15 Highest Paying Programming Languages in the US

Programming languages are essential for software development and coding projects, allowing developers and other technical professionals to communicate objectives to and between computers. These languages use specific syntax, rules, structure, and commands and can be used to create digital applications, scripts, or queries. Some languages work with specific software, while others are more universal. Developers can learn a programming language to write source code and revise existing code. This article discusses 15 of the highest-paying programming languages in the US.

Developers, engineers, and programmers utilize a variety of programming languages.  Even though learning a language might increase your pay, other factors like your experience, location, work type, and employer can also affect your pay. These are the top 15 programming languages in the US in terms of pay:

Job Prospects for Programmers in the US

The global software developer population reached 26.8 million active developers in 2021, with experts predicting it will reach 45 million by 2030. Women make up around 20% of software development professionals. JavaScript is the most widely used language, with 16.5 million engineers globally.

Python follows closely with 11.3 million engineers, primarily used in data science and machine learning. Java, with over 9 million developers, has gained popularity in the Android app ecosystem. Other popular languages include PHP, C#, and C++.

1. Rust

Rust is a high-performance, multi-paradigm programming language renowned for its focus on safety, concurrency, and performance. It combines functional programming ideas and is popular for systems programming. Rust offers static types, immutability, higher-order functions, and algebraic data types.

It is one of the top 15 highest-paid languages, with an average salary of around $160,000. Similar to C++, Rust offers advanced features like memory safety and safe concurrency, making it ideal for high-performance big applications. Its recent usage in web and blockchain has also contributed to its popularity. It is challenging to learn due to its complex syntax, making it better suited for experienced developers.

2. Go

Go, also known as Golang, is a compiled, statically typed programming language developed by Google. It shares similarities with C but incorporates features like memory safety, garbage collection, structural typing, and CSP-style concurrency. Go has two major implementations: Google’s “gc” compiler toolchain and gofrontend, which integrate with other compilers.

GopherJS is a third-party compiler that translates Go code to JavaScript for front-end web development. Launched in 2007, Go has gained popularity due to its simplicity, efficiency, and reliability. Companies like Uber, Dropbox, SoundCloud, and Pinterest use Go in their production systems.

The rising adoption of Go has led to increased salaries and job opportunities, making it among the highest-paid programming languages in the USA. The average salary for the Go developer is $130,000.

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3. Java

Java is a popular language for development careers, used for web applications, APIs, and back-end development. With a strong typed nature and multiple threads, Java offers a balance of performance and complexity, making it ideal for web application back-ends and heavy data manipulation or complex maths.

Java Programming Masterclass is a popular course on Udemy Inc, with over 788,870 students worldwide. It runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which allows it to run on many platforms. Java frameworks like Spring are top-paid in the industry, and the average salary for a Java developer is around $118k per year. Java is also used by many developers to create applications for mobile devices.

4. Python

Python is among the most popular programming languages globally, with over 1 million students currently learning the language in Udemy. It is a non-typed high-level language with a range of utilities, including scripting, tooling, and web application writing with the Django framework. It is also heavily used in data science.

The average salary for a Python developer in the US is $125K per year, with some offers reaching $500K. Python is a versatile tool for web application development, video games, data science, and machine learning.

5. C++ 

C++, developed by Danish computer scientist Bjarne Stroustrup, is a versatile programming language that has evolved significantly since its inception in 1985. It offers object-oriented, generic, and functional programming features and efficient memory manipulation capabilities.

C++ is one of the highest-paying programming languages in the USA and is user-friendly for game development. As a low-level language, it requires knowledge of underlying computer hardware, making it easier for beginners to learn. It is used in applications, games, movie special effects, operating systems, and blockchain ecosystem.

6. Swift

Swift is a modern general-purpose language developed by Apple, primarily used for developing iOS and Mac apps. The average salary for a Swift developer is $127k per year, with a median of $125k. Swift was released in 2014 as a successor to Objective-C and is built with the LLVM compiler framework, allowing interoperability with existing Objective-C code.

Key features include modern language capabilities and the ability to run C, Objective-C, C++, and Swift code together.

7. Scala

Scala is a high-level programming language that combines object-oriented and functional programming. It can be compiled to Java bytecode, JavaScript, or native executables and offers a concise syntax similar to C. It supports the off-side rule for block structuring and was initially designed to address criticisms of Java.

