As an aspiring programmer, one of the biggest questions on your mind is probably, "Which programming languages pay the best?" After all, if you‘re going to invest time and effort into learning to code, you want to make sure those skills will be in high demand and command top dollar.
While there‘s more to a fulfilling career than just a fat paycheck, knowing which languages tend to come with the highest salaries can help you focus your studies and plan your career trajectory. So in this post, we‘ll count down the top 15 highest paying programming languages to learn in 2024, with up-to-date data and expert insights.
But before we dive into the list, a quick caveat: Don‘t choose a language based solely on salary potential. The programming world changes fast, and today‘s hot language could be tomorrow‘s afterthought. Focus first on languages that interest you and align with your aptitudes and career goals. That said, if you develop expertise in any of the following languages, you‘ll be well-positioned for a lucrative programming career in 2024 and beyond.
1. Python
Average U.S. salary: $120,000
Highest U.S. salary: $200,000+
It‘s no surprise to see Python top the list of highest paying programming languages. This versatile, beginner-friendly language has surged in popularity in recent years, fueled largely by the explosive growth of data science, machine learning, and AI. Python is the go-to language for most data science and analytics roles, which pay extremely well.
According to data from Indeed, the average Python developer salary in the U.S. is around $120,000. But that‘s just the average – skilled data scientists and machine learning engineers can easily command $200,000 or more. Demand for Python is expected to keep growing in coming years as AI goes mainstream, making it an ideal language to bet your career on.
2. Scala
Average U.S. salary: $130,000
Highest U.S. salary: $200,000+
Scala is a powerful, flexible language that combines object-oriented and functional programming paradigms. It‘s most often used for building high-performance, scalable big data systems. Many tech giants like Twitter, Netflix, and Airbnb use Scala to power their backend infrastructures.
Scala developers are some of the highest paid in the industry, with average salaries around $130,000 in the U.S. Senior Scala engineers at top companies can make well over $200,000. While Scala has a steeper learning curve than Python, the payoff in terms of salary and career prospects is hard to beat.
3. Go
Average U.S. salary: $140,000
Highest U.S. salary: $200,000+
Go, or GoLang, is a statically typed language created by Google to be simple, reliable, and efficient. It‘s the language of choice for systems and infrastructure programming, used heavily in cloud and distributed computing. Go powers much of the modern internet, including Kubernetes and Docker.
Go programmers are in high demand and command impressive salaries, with an average around $140,000 in the U.S. With the continued growth of cloud-native development, containerization, and microservices, Go skills will become increasingly valuable and lucrative.
4. Rust
Average U.S. salary: $130,000
Highest U.S. salary: $180,000+
Rust is a systems programming language that emphasizes safety, speed, and concurrency. It‘s syntactically similar to C++ but guarantees memory safety, preventing many common bugs and vulnerabilities. Rust is frequently used for operating systems, browser components, game engines, and other performance-critical software.
Rust developers are highly sought after and well-compensated, with an average U.S. salary around $130,000. While still a relatively young language, Rust has been voted the "most loved" language in Stack Overflow‘s annual developer survey every year since 2016. For systems programmers, Rust is definitely a language worth betting on.
5. Ruby/Ruby on Rails
Average U.S. salary: $120,000
Highest U.S. salary: $180,000+
Ruby is an elegant, expressive language most often used for web development through the popular Ruby on Rails framework. Rails powers major sites like GitHub, Airbnb, Shopify, and Hulu. While not as hot as it was a decade ago, Ruby remains a widely used language with strong demand for experienced developers.
Ruby and Rails developers earn an average salary of around $120,000 in the U.S., with senior developers at top companies making upwards of $180,000. If your interests lie in web development, Ruby is a great language to learn that will pay dividends for years to come.
Other high-paying languages in 2024:
- Swift/Objective-C (iOS development) – $125,000 average
- Kotlin (Android development) – $120,000 average
- C++ – $110,000 average
- Java – $100,000 average
- JavaScript – $100,000 average
- C# – $95,000 average
- TypeScript – $95,000 average
- PHP – $90,000 average
- SQL – $90,000 average
- R – $90,000 average
Choosing the right language to boost your career
As you can see, learning the right programming languages can pave the way to a highly lucrative and rewarding career. But don‘t get too hung up on chasing the highest possible paycheck. The most important thing is to master languages that you enjoy working with and that align with your interests and skill set.
Think about what kinds of projects excite you and what domains you want to work in, whether that‘s artificial intelligence, mobile apps, video games, enterprise software, or something else entirely. Research the most common languages used in those fields and start there.
Also, keep in mind that raw programming skills are just part of the equation. To really thrive in your programming career, you‘ll also need to develop your problem solving, communication, and collaboration skills. Focus on becoming a strong all-around technologist, not just an expert coder.
Finally, remember that the technology landscape is always shifting. Today‘s hottest language may fall out of favor a few years from now. Throughout your career, stay curious and keep learning new languages, frameworks, and tools to stay ahead of the curve. With the right skill set and mindset, you can build a lasting, lucrative career in the exciting world of computer programming.