish at 36.4%.
Work Experience Programs For Mainframe Developers
Virtual work experience programs replicate work at top companies and help you gain the skills to be successful when applying and working there. In only a few hours, learn the relevant tools necessary to complete a typical work day at that company. Virtual work experience programs are 100% free, open-access, and self-paced. No experience or application is required!
Company: Accenture UK
Cost: Free
Duration: 5.75-8 hours
Company: Standard Bank
Cost: Free
Duration: 4.5-5.5 hours
Company: Accenture North America
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Company: Accenture North America
Cost: Free
Duration: 4 hours
Company: Clyde & Co
Cost: Free
Duration: 4.5 hours
Company: Accenture North America
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Company: JPMorgan Chase
Cost: Free
Duration: 8-12 hours
Company: Girls Who Code
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Online Courses For Mainframe Developer That You May Like
Master the DDL and DML operations on DB2. Code multiple COBOL DB2 Programs. Master the concept of Cursors on DB2...
Become an Expert on COBOL Programs by coding it. Run COBOL Programs with JCL. Basic TSO/ISPF operations are also covered...
Become an expert on JCL. Jcls are used for COBOL Programs. Procedures, Utilities, GDG and basics of TSO/ISPF are covered...
Best States For a Mainframe Developer
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a mainframe developer. The best states for people in this position are Washington, California, Alaska, and Oregon. Mainframe developers make the most in Washington with an average salary of $110,097. Whereas in California and Alaska, they would average $105,541 and $100,183, respectively. While mainframe developers would only make an average of $96,278 in Oregon, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Washington
$110,097
Avg. Salary
2. Rhode Island
$96,025
Avg. Salary
3. Oregon
$96,278
Avg. Salary
How Do Mainframe Developer Rate Their Jobs?
Top Mainframe Developer Employers
Most Common Employers For Mainframe Developer
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Citi | $119,929 | $57.66 | 29 |
| 2 | UBS | $109,030 | $52.42 | 20 |
| 3 | Walmart | $106,486 | $51.20 | 20 |
| 4 | American Express | $105,959 | $50.94 | 35 |
| 5 | State Farm Insurance Agency | $99,693 | $47.93 | 26 |
| 6 | Populus Group | $97,687 | $46.96 | 43 |
| 7 | Epitec | $95,619 | $45.97 | 25 |
| 8 | Bank of America | $93,693 | $45.04 | 73 |
| 9 | CSX | $90,780 | $43.64 | 24 |
| 10 | Humana | $90,737 | $43.62 | 32 |