15 Highest Paying Programming Languages to Boost Your Career

In today’s technology-driven world, programming languages have become integral to the digital landscape. This is further reinforced by a report from Gartner, which predicts a significant increase in IT spending worldwide in 2023. As businesses across industries invest in digital transformation, skilled programmers are in high demand, leading to lucrative opportunities for developers who specialize in certain programming languages. Therefore, keeping a pulse on the trends and staying competitive and relevant is essential. This guide will explore the top 15 highest-paying programming languages in the market.

According to Stack Overflow’s developer survey for 2022, which included responses from over 70,000 developers, we have compiled a list of the 15 highest-paying programming languages. However, it is essential to note that these salary figures are not definitive and only provide an indication of the highest-paying programming languages. Please note the salary figures are from Payscale.com. These salary figures are not definitive and only provide an indication of the highest paying programming languages.

1. Clojure 

Salary: $110,000

Clojure is a modern, general-purpose programming language that prioritizes functional programming and immutable data structures. It also offers a set of powerful features that work together to provide a simple and coherent development tool. This programming language ranks among the highest paying ones and is used in creating web applications and carrying out data processing tasks.

2. Erlang

Salary: $116,000

Erlang is a programming language that prioritizes the development of highly scalable soft real-time systems. It has unique features such as lightweight processes, asynchronous message passing, and pattern matching. Notably, big tech companies such as Meta (Facebook), WhatsApp, Amazon, Yahoo, and Motorola have incorporated Erlang into their production systems.

3. F#

Salary: $94,000

F# is a strongly typed programming language that is functional-first and runs on the .NET framework. It offers a concise syntax, type inference, and an interactive scripting environment that helps in the rapid prototyping and development of complex applications. Developers frequently use F# for web development, data science, and machine learning tasks.

4. LISP 

Salary: $75,000

LISP is a widely used high-level programming language that has had a significant impact on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Furthermore, many other programming languages have been influenced by it. It is also a common choice for applications such as computer algebra systems, natural language processing, robotics, and expert systems.

5. Ruby

Salary: $104,000

Developers widely use Ruby, an object-oriented and dynamic programming language, for automation, server-side scripting, and web development. It’s user-friendly syntax and extensive libraries also make it suitable for game development, scientific computing, and mobile application development.

6. Elixir

Salary: $112,000

Elixir is a functional, concurrent programming language that runs on the Erlang virtual machine. Its design aims to build highly scalable, fault-tolerant, and distributed systems. Elixir is ideal for developing web applications, real-time chat and messaging systems, Internet of Things systems, and distributed systems.

7. Scala 

Salary: $122,000

Scala is a versatile, high-level programming language that seamlessly blends object-oriented programming with functional programming paradigms. It has a broad range of applications, from web development to data science and big data processing. Companies such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Netflix are some prominent Scala users.

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8. Perl

Salary: $102,000

Perl is a general-purpose, high-level programming language that is popular for its powerful text processing and regular expression capabilities. Its large community of developers and users widely use it for data manipulation and analysis. Additionally, Perl finds its application in many large-scale projects, making it an indispensable tool for software development.

9. Go

Salary: $123,000

Go—also known as Golang—is a compiled, statically typed, and open-source programming language developed by Google. Moreover, its design prioritizes efficiency, simplicity, and reliability. Companies such as Uber, Dropbox, SoundCloud, and Pinterest, use Go in their production systems. 

10. Rust 

Salary: $125,000

Rust is a systems programming language that provides memory and thread safety while maintaining performance. The language is designed for speed, reliability, and safety, and it finds common usage in web development, game development, operating systems, and embedded systems. 

11. OCaml 

Salary: $103,000

Developers extensively use OCaml, a powerful, general-purpose programming language, in scientific computing, AI, and compiler development. Its popularity in industry and academia is due to its efficiency, expressiveness, and practicality.

12. Groovy 

Salary: $82,000

Groovy is an object-oriented programming language that operates on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Developers often use Groovy, a popular language, for automation and scripting tasks. Additionally, it finds usage as a scripting language for building systems like Apache Maven and Gradle.

13. Crystal 

Salary: $75,848

Crystal, a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language, has a design that enables fast execution. Its syntax draws heavy inspiration from Ruby, and its performance is comparable to that of compiled languages such as C++.

14. Objective-C 

Salary: $115,000

Developers primarily use Objective-C, an object-oriented programming language, for creating software applications for Apple’s operating systems, such as iOS, macOS, and watchOS. Despite being an older language, it still sees common usage for legacy code and developing iOS and macOS applications. However, companies are gradually shifting to Swift, which has become Apple’s preferred language for app development. But it’s important to note that developers would benefit from learning both Objective-C and Swift to adapt to the changes in the industry.

15. Bash/Shell 

Salary: $89,000

Bash or Shell is a command-line interface commonly used in Unix-based operating systems. Developers utilize it for various tasks, such as automating repetitive tasks and writing system administration scripts. Additionally, it finds wide usage in building and deploying applications.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.  What Factors Determine the Payscale for Programming Languages?

Various factors, such as demand, industry, language complexity, and the number of developers, determine salaries for programming languages. The developer’s experience and skill set also play a significant role in determining their salary.     

2. What are Some Up-and-Coming Programming Languages to Watch for Higher Pay in the Future?

Rust, Swift, Go, Kotlin, and TypeScript are gaining popularity due to their efficiency and adaptability in software development. As demand for developers skilled in these languages increases, their salaries are likely to rise too.    

3.  Why do Some Programming Languages Pay More Than Others?

Programming languages may pay more than others because of factors such as demand, complexity, industry usage, and the number of skilled developers using the language.    

4. Are There Any Programming Languages That are Typically More in Demand?

JavaScript, HTML/CSS, SQL, Python, TypeScript, Java, C#, Bash/Shell, and PHP are among the most sought-after and highest-paying programming languages, according to the recent StackOverflow survey. The popularity of programming languages can nevertheless change over time, and demand could also vary depending on the specific industry or region.

5.  Are Salaries for Programmers Higher in Certain Industries or Regions?

Yes, salaries for programmers can vary depending on the industry or region. Typically, programmers are paid higher in finance, healthcare, and technology industries, due to the complexity and demand of their work.

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To sum up, it’s crucial to view the list of the highest-paying programming languages as a guide rather than a definitive answer. As a programmer, your success and job satisfaction depends on focusing on what you enjoy doing and what you’re good at. If you’re looking to upskill and stay competitive in the job market, consider exploring coding courses from Emeritus. 

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