What Factors Affect Python Developer Salary?

Updated – September 19, 2023

Python is considered the most popular programming language in the world, according to the TIOBE Index. Its community includes around 11.3 million coders experienced in machine learning, AI digital solutions, and data analysis. These technologies are trendy nowadays, which makes Python developer salary a topic of the hour. 

Python’s popularity is constantly growing due to its wide field of application, shallow learning curve, and high demand (which results in high payments). Besides, some of the world’s tech giants pique the software development community to Python by opting for this technology. For example, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and Yandex have already leveraged its benefits. Also, YouTube, Wargaming, Instagram, and Mozilla wouldn’t have made it to the public eye without Python. 

Such popularity raises a question — how much do python programmers make? In this article, Qubit Labs addresses all the burning questions, explains Python’s advantages, and explains factors influencing Python developer salary. Let’s get the ball rolling! 

Advantages of Python Development

Let’s quickly go through the benefits of Python:

• Python is easy to learn. The founder aimed to create a simple and understandable programming language. So, you can develop complex applications without having to spend weeks studying complicated syntax.
• Cross-platform. It’s suitable for multiple operational systems, like Linux or Windows.
• Strong community. Python is a hot topic in developer forums. If you have a question — you’ll surely get help from the specialists. 
• Problems are easy-to-solve. A large number of high-quality libraries and education literature, as well as various courses, provide newcomers with excellent opportunities to master Python;
• Readability. Python has elementary syntax and a transparent structure. Developers don’t even need to utilize curly brackets in every code line.
• High development speed. When combining frameworks, developers can find new tools that improve their performance. So, your dedicated development team will work on a project faster.

Python is sought-after today and has a great potential in the future. The current labor market requires experienced specialists with expertise in Python. Now, let’s answer the following question — how much do programmers make a year?

What Factors Affect Python Developer Salary?

As in other fields, Python programming job salary depends on numerous factors, like skills, industry specificities, location, and education, to name a few. Clearly, the entry level Python developer salary is much lower compared to middle or senior specialists. 

Below, we gathered factors forming Python salaries and explained how they differ based on such trivial elements as the type of employment and time basis:

1. Experience level

Usually, there are three main types of employees in IT: junior, middle, and senior. These levels directly affect the average salary for a software developer. These positions have nothing to do with age. It’s more than coding skills that distinguish specialists of different levels from one another.

Junior

Most of the juniors are inexperienced and come to work after graduating from university. To become a junior specialist, one must be able to write simple programs, understand the concepts of work, and figure out what to look for in other codes.

A junior needs to show one’s desire to develop their skills, learn from mistakes, be dedicated and energized, and calmly react to criticism. Junior Python developer salary is sufficient and corresponds with one’s expertise. It’s more about gaining experience than making money in this case.

Middle

In general, middle specialists are required to perform routine tasks without any supervision. They follow individual objectives rather than developing comprehensive projects. Such specialists realistically evaluate the deadlines and complexity of responsibilities. Although they need mentors, in most cases, middles function individually and are expected to understand what specific applications can do.

It is also essential for them to be familiar with standard templates and cooperate with other team members. In the means of a Python programmer salary, a mid-level employee usually earns from $92,500 to $130,000 per year in the US.

Senior 

The transition from the previous level to this one is a complicated process that requires obtaining competence to solve the tasks nobody else can. 

Senior-level developers are the “lifelines” for less experienced specialists and significantly interfere with their company’s overall image. Thus, the senior Python developer salary level is high, ranging between $87,500 to $148,500 per annum in the US.

How Much do Python Programmers Make Depending on Their Expertise? 

• The average Python developer salary in USA ranges between $87,500 and $148,500 per year
• A mid-level Python developer salary in Canada varies between $78,710–$138,875, while senior-level specialists make $99,375–$169,790 per annum
• On average, Python developer salary Australia is around $81,110–$137,350 per year
• The UK pays the average junior Python developer salary of $56,460–$106,210 per annum
• In Germany, the annual senior Python developer salary ranges between $61,200–$78,000
• A junior Python developer salary in Ukraine earns from $9,600 to $12,000 per year, while senior-level developers make $46,800–$60,000
• An entry-level Python developer salary in India is $3,530–$6,315

Therefore, the average salary for a Python developer in the world ranges from $87,500–$148,500 in the US (the highest) for a mid-level developer to $7,310–$10,240 for an equal specialist in India (the lowest). 

Although we’ve mentioned the average Python developer salary in USA, the numbers significantly depend on the location. That’s why it’s better to look at the numbers in several tech hubs to make the comparison more precise:

• The average Python software developer salary in California is $141,029 annually
• In NYC, the average Python salary is $132,161 per year
• The average Python programming salary in Chicago is around $124,597
• A mid-level Python certification salary in Florida is $120,165 per annum
• In Texas, the average Python programmer earns $120,058 annually
• A mid-level Python certification salary in Austin is $113,933 per annum
• On average, Atlanta pays $107,065 to local Python developers

Python Rates in Top Outsourcing Hubs

2. Software Development Regions

Check our software development guide to know more about regions, rates, and salaries:

Hire Developers in the US

There are the most high-paid jobs for Python programmers in this area, yet increased competitiveness.

