Which Software Development Roles Earn the Most in 2021? A Salary Breakdown
The 2021 salary guide reveals how the pandemic‑driven digital shift and a wave of resignations have pushed software developer wages upward across roles—from cloud architects and DevOps engineers to front‑end and QA specialists—highlighting the highest‑paying positions in the U.S. tech market.
The COVID‑19 pandemic accelerated the need for digital services, spurring cloud strategies and increasing demand for software developers across all industries.
At the same time, a mass exodus of employees—record‑fast resignations—has led many to reassess career paths, seeking remote work, better benefits, and work‑life balance, which in turn raises turnover and intensifies competition for top technical talent.
According to Hired, average software developer salaries in the United States have risen steadily since 2019, moving from $146,000‑$152,000 in 2020 to $153,000 in 2021.
2021 Highest‑Paying Developer Roles (Robert Half Salary Guide)
Cloud and Software Architects
Cloud/Network Architect: $153,750‑$180,500
Application Architect: $150,500‑$180,250
Software Developers and Engineers
Software & Application Manager: $142,500‑$166,250
Mobile Application Developer: $137,250‑$163,750
Senior Software Engineer: $135,250‑$162,250
Software Engineer: $124,500‑$147,250
Software Developer: $122,250‑$142,750
Developer/Programmer Analyst: $112,500‑$133,750
Mainframe Programmer: $70,250‑$87,500
Web Developers
Senior Web Developer: $128,750‑$151,000
Web Developer: $111,000‑$131,500
Front‑End Developer: $93,250‑$107,750
DevOps Engineers
Site Reliability Engineer (SRE): $126,750‑$154,250
DevOps Engineer: $125,750‑$149,000
Quality Assurance and Testing
Testing/QA Manager: $106,500‑$124,000
QA Engineer, Automation: $92,500‑$108,750
QA Engineer, Manual: $78,500‑$89,500
QA Analyst/Assistant: $81,250‑$96,750
Source: https://www.infoworld.com/article/3638775/the-18-highest-paying-developer-roles-in-2021.html
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