Remote work reshaped tech careers—but so did evolving salary trends. In 2025, remote developer roles still pay well, but with notable caveats. Here’s what every tech professional should know.

U.S. Remote Developer Salaries: A Solid Baseline

• ZipRecruiter reports average U.S. remote developer compensation at $109,905/year (≈ $52.84/hour), with top 10% earning around $150,500/year.

• Glassdoor shows a similar figure: $110,944/year for remote software developers glassdoor.com.

• Dice reports the average tech role pays $112,521/year, with modest YoY growth (~1.2%).

Bigger Ranges at Bigger Firms

• Built In reports higher benchmarks: base pay of $136,064, plus $9,333 average bonus/stock, totaling ~$145,397.

• Remote software engineers report even higher averages: base of $146,900, total comp of $166,247.

Veteran engineers at top companies can even earn $200K+, especially with equity and bonuses .

Caution: Falling Behind on Raises

• Recent federal wage data indicates job-switch raises have fallen to just 4.2%—down from 7.3% in early 2023—impacting tech roles.

• Reddit users report stagnant nominal salaries since 2022, which effectively means pay cuts thanks to inflation .

Global Salary Disparities & Remote Hiring

• U.S.-based companies are increasingly hiring abroad: 81% of engineering leaders plan international hires .

• Developers in North America earn significantly more: average-based data shows ~$82,757/yr in Canada, even lower in other regions weworkremotely.com.

• Outsourced developer rates are declining 9–16% across Eastern Europe, South/Southeast Asia—except Latin America, where rates remain stable timesofindia.indiatimes.com.

Skill & Experience Premiums

• Senior/back-end developers often earn $150K+ — Motion Recruitment cites a $158K average for backend roles motionrecruitment.com.

• New grads report ~$128K base with ~$27K in bonuses/stock cdrelitewriters.com.

• Tech specialties matter: Go and Node.js engineers earn more; Angular, Rust, and platform engineers often command a premium .

Key Takeaways for Remote Developers

1. Expect $110K–$150K in the U.S., with higher compensation tied to seniority and specialization.

2. Job-switch raises are shrinking—plan strategically when changing roles.

3. Global competition pressures rates—U.S. firms offshore, depressing wages abroad.

4. Specialization pays — backend, cloud, security, and niche frameworks earn top dollar.

5. Location can be leveraged—remote workers can negotiate using U.S. benchmarks even from lower-cost regions.

What This Means for You

• Early-career devs: You're likely to see $100K+ in the U.S., but don’t count on big raises without upskilling.

• Mid-to-senior engineers: Transitioning to specialized roles can warrant six-figure packages, especially with equity.

• International devs: Understand global salary norms—Latin America is stable, while Asia and E. Europe are seeing declines.

The Road Ahead

• Remote salaries will likely stabilize, not escalate — inflation and talent supply are leveling the field.

• Expect continued international hiring by U.S. firms, squeezing global pay differentials.

• Skill-focused upskilling—especially in AI, cloud-native, privacy/security—will drive next-tier compensation.