Hire Developers in Australia

Even entry-level developers receive a decent Python developer salary in this area, raising their marketability.

Hire Developers in Asia

Compared to the US and Western Europe, Asia has a much lower Python salary. However, local culture is quite different, and that has to be considered.

Hire Developers in Eastern Europe

Python programming jobs’ salary in this region is lower than average. There are many specialists and smaller wage demands because of the economic level in the countries. Nevertheless, many local universities graduate specialists who obtain excellent technical skills, are fluent in English, and can easily compete with foreign programmers.

Hire Developers in Western Europe

It’s where countries with the most attractive Python developer salary are located. The reasons for that are improved living standards and good experience of the specialists.

The Average Python Developer Salary Based on the Region

• In North America, the average Python developer salary is $120,650
• The average Python programmer salary in Latin America is $18,100
• In Western Europe, a mid-level Python salary is $70,300
• Eastern Europe pays the average remote Python developer salary of $30,200
• A mid-level Python software developer salary in Asia is $22,320 (based on the salary in most popular outsourcing hubs)

3. Industry 

Some industries are more in demand than others. So, the requirements change based on the specificities of certain areas of development. These are the most common spheres with the most attractive Python programmer salary rates:

• education — one of the most underrated industries, offering much lower payments than other fields;
• healthcare — a sought-after and prospective sphere in terms of programming, offering a decent Python programming jobs salary to the specialists;
• consulting — a relatively low-wage sector compared to other Python jobs in the USA;
• media — offers upper-middle Python salaries;
• marketing — this area demands dedication to be able to jump over the average wage, which still isn’t very high;
• finance — those who work in this industry are considered to be the highest-paid programmers.

4. Tech Stack

A frontend is about developing a user interface and features that run on the client-side of a website or application. Backend development is a set of hardware and software applied to implement the logic of the site.

There is different data on each site regarding “how much do python programmers make based on tech stack.” However, we can conclude that backend developers still are the highest-paid programmers in this context.

4. Team Lead Experience

Team leaders with over 20 years of experience in the field receive nearly twice as much money as those who just embarked on Python jobs related to managing other employees.

The specialist is expected to keep the team moving, inspire others, and avoid implementing a “one size fits all” approach. Everything comes with practice, so the more time a person spends working as a team lead, the more efficient results they will deliver, increasing their Python developer salary.

5. The Number of Mastered Frameworks

Python is an open programming language; it is easily compatible with various frameworks. When creating applications, you can reduce the amount of code and time spent on writing it. Besides, they can be customized for specific tasks.

Thus, the more frameworks a professional masters, the more tasks he/she will be able to solve. Consequently, knowing more than six frameworks positively affects Python developer salary.

6. Remote/In-office Position

Usually, a Python programmer salary might slightly vary when comparing remote and in-office positions. The thing is that those who work at the office demand higher wages because they spend money and time on getting to the office. However, a freelance Python developer salary in the US is still higher compared to Eastern Europe.

Due to the rising popularity of remote work, companies can easily hire specialists from any country, increasing the chances of finding perfect candidates thanks to a broader geographical scope. Commonly, trusted and high-performing employees show similar results both when working from home and on-site. Therefore, a Python developer salary is unlikely to increase/decrease based on the employee’s location.

7. Full-Time/Part-Time

It is clear that the more time you spend at work, the higher your wage is. The same applies to the Python software engineer salary.

A part-time job implies working for less than eight hours per day and, in general, receiving 50% of the full-time wage. Such employment type applies when the company doesn’t have a 100% load for a specialist, or an employee prefers to reconcile work and hobbies.

Full-time work is about having specific responsibilities and delivering results every day, working for 8+ hours a day. Sometimes,the highest-paid programmers spend seven days a week at work to meet the company’s expectations.

Hire Python Developers with Qubit Labs

Since remote work is at its peak, you can hire software engineers in any country, saving money and time. Eastern Europe is one of the prominent offshoring destinations, and Ukraine is considered among the leading tech hubs in the region. 

• There are over 212,000 developers in the country.
• 12,1% of local programmers use Python as their main programming language. 
• Python is the primary data processing language in Ukraine, used by around 55,3% of programmers. 
• About 13,8% of Python developers in Ukraine say they’d opt for Python for their future projects. 
• Junior Python developer salary in Ukraine starts from $600, while mid-level specialists earn $26,400 per year. 

You can hire Python developers in Ukraine with Qubit Labs and leverage numerous benefits. We’ll provide HR support, integration, onboarding, payrolls, and other core services. 

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us and cooperate with vetted Python programmers in Ukraine.