A senior programmer designs and develops software programs according to the client's requirements. The job of a senior programmer requires you to hold meetings with clients, finding out their goals and project requirements, and then designing, developing and implementing software programs and applications that align with business goals.
Some of your other duties include encoding, testing, and debugging a company's software programs and applications. You will be required to mentor junior programmers, set guidelines for them, and collaborate with other experts such as analysts, IT and finance staff as well as managers. You must also ensure that your job is done within the set timelines and budget.
Senior programmers make an average of $44.05 every hour and $91,617 annually. The minimum educational requirement for this role is a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field. You are required to have extensive knowledge and experience in programming as well as excellent communication skills, team leadership, analytical skills, and attention to detail.
What is a Senior Programmer Analyst?
What Does a Senior Programmer Analyst Do
There are certain skills that many senior programmer analysts 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 communication skills, creativity and analytical skills.
How To Become a Senior Programmer Analyst
If you're interested in becoming a senior programmer analyst, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 68.2% of senior programmer analysts have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 14.2% of senior programmer analysts have master's degrees. Even though most senior programmer analysts have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Senior Programmer Analyst Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a senior programmer analyst can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as senior software engineer, progress to a title such as director of software development and then eventually end up with the title director of software development.
Average Salary for a Senior Programmer Analyst
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Senior Programmer Analyst Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active senior programmer analyst jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where senior programmer analysts earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Senior Programmer Analyst Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 3,802 | $107,579 |
| 2 | Texas | 2,660 | $90,263 |
| 3 | Florida | 1,800 | $82,749 |
| 4 | New York | 1,766 | $99,306 |
| 5 | Virginia | 1,620 | $93,758 |
| 6 | Illinois | 1,565 | $86,585 |
| 7 | North Carolina | 1,301 | $92,270 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 1,235 | $94,228 |
| 9 | Georgia | 1,213 | $86,663 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | 1,142 | $94,615 |
| 11 | Ohio | 1,088 | $87,917 |
| 12 | New Jersey | 1,007 | $98,893 |
| 13 | Maryland | 891 | $92,773 |
| 14 | Washington | 869 | $102,572 |
| 15 | Arizona | 793 | $91,981 |
| 16 | Michigan | 763 | $85,569 |
| 17 | Minnesota | 745 | $91,774 |
| 18 | Colorado | 721 | $81,982 |
| 19 | Oregon | 594 | $94,015 |
| 20 | Tennessee | 593 | $81,635 |
| 21 | Indiana | 592 | $85,656 |
| 22 | Missouri | 585 | $81,292 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | 564 | $87,826 |
| 24 | Alabama | 415 | $88,005 |
| 25 | Connecticut | 390 | $93,411 |
| 26 | South Carolina | 364 | $86,757 |
| 27 | Utah | 360 | $88,076 |
| 28 | Kentucky | 327 | $79,656 |
| 29 | Iowa | 315 | $83,744 |
| 30 | Kansas | 287 | $78,511 |
| 31 | Nevada | 241 | $96,071 |
| 32 | Arkansas | 240 | $84,269 |
| 33 | Louisiana | 222 | $87,039 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | 221 | $81,905 |
| 35 | Nebraska | 217 | $85,712 |
| 36 | New Mexico | 184 | $83,020 |
| 37 | Delaware | 181 | $96,487 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | 177 | $88,857 |
| 39 | Rhode Island | 156 | $91,007 |
| 40 | Idaho | 149 | $87,796 |
| 41 | Mississippi | 136 | $80,522 |
| 42 | Montana | 125 | $96,275 |
| 43 | West Virginia | 118 | $83,493 |
| 44 | Hawaii | 117 | $90,938 |
| 45 | Alaska | 116 | $86,391 |
| 46 | Maine | 112 | $82,750 |
| 47 | South Dakota | 86 | $76,265 |
| 48 | Vermont | 78 | $81,532 |
| 49 | North Dakota | 77 | $88,081 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 64 | $73,355 |
Top Colleges for Senior Programmer Analysts
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 Senior Programmer Analyst
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, 7.5% of senior programmer analysts listed java on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and creativity are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Senior Programmer Analyst Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Senior Programmer Analyst templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Senior Programmer Analyst resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Senior Programmer Analyst Demographics
Senior Programmer Analyst Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among senior programmer analysts, 24.5% of them are women, while 75.5% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among senior programmer analysts is White, which makes up 61.8% of all senior programmer analysts.
- The most common foreign language among senior programmer analysts is Spanish at 38.7%.
Work Experience Programs For Senior Programmer Analysts
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: JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Cost: Free
Duration: 4.25-5.75 hours
Company: Accenture UK
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Company: Standard Bank
Cost: Free
Duration: 4-4.5 hours
Company: SAGEA
Cost: Free
Duration: 6-8 hours
Company: Accenture North America
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
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Best States For a Senior Programmer Analyst
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a senior programmer analyst. The best states for people in this position are California, Washington, New York, and New Jersey. Senior programmer analysts make the most in California with an average salary of $107,579. Whereas in Washington and New York, they would average $102,572 and $99,306, respectively. While senior programmer analysts would only make an average of $98,893 in New Jersey, 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
$102,572
Avg. Salary
2. Delaware
$96,487
Avg. Salary
3. California
$107,579
Avg. Salary
How Do Senior Programmer Analyst Rate Their Jobs?
Top Senior Programmer Analyst Employers
We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ senior programmer analysts and discovered their number of senior programmer analyst opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that HCL Global Systems was the best, especially with an average salary of $95,184. Kforce follows up with an average salary of $87,957, and then comes Walmart with an average of $107,470. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a senior programmer analyst. The employers include Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Biogen, and FIS
Most Common Employers For Senior Programmer Analyst
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Citi | $132,339 | $63.62 | 237 |
| 2 | PruTech Solutions | $108,869 | $52.34 | 193 |
| 3 | Walmart | $107,470 | $51.67 | 498 |
| 4 | American Express | $106,396 | $51.15 | 148 |
| 5 | Techwave | $104,011 | $50.01 | 297 |
| 6 | Qualcomm | $102,603 | $49.33 | 161 |
| 7 | Broadridge | $101,743 | $48.91 | 155 |
| 8 | Paramount Software Solutions | $100,782 | $48.45 | 241 |
| 9 | FIS | $98,046 | $47.14 | 287 |
| 10 | W3Global | $98,026 | $47.13 | 321 |