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Contract developer salary

Average contract developer salary

$91,433

$43.96 hourly rate

Entry-level contract developer salary
$67,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Average Contract Developer Salary

The average salary for a contract developer stands at $91,433 as of October 2025, translating to approximately $44 per hour. This figure can vary based on factors such as geographical location, years of experience, and specific industry demands.

Where Can a Contract Developer Earn More?

Contract developers in states like California and New York often report higher salaries compared to their peers in other regions. Major cities such as San Francisco and New York City frequently offer the most competitive wages due to high demand and cost of living adjustments.

Top Industries for Contract Developers

Industries such as technology and finance tend to pay the highest for contract developers, reflecting the critical role these professionals play in digital transformation and data management. The healthcare sector also presents lucrative opportunities as organizations increasingly rely on digital solutions.

Conclusion

Understanding the salary landscape for contract developers can aid job seekers in making informed decisions about their career paths. With the right skills and experience, there are ample opportunities for growth and competitive compensation in this field.

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Where can a Contract Developer earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
142k
122k
102k
82k
62k
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Columbus, OH$128,622
Urban Honolulu, HI$71,805
Compare salary by company
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133k
113k
93k
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Avanade$116,534
Nixsol$82,587

Average contract developer salary by state

The average contract developer salary in California, Washington, and New York are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average contract developer salary states are Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Iowa.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for contract developers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1California$115,984$55.76
2Rhode Island$91,518$44.00
3Idaho$94,808$45.58
4Pennsylvania$92,574$44.51
5Washington$104,961$50.46
6Oregon$93,309$44.86
7Virginia$93,769$45.08
8Nevada$93,331$44.87
9New York$101,869$48.98
10Utah$84,359$40.56
11Montana$85,032$40.88
12New Jersey$87,422$42.03
13Delaware$89,314$42.94
14Texas$84,933$40.83
15Vermont$83,088$39.95
16District of Columbia$87,463$42.05
17New Hampshire$83,565$40.18
18Maine$83,995$40.38
19New Mexico$82,771$39.79
20Florida$87,497$42.07
21Arizona$85,692$41.20
22South Dakota$84,402$40.58
23Massachusetts$84,091$40.43
24Wyoming$80,639$38.77
25West Virginia$83,543$40.16
26Colorado$83,548$40.17
27Alaska$84,726$40.73
28Maryland$79,957$38.44
29Ohio$76,295$36.68
30Connecticut$82,575$39.70
31Illinois$79,148$38.05
32North Dakota$75,785$36.44
33Indiana$77,560$37.29
34Georgia$77,084$37.06
35Michigan$76,273$36.67
36Missouri$77,288$37.16
37South Carolina$77,995$37.50
38Minnesota$75,006$36.06
39Arkansas$74,355$35.75
40Louisiana$77,021$37.03
41Nebraska$72,504$34.86
42Alabama$74,911$36.01
43Tennessee$73,574$35.37
44Wisconsin$74,204$35.67
45North Carolina$71,371$34.31
46Kentucky$74,026$35.59
47Hawaii$71,769$34.50
48Mississippi$73,937$35.55
49Kansas$66,616$32.03
50Oklahoma$72,929$35.06
51Iowa$71,918$34.58

Highest paying cities for contract developers

The highest-paying cities for contract developers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Brentwood, NY.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$128,622$61.84
2Seattle, WA$105,424$50.68
3Brentwood, NY$102,700$49.38
4Arlington, VA$94,443$45.41
5Philadelphia, PA$93,320$44.87
6Portland, OR$93,298$44.85
7Spring Valley, NV$92,475$44.46
8Jersey City, NJ$87,740$42.18
9Washington, DC$87,452$42.04
10Miami, FL$86,866$41.76
11Austin, TX$86,371$41.52
12Phoenix, AZ$85,789$41.24
13Boston, MA$84,283$40.52
14Chicago, IL$79,385$38.17
15Cleveland, OH$77,425$37.22
16Atlanta, GA$76,941$36.99
17Ann Arbor, MI$76,184$36.63
18Saint Paul, MN$75,072$36.09
19Chattanooga, TN$73,898$35.53
20Urban Honolulu, HI$71,805$34.52