Scala is a versatile, high-level language that can be compiled to Java bytecode and run on a Java virtual machine (JVM). It is used by developers for applications and systems with high volumes of data, such as web services and back-end code for various projects.

The average salary for a Scala developer is $135k, with some offers reaching peaks of approximately $400k per year. Scala is used by companies like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Netflix.

8. Ruby

Ruby is a popular and highly sought-after programming language, primarily used for web development and Ruby on Rails framework. It offers various utilities, including scripting, prototyping, and game development. Ruby’s polyvalence makes it a good choice for learning, and its median salary surpasses the mean ($132k), indicating a robust demand for mid-level and senior Ruby professionals.

Ruby’s user-friendly syntax and extensive libraries make it suitable for game development, scientific computing, and mobile application development. With 3.4K jobs found, Ruby on Rails is a popular choice for developers.

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9. Clojure

Clojure is a Java-based Lisp programming language that uses S-expressions for syntax and treats code as data. It supports a Lisp macro system and promotes immutability and data structures for robust and concurrent programs.

As a modern, general-purpose tool, Clojure is used for web application creation and data processing tasks, and ranks among the highest-paying ones.

10. ABAP

ABAP, or Advanced Business Application Programming, is a highly valued language in the 2023 enterprise resource planning (ERP) ecosystem. It is created by SAP for developing applications on the SAP platform, allowing custom development and modification. It is the primary programming language supported on the SAP NetWeaver ABAP application server platform and applications like SAP ERP, S/4HANA, and CRM.

ABAP is highly integrated with other features of the SAP NetWeaver ABAP application server, making it a valuable tool for SAP customers and developers. The mean salary for ABAP developers is $137k, making it among the highest paying programming languages in the US.

11. Solidarity

Solidity is a high-level object-oriented programming language and is among the highest-paid programming languages in the US. Invented by the former Ethereum team, Solidity is used to create smart contracts that implement business logic and generate transaction records in blockchain systems.

It is a tool for creating machine-level code and compiling it on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). Solidity programming shares similarities with C and C++ and is easy to learn and understand. It includes variables, functions, classes, arithmetic operations, string manipulation, and other concepts. For those in web3 and blockchain technologies, learning Solidity is a must.

The salary mean is around $188k, with a median of $180k. There are 136 jobs found with salary information.

12. Elixir

Elixir is a high-level programming language suitable for large data volumes and back-end website and application development. It’s a versatile choice for companies in telecommunication, eCommerce, and banking with daily user traffic.

Originating from Ruby and Erlang, Elixir is easy to learn and dynamic, making it suitable for beginners. It runs on the Erlang VM, renowned for its low-latency, distributed, and fault-tolerant systems.

Elixir’s capabilities enable productivity in various industries, including web development, embedded software, machine learning, data pipelines, and multimedia processing.

13. SQL

SQL is a structured query language (SQL) used for querying data in relational database systems. It is standardized and has numerous variants, making learning one variant easier. SQL is used in websites and apps to store user profiles and posts.

It is a domain-specific language used for data management and processing tasks, making it a valuable tool for high-paying careers like business intelligence analysts and data scientists.

14. JavaScript

JavaScript is a powerful programming language that enhances website interactivity, enabling interactive and dynamic functionality. Invented by Brendan Eich, it is widely used globally and is one of the easiest programming languages for kids. With more experience, JavaScript can be used to create games, animated graphics, and database-driven apps. It is compact yet flexible, with various tools built on top of the core JavaScript language.

JavaScript is versatile and beginner-friendly. With more experience, you’ll be able to create games, animated 2D and 3D graphics, comprehensive database-driven apps, and much more!

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15. R

R is an open-source programming language used for statistical computing and graphics, developed by statisticians Ross Ihaka and Robert Gentleman. It is widely used by data miners, data scientists, bioinformaticians, and statisticians for data analysis and software creation.

R’s robust graphical capabilities make it a preferred choice for data analysts and scientists. The average salary for R programmers is $100,000 or more. As of April 2023, R ranks 16th in the TIOBE index, a measure of programming language popularity.

The official R software environment is an open-source free software environment released as part of the GNU Project and available under the GNU General Public License. It is written primarily in C, Fortran, and R itself, with precompiled executables for various operating systems and a command line interface.