Average salary for a programmer varies widely. Experienced programmers earn more than programmers early in their careers. Education level can also change the salary of a programmer - a master's degree can be worth over $25,000 in starting salary. Currently, the average starting salary for a programmer without an advanced degree is approximately $50,000.
The average salary of a programmer is $50,000 to $70,000 annually, dependent largely on the programmer's skills, abilities, experience, negotiating skills, and whether he knows the lady in the human resources department.
The average salary is skewed because of the few Billion-dollar salaries out there. The median, a better indicator, is $69,620 according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
