Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between program developers and applications 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 program developer and an applications programmer. Additionally, an applications programmer has an average salary of $85,133, which is higher than the $74,749 average annual salary of a program developer.
The top three skills for a program developer include development programs, community outreach and project management. The most important skills for an applications programmer are java, C++, and database.
| Program Developer | Applications Programmer | |
| Yearly salary | $74,749 | $85,133 |
| Hourly rate | $35.94 | $40.93 |
| Growth rate | -7% | -7% |
| Number of jobs | 128,488 | 215,240 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
A software developer is mostly responsible for the development, implementation, and design of new or modified software products or current business projects. They typically work within the IT department of a company and will be involved in coordinating with the business analysts and development managers to guarantee software projects meet standard requirements. They do complex tasks from testing to evaluating new program design, modification of existing programs, and subsequently developing these modifications. In addition, deploying software tools, maintaining and upgrading existing systems are also part of their responsibilities.
An application programmer is responsible for creating and designing computer systems and applications according to client specifications and business requirements. Application programmers run quality checks on the draft outputs to ensure its stability and efficiency for high-level performance. They also evaluate existing applications and recommend technical solutions to improve scalability. An application programmer must have excellent technical skills with a strong command of programming languages and system codes to determine the feasibility of applications and adjust features as needed.
Program developers and applications programmers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Developer | Applications Programmer | |
| Average salary | $74,749 | $85,133 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $118,000 | Between $64,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Washington |
| Best paying company | Western Digital | Dropbox |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a program developer and an applications programmer in terms of educational background:
| Program Developer | Applications Programmer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between program developers' and applications programmers' demographics:
| Program Developer | Applications Programmer | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% | Male, 74.6% Female, 25.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 15.0% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 16.4% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |