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Staff developer salary
Average staff developer salary
$104,024
Understanding Staff Developer Salaries
The role of a Staff Developer is pivotal in software development, often serving as a bridge between engineering teams and management. As of October 2025, the average salary stands at $104,024 annually. However, this figure can fluctuate based on several factors:
- Location: Certain states, such as California and New York, offer higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for tech talent.
- Experience Level: Junior developers may start below this average, while those with significant experience can exceed it, especially in leadership roles.
- Industry: Salaries can vary significantly across different sectors, with finance and technology often offering premium pay.
In addition to salary, benefits packages, bonuses, and stock options can enhance overall compensation. For those looking to advance in this field, gaining additional skills in emerging technologies can lead to higher earnings. Regularly reviewing salary benchmarks can help professionals negotiate better pay and understand market trends.
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Where can a Staff Developer earn more?
Staff developer salaries by experience level
Staff developer salary estimates from across the web
Average staff developer salary by state
The average staff developer salary in California, Washington, and Connecticut are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average staff developer salary states are Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and North Dakota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for staff developers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $136,472 | $65.61 |
| 2 | Kansas | $115,559 | $55.56 |
| 3 | Nebraska | $110,428 | $53.09 |
| 4 | New Mexico | $108,656 | $52.24 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $123,535 | $59.39 |
| 6 | Colorado | $111,184 | $53.45 |
| 7 | California | $146,740 | $70.55 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $121,764 | $58.54 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $121,067 | $58.21 |
| 10 | Oklahoma | $105,189 | $50.57 |
| 11 | Mississippi | $107,834 | $51.84 |
| 12 | Michigan | $102,215 | $49.14 |
| 13 | Louisiana | $103,071 | $49.55 |
| 14 | Tennessee | $101,017 | $48.57 |
| 15 | Kentucky | $100,484 | $48.31 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $103,568 | $49.79 |
| 17 | Montana | $107,901 | $51.88 |
| 18 | Missouri | $99,987 | $48.07 |
| 19 | Nevada | $97,779 | $47.01 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $98,557 | $47.38 |
| 21 | Arizona | $104,325 | $50.16 |
| 22 | Texas | $103,522 | $49.77 |
| 23 | Virginia | $105,948 | $50.94 |
| 24 | Oregon | $103,830 | $49.92 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $103,276 | $49.65 |
| 26 | Alabama | $95,597 | $45.96 |
| 27 | Ohio | $91,847 | $44.16 |
| 28 | Georgia | $95,887 | $46.10 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $102,143 | $49.11 |
| 30 | Utah | $99,718 | $47.94 |
| 31 | Maryland | $101,093 | $48.60 |
| 32 | Iowa | $93,537 | $44.97 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $93,942 | $45.16 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $99,168 | $47.68 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | $99,199 | $47.69 |
| 36 | Delaware | $100,758 | $48.44 |
| 37 | Maine | $86,528 | $41.60 |
| 38 | Indiana | $88,969 | $42.77 |
| 39 | Massachusetts | $94,136 | $45.26 |
| 40 | Illinois | $95,567 | $45.95 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $83,030 | $39.92 |
| 42 | Pennsylvania | $80,909 | $38.90 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $74,034 | $35.59 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $83,132 | $39.97 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $79,847 | $38.39 |
| 46 | Alaska | $83,125 | $39.96 |
| 47 | Idaho | $88,065 | $42.34 |
| 48 | New York | $88,159 | $42.38 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $67,251 | $32.33 |
| 50 | Florida | $83,143 | $39.97 |
| 51 | Vermont | $74,135 | $35.64 |
Highest paying cities for staff developers
The highest-paying cities for staff developers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $157,233 | $75.59 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $137,504 | $66.11 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $123,572 | $59.41 |
| 4 | Ridgefield, CT | $122,528 | $58.91 |
| 5 | Englewood, CO | $111,119 | $53.42 |
| 6 | Reston, VA | $105,431 | $50.69 |
| 7 | Irving, TX | $104,067 | $50.03 |
| 8 | Raleigh, NC | $103,936 | $49.97 |
| 9 | East Lansing, MI | $101,487 | $48.79 |
| 10 | Severn, MD | $101,198 | $48.65 |
| 11 | Oak Ridge, TN | $101,094 | $48.60 |
| 12 | Dover, DE | $101,054 | $48.58 |
| 13 | South Jordan, UT | $99,769 | $47.97 |
| 14 | Bloomington, MN | $99,417 | $47.80 |
| 15 | Atlanta, GA | $95,804 | $46.06 |
| 16 | Chicago, IL | $95,584 | $45.95 |
| 17 | Boston, MA | $93,805 | $45.10 |
| 18 | New York, NY | $88,774 | $42.68 |
| 19 | Columbia, SC | $83,101 | $39.95 |
| 20 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $82,298 | $39.57 |
Staff developer salary details
A staff developer's salary ranges from $76,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $141,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a staff developer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $141,000 | $11,750 | $68 |
| 75th Percentile | $122,000 | $10,167 | $59 |
| Average | $104,024 | $8,669 | $50 |
| 25th Percentile | $88,000 | $7,333 | $42 |
| 10th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
Highest paying staff developer jobs
The highest paying types of staff developers are developer, senior technician specialist, and development officer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certified Trainer | $54,770 | $4,564 | $26.33 | 54,839 |
| Training Coordinator | $46,698 | $3,891 | $22.45 | 54,796 |
| Training Supervisor | $38,093 | $3,174 | $18.31 | 45,171 |
| Corporate Trainer | $58,803 | $4,900 | $28.27 | 52,090 |
| Trainer | $47,574 | $3,964 | $22.87 | 40,650 |
| Team Trainer | $31,576 | $2,631 | $15.18 | 54,150 |
Top companies hiring staff developers now:
Which companies pay staff developers the most?
