Java has been around since 1995 and is still one of the most popular programming languages today. As a Java developer, you're in demand and can expect steady job growth. 33% of all software developers used Java in 2022 and that's expected to stay the same.
Want to know what kind of salary you can expect? We'll take a look at average salaries for Java developers by seniority, background, and location. Plus, we'll cover the necessary skills and tips for getting hired.
Are Java Developers In Demand?
Yes! With over 9 million Java developers worldwide, Java development is here to stay — especially since it’s already the foundation for many new technologies and enterprise systems.
With the number of software developers expected to increase to 28.7 million by 2024 (up 3.2 million from 2020), Java development (and software in general) is a promising career move.
Average Java Developer Salary
Now for the burning question: how much can you expect to make as a Java developer?
While Java developers enjoy a high average salary, the exact amount depends on experience, location, and key skills. There’s the average base salary of Java developers in the United States as reported by major job boards.
Indeed: $106K per year, with a low of $70K and a high of $161K.
ZipRecruiter: $107K per year, with a low of $41K and a high of $157K.
Payscale: $82K per year, with a low of $56K and a high of $120K.
Java Developer Salary by Experience Level
Java developer salary entry level averages are no less than $41K in the United States, with the average senior Java developer salary exceeding $100K with 10+ years of experience.
Java Developer Salary by Location
Salary estimates can vary widely between different states and regions. Like many tech jobs, Java developer salaries are highest in states with major metropolitan hubs.
US states with the best (and worst) Java developer salaries (Source: Indeed)
From the map above, US-based Java developers can expect the highest salaries (15-25% above the average) in states such as Colorado (Denver), New York (New York City), Maryland (Baltimore), Washington D.C., Georgia (Atlanta), and Washington (Seattle).
Java developers also earn a similar salary internationally. Here are the average salaries for various countries outside the US according to Web3 Jobs:
Japan: $120K
Switzerland: $120K
France: $85K
United Kingdom: $42K
Italy: $65K
China: $40K
Hong Kong: $90K
Taiwan: $50K
India: $60K
How To Become a Java Developer
Almost anyone with the right skills can become a Java developer — even if you don’t already have professional software experience. Thanks to the Internet, it’s never been easier to learn new skills, share your work, and find exciting opportunities from just about anywhere.
17 Necessary Skills for a Java Developer
Java development requires a strong understanding of basic programming principles combined with Java-specific syntax and technology.
Since technology stacks are more blended than ever before, most developers are expected to have at least some understanding of both frontend and backend systems — even if the role is just in backend development.
Here’s what most full-stack Java developers are expected to know. You don’t need to know all of them, but the first 10 skills are enough for most entry-level jobs.
Import projects and files: At the absolute bare minimum, a developer should be able to load projects and files into their internal development environment (IDE).
Decision-making under Java: Like any other language, developers should know Java’s arithmetic, ternary, and assignment operators. Conditionals such as if, else-if-, and else statements are also essential.
Flow control: As an extension of decision-making, developers should know how to control the flow of decisions and logic with while, do-while, for, and nested loops, as well as break, continue, and modulo operators.
Methods: Developers should be able to create and call methods that can take inputs (or parameters) and/or return values (return statements).
Core concepts: Developers should understand how Java deals with core concepts such as interfaces, exception handling, try-catch blocks, user inputs, data types, etc. Most introductory courses will teach this information.
OOP concepts: Object Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts are essential when working with Java. Key concepts include encapsulation, abstraction, inheritance, and polymorphism.
Java arrays: All developers should know how to define, iterate through, and perform operations on Java arrays (you’ll use them a lot!).
Collection frameworks: Like arrays, other collection frameworks and data structures such as ArrayList, LinkedList, Stack, and so on are also essential.
Generics: Allows an abstract data type (integers, strings, etc.) to serve as an input parameter to classes, methods, or interfaces. This is key to developing robust, versatile code.
Multithreading concurrency control: More advanced developers should know how to use Java’s multithreading to run several processes simultaneously.
Lambda expressions: Advanced developers may also be required to write these shorthand methods inline with other code.
File handling: Data streams, reading/writing files, and object serialization are just a few key file-handling skills every developer should know.
Debugging: All developers should know how to identify, track, and solve (or debug) errors throughout their code.
Git basics: Most development teams use Git or GitHub for version control and collaboration.
Java Server Pages (JSP) and Servlets: These are Java programs that respond to HTTP requests and run on a special Java application server. In other words, essential for web development!
Hibernate: An object-relational mapping (ORM) tool for communicating with databases.
Spring Framework: A popular framework for developing Java applications, particularly with Java Enterprise Edition (EE).
Summary
Java dev salaries average over $100K with lots of perks. With a surge in software jobs, now's the time to improve your skills.
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