Contract developer salary details

A contract developer's salary ranges from $67,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $123,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average contract developer salary graph
Average contract developer salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a contract developer's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$123,000$10,250$59
75th Percentile$107,000$8,917$51
Average$91,433$7,619$44
25th Percentile$78,000$6,500$38
10th Percentile$67,000$5,583$32

Highest paying contract developer jobs

The highest paying types of contract developers are lead developer, ios developer, and developer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Developer/Consultant$98,508$8,209$47.36257,985
Mobile Applications Developer$99,257$8,271$47.72252,254
Web Application Developer$85,840$7,153$41.27229,802
Java/J2ee Developer$90,995$7,583$43.75237,912
Applications Developer$89,205$7,434$42.89279,877
Android Developer$98,495$8,208$47.35237,147

Top companies hiring contract developers now:

  1. Google jobs (4)
  2. Microsoft jobs (5)
  3. Cisco jobs (6)
  4. Avanade jobs (5)
  5. AT&T jobs (11)

Which companies pay contract developers the most?

Contract developer salaries at Avanade and Broadridge are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average contract developer salary at companies like Randstad North America, Inc. and DISYS are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Avanade$116,534$56.03
2Broadridge$101,810$48.95
3Randstad North America, Inc.$99,324$47.75
4DISYS$96,533$46.41
5Jobot$94,680$45.52
6Motion Recruitment$93,256$44.83
7AMOpportunities$92,269$44.36
8Atlantic Companies Holding Corporation$92,269$44.36
9projekt202$92,159$44.31
10Binance$92,140$44.30
11Shaw/Scott$91,978$44.22
12Glow Networks$91,453$43.97
13System One$91,449$43.97
14CQL$90,536$43.53
15USM Business Systems$90,043$43.29
16Technosoft$88,763$42.67
17CyberCoders$87,557$42.09
18Erp Analysts$84,507$40.63
19Keste$84,019$40.39
20Nixsol$82,587$39.71

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$90,000$88,600$87,200$85,800$84,400$83,000
MaleFemale

Contract Developer salary by industry

The average contract developer salary varies across industries:

  • The average contract developer salary in the finance industry is $103,060, the highest of any industry.
  • The average contract developer salary in the finance industry is $100,592.
  • Contract developers in the media industry earn an average salary of $89,924, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for contract developers

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Finance$103,060$49.55
2Professional$100,592$48.36
3Energy$100,215$48.18
4Hospitality$95,112$45.73
5Retail$92,800$44.62
6Manufacturing$92,437$44.44
7Technology$92,327$44.39
8Start-up$91,732$44.10
9Media$89,924$43.23

High paying contract developer jobs

Contract developer salary trends

The average contract developer salary has risen by $16,974 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average contract developer earned $74,459 annually, but today, they earn $91,433 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for contract developers over the last decade.

Compare contract developer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average contract developer salary over time

Compare contract developer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Contract developer salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$91,400$43.96+3.3%
2024$88,400$42.51+2.3%
2023$86,400$41.55+1.8%
2022$84,900$40.81+1.7%
2021$83,500$40.13+1.8%

Recently added contract developer salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Professional Search of The CarolinasPeoplesoft Financials Developer-Hybrid Contract-Must BE Currently Living In The Raleigh NRaleigh, NC06/29/2025$90,000
UsmBiztalk Developer-Contract ToMiami, FL06/24/2025$93,915
Sourcepro SearchBusiness Development Contractor With Agency Staffing Experience (1099)Philadelphia, PA06/24/2025$160,000
Hub InternationalContractor Development Account ManagerLong Beach, CA06/19/2025$70,000
Infopeople Corporation. NET Developer-Brooklyn, NY-Long Term Contract-Onsite-Only Locals To NY or NJNew York, NY06/10/2025$146,090
Professional Search of The CarolinasC# .NET Developer-Remote Contract-Candidate HAS To Currently LiveRaleigh, NC05/28/2025$93,915
LG ElectronicsContractor Development Manager OhioEnon, OH05/26/2025$100,000
AHU TechnologiesAngular Developer-Long-Term Contract (Government) PositionWashington, DC05/20/2025$125,220
PsocC# .NET Developer ContractRaleigh, NC05/06/2025$104,350
Burwood Group.NET Core Developer-W2 Contract ToChicago, IL04/28/2025$125,220

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