Staff developer salaries at Google and NVIDIA are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average staff developer salary at companies like Netlify and ServiceNow are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $150,639 | $72.42 | |
| 2 | NVIDIA | $140,680 | $67.63 |
| 3 | Netlify | $140,170 | $67.39 |
| 4 | ServiceNow | $137,234 | $65.98 |
| 5 | Rivian | $136,880 | $65.81 |
| 6 | Move | $133,111 | $64.00 |
| 7 | VMware | $132,706 | $63.80 |
| 8 | Edwards Lifesciences | $132,050 | $63.49 |
| 9 | Western Digital | $131,725 | $63.33 |
| 10 | Shopify | $131,304 | $63.13 |
| 11 | Ceridian | $127,845 | $61.46 |
| 12 | Herbalife Nutrition | $127,044 | $61.08 |
| 13 | Citrix | $124,895 | $60.05 |
| 14 | Renesas Electronics | $123,554 | $59.40 |
| 15 | M.I.T. International, Inc. | $123,136 | $59.20 |
| 16 | Tesla | $120,687 | $58.02 |
| 17 | Stryker | $120,185 | $57.78 |
| 18 | TriNet | $120,140 | $57.76 |
| 19 | Hyatt Hotels | $117,290 | $56.39 |
| 20 | FireEye | $117,164 | $56.33 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Staff Developer salary by industry
The average staff developer salary varies across industries:
- The average staff developer salary in the technology industry is $125,900, the highest of any industry.
- The average staff developer salary in the finance industry is $111,201.
- Staff developers in the education industry earn an average salary of $84,921, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for staff developers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $125,900 | $60.53 |
| 2 | Finance | $111,201 | $53.46 |
| 3 | Health Care | $101,172 | $48.64 |
| 4 | Government | $92,368 | $44.41 |
| 5 | Education | $84,921 | $40.83 |
High paying staff developer jobs
Staff developer salary trends
The average staff developer salary has risen by $12,526 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average staff developer earned $91,498 annually, but today, they earn $104,024 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for staff developers over the last decade.
Compare staff developer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average staff developer salary over time
Compare staff developer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Staff developer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $104,000 | $50.01 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $102,000 | $48.82 | +0.6% |
| 2023 | $101,000 | $48.55 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | $100,000 | $48.14 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $97,900 | $47.08 | +1.4% |
Recently added staff developer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Databricks | Staff Developer Advocate Education Manager | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $159,500 |
| Databricks | Staff Developer Advocate Education Manager | Seattle, WA | 06/29/2025 | $151,500 |
| Temporal Technologies | Staff Developer Advocate | New York, NY | 06/21/2025 | $176,400 |
| Domino's Pizza | Inside Staff Salem RD. Mount Vernon | Mount Vernon, IL | 06/18/2025 | $31,305 |
| Lockheed Martin Corporation | Staff Back-End Developer-Ts/Sci Required | Severn, MD | 06/18/2025 | $109,200 |
| Also | Staff Full Stack Developer, E | Palo Alto, CA | 06/18/2025 | $200,000 |
| Domino's Franchise | Inside Staff Salem RD. Mount Vernon | Mount Vernon, IL | 06/18/2025 | $31,305 |
| Temporal Technologies | Staff Developer Advocate, AI | San Francisco, CA | 06/09/2025 | $185,000 |
| Qualcomm | SR. Staff Windows Developer-Enterprise Solutions | San Diego, CA | 06/06/2025 | $162,600 |
| Qualcomm | Staff Windows Developer-Debugger | Redmond, WA | 05/30/2025 | $111,300 |
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