Cost of hiring a senior developer in the USA, by role
With 2,213 answers, the USA is the largest sample in the survey and the only country where QA engineers answered often enough for a row of their own. Mobile is the most expensive role to hire, $272,000 a year with employer costs.
Up to 68% less on a Mobile engineer than hiring in the USA: $272,000 a year locally, $86,400 with Wild.Codes.
| Role | USA full-time, per year | Wild.Codes, per year | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backend | $261,000Median pay $180,000 + 45%. 520 survey answers. | $94,080$7,840 a month, all-in | $166,920 less64% less with Wild.Codes |
| Full-stack | $218,000Median pay $150,000 + 45%. 1,106 survey answers. | $88,320$7,360 a month, all-in | $129,680 less59% less with Wild.Codes |
| Frontend | $225,000Median pay $155,000 + 45%. 130 survey answers. | $86,400$7,200 a month, all-in | $138,600 less62% less with Wild.Codes |
| Mobile | $272,000Median pay $187,500 + 45%. 74 survey answers. | $86,400$7,200 a month, all-in | $185,600 less68% less with Wild.Codes |
| DevOps | $268,000Median pay $185,000 + 45%. 168 survey answers. | $92,160$7,680 a month, all-in | $175,840 less66% less with Wild.Codes |
| Data / AI | $254,000Median pay $175,000 + 45%. 184 survey answers. | $101,760$8,480 a month, all-in | $152,240 less60% less with Wild.Codes |
| QA | $189,000Median pay $130,000 + 45%. 31 survey answers. | $76,800$6,400 a month, all-in | $112,200 less59% less with Wild.Codes |
All roles we compare: median pay $160,000 from 2,213 survey answers.
Partner teams in Africa: profiles on request.
Compare with the cost of hiring developers in Canada, cost of hiring developers in the UK and cost of hiring developers in Israel, or see hiring costs in other countries.
Related guides: Eastern European developer rates vs the US and LATAM developer rates.
Source: Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025 (ODbL 1.0), full-time employees with 5+ years of work experience, pay in US dollars as the survey converts it. Wild.Codes rates from /pricing. Data and method, updated 23 October 2026.
Questions about hiring developers in the USA
How much does it cost to hire a software developer in the USA?
A senior software developer in the USA costs about $189,000 to $272,000 a year as a full-time hire, depending on the role: QA at the low end, Mobile at the top. Every role has a US sample of its own, the smallest being QA with 31 answers.
Is hiring through Wild.Codes cheaper than hiring a developer in the USA?
Yes, by the widest margins in our data: 59% to 68% less, role by role. A US mobile developer costs $272,000 a year with employer costs; a Wild.Codes mobile engineer is $86,400. You would be trading an in-house hire for a remote engineer from Eastern Europe or Latin America.
What is the median software engineer salary in the USA?
Across the roles we compare, the US median was $160,000 a year, from 2,213 survey answers by developers with 5+ years of experience in full-time jobs (Stack Overflow 2025). That is total compensation with bonuses. Benefits, paid time off and payroll taxes come on top for the employer.
Which developer role costs the most to hire in the USA?
Mobile, at a median of $187,500 from 74 US answers, or about $272,000 a year to employ. DevOps follows at $268,000. A senior mobile engineer through Wild.Codes is $7,200 a month, all-in.
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