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The differences between program developers 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 program developer and a senior programmer. Additionally, a senior programmer has an average salary of $105,509, 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 a senior programmer are macro, SAS, and database.
| Program Developer | Senior Programmer | |
| Yearly salary | $74,749 | $105,509 |
| Hourly rate | $35.94 | $50.73 |
| Growth rate | -7% | -7% |
| Number of jobs | 128,488 | 209,882 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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.
A Senior Programmer develops operations solutions through guiding the development of program specifications and leading programmers. They develop, test, and implement IT solutions.
Program developers and senior programmers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Developer | Senior Programmer | |
| Average salary | $74,749 | $105,509 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $118,000 | Between $78,000 And $141,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | California |
| Best paying company | Western Digital | Cornerstone Research |
| Best paying industry | - | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a program developer and a senior programmer in terms of educational background:
| Program Developer | Senior Programmer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between program developers' and senior programmers' demographics:
| Program Developer | Senior Programmer | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% | Male, 81.0% Female, 19.0% |
| 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, 4.8% 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% |