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The differences between mainframe programmers and senior programmers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a mainframe programmer and a senior programmer. Additionally, a senior programmer has an average salary of $105,509, which is higher than the $87,036 average annual salary of a mainframe programmer.
The top three skills for a mainframe programmer include JCL, DB2 and MQ. The most important skills for a senior programmer are macro, SAS, and database.
| Mainframe Programmer | Senior Programmer | |
| Yearly salary | $87,036 | $105,509 |
| Hourly rate | $41.84 | $50.73 |
| Growth rate | -7% | -7% |
| Number of jobs | 205,724 | 209,882 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
Mainframe programmers and senior programmers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mainframe Programmer | Senior Programmer | |
| Average salary | $87,036 | $105,509 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $117,000 | Between $78,000 And $141,000 |
| Highest paying City | Olympia, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Randstad North America, Inc. | Cornerstone Research |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a mainframe programmer and a senior programmer in terms of educational background:
| Mainframe Programmer | Senior Programmer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between mainframe programmers' and senior programmers' demographics:
| Mainframe Programmer | Senior Programmer | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% | Male, 81.0% Female, 19.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 23.2% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 19.2% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |