With the rising popularity and use case for blockchain technology, new and existing developers are looking to to get a full-time role working in web3. According to cryptocurrencyjobs.co, even the lowest base salary for remote Solidity developers is $100,000, and the average wage is $145,000, with exceptions based on location, company, and experience.

This article covers why the demand for Solidity developers is surging, and what devs can expect to get paid when they get a Solidity developer job as an intern, entry-level dev, junior dev, and senior dev.

What does a Solidity developer do?

Solidity developers design, build, deploy, and manage smart contracts on Ethereum-based applications using Solidity — an Ethereum native programming language. Solidity developers work for enterprise companies within blockchain departments, at venture-backed web3 startups, blockchain protocols, and some devs work as freelancers contributing to open-source projects. Because web3 is global, many Solidity engineers are able to work remotely.

Solidity Developer Job Description

Solidity developers are typically responsible for the following job duties:

• Develop and deploy secure, gas efficient smart contracts
• Conduct smart-contract audits and penetration testing
• Build application-specific integrations
• Provide support for partner integrations
• Document best practices around code quality and operations
• Collaborate with product managers and multi-disciplinary teams
• Interface with project and community leaders
• Assess new tools and Github repositories to improve product quality

This is a small cross-section of what solidity developers are responsible for.

Why are Solidity programmers in such high demand?

Solidity is the first web3 programming language used to build blockchain-based applications with smart contracts, and as the industry leader, as more builders entered the space since 2015, many have adopted Solidity as their primary web3 coding language. Custom Market Insights forecasts indicate that the "Blockchain Technology Market" will continue experiencing growth at a compound annual growth rate of 65% until 2030.

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5 Reasons Why the Demand for Solidity Devs is Increasing

Solidity is an object-oriented programming language created to design smart contracts on the Ethereum network. With the increase in blockchain protocols and smart contracts created on the Ethereum network and EVM-compatible blockchains, the demand for Solidity devs is increasing.

1. Popularity of Blockchain Technology - Solidity outranks every other coding language twice as much in terms of popularity
2. EVM Compatible Networks - multiple L1s and sidechains use Solidity, including Polygon, Avalanche, Polkadot, BNB Chain, and many others
3. DeFi Product-Market Fit - Solidity is the primary programming language in decentralized finance (DeFi) ,  a multi-billion dollar industry
4. Web3 Development - web3 is attracting new engineers, and Solidity is considered the best introduction to learning web3 development
5. Supply and Demand - there are not enough Solidity developers to fulfill the demand by web2 and web3 companies entering the blockchain space

If you're deciding on learning a new programming language, Solidity is a great option to compliment fundamental programming languages like JavaScript.

What is the average salary for Solidity developers?

The average salaries for Solidity developers depend on their experience and geographic location, with annual salaries ranging from $50,000 to $225,000 per year. The following provides the average wage according to each Solidity developer experience level: intern, entry-level, junior, and senior.

Solidity Developer Intern

Solidity developer internships are rare, but when they do occur, they are typically for a few months, and not paid on a salaried basis. If you were to extend an intern's rate to a salary basis, an average would be between $25,000–$50,000 depending on the company and location of the internship.

Entry-Level Solidity Developer

An entry-level Solidity developer might work for a seed-stage startup, an open-source project, or as an established web3 company. Entry-level Solidity developers According to web3.career can expect an average salary range from $45,000 – $90,000.

The lower end of this range is biased towards international, remote developers where the cost of living is less expensive, and for devs at less-funded, or community-funded projects.

The higher entry-level salaries $90,000 and above, are more likely to be paid to Solidity developers working for a cash-flow positive startup, or a company that completed a large fundraising round.

Junior Solidity Developer

Because junior-level Solidity developers take on more complicated tasks, manage and train entry-level developers, and generally have more responsibilities, the average junior-level Solidity developer salary ranges from $90,000 - $120,000.  

Senior Solidity Developer

The demand for experienced senior Solidity developers is at its highest in 2022, and the salary for experienced, senior-level Solidity developers salaries range from $120,000 - $225,000 in cash compensation.

Freelance Solidity Developer

Freelance Solidity developer rates range on various job board websites. On average, a freelance Solidity dev on Arc charges $81–100 per hour. Hourly rates might increase to $350 per hour based on the freelance developer's expertise.

Token and Stock Option Incentives

Depending on the type of company you work with, in addition to cash-based salaries, Solidity developers may receive additional financial incentives. For example, an open-source protocol may offer full-time, core contributors with token-based equity, and venture-backed startups will offer employee stock options.

How do Solidity developer salaries compare to web2 developer salaries?

According to O*Net Online, an occupation database, the top 10% of blockchain engineers in San Francisco earn over $208,000 per year, and it is the same reported annual salary for the top 10% of software developers in San Francisco. For comparison, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the top 10% of software developers earn more than $153,250.

Because web3 is a new industry, there is not a high amount of visibility into the actual salaries of the top Solidity developers compared to the highest paying web2 companies like FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google).

Since blockchain is a new, high-growth, and lucrative industry, the scarcity of Solidity programmers can lead to significantly higher salaries and non-cash-based compensation like tokens or equity.

According to Indeed, salaries of senior web2 software engineers range between $87–179k, which typically takes a web2 engineer 5–15 years of experience to reach this salary rate, except at the highest paying FAANG-like companies. In contrast, because Solidity is a new programming language with incredible market demand, a senior Solidity developer might reach similar salary ranges with just 2-3 years of experience.

How do I learn Solidity development?

Alchemy has partnered with ChainShot to expand the accessibility to web3 developer education, and are launching a revamped, 7-week Solidity developer Bootcamp, led by Alchemy University's best developer-educators. To learn the skills to become a professional, full-time Solidity developer, secure your place in line for Alchemy's upcoming bootcamp.

With prior knowledge of programming languages such as C++, Python, or JavaScript, students can learn Solidity in 2.5 months with Alchemy University's bootcamp. If students are new to development, they are encourage to take Alchemy University's 3-week JavaScript crash course.

Start Earning a Higher Salary by Becoming a Solidity Developer

Blockchain is a generation-defining technology shift on the same scale as the personal computer, internet, and mobile phones. To take full advantage of the next 20 years of blockchain innovation, consider becoming a well-rounded blockchain engineer by learning Solidity and getting a full-time job in web3.