Average Ruby on Rails Developer Salary

Ruby on Rails has been around, in programming terms, for a good while. Created in 2003, it’s still one of the most popular programming languages because its code is known for being easy to read and work with.

Everything from Airbnb to Shopify, Basecamp to fiverrr, and Dribbble to myfitnesspal was built on Ruby on Rails. Since it’s so common in the industry, it’s also highly sought after as a skillset for programmers. The talent pool, however, is too small to keep up with Ruby on Rails demand. Companies are willing to pay top dollar for talent that knows the language.

But what exactly does that “top dollar” look like? Your salary expectations can be affected by your years of experience, where you live, and the company you work at. Let’s dive in.

Ruby on Rails Developer Salary by Level

How much you can make as a Ruby on Rails developer will depend, in part, on how many years of experience you have. 

All salaries were pulled from Zippia and were accurate at the time of writing, but may be subject to change.

Average Junior Ruby on Rails Developer Salary

Junior Ruby on Rails developers are closer to entry-level developers. These are people who have just finished their education and are starting to gain professional experience and build their careers. Developers at this level may make anywhere from $71,000-$82,000.

Average Mid-Level Ruby on Rails Developer Salary

Mid-level Ruby on Rails developes have a few more years of experience. They may lead projects, work on teams, or oversee junior developers. Mid-level developers can expect to make around $95,000.

Average Senior Level Ruby on Rails Developer Salary

Senior level Ruby on Rails developers certainly have a number of years of experience under their belts. They’re established in their careers and likely lead and manage teams of developers. Senior level developers can expect to make anywhere from $111,000-$127,000.

Ruby on Rails Developer Salary by City

Where you live can have a big impact on your yearly salary due to fluctuations in the cost of living and other expenses. 

For each of these cities, we used salary information from Indeed. As a frame of reference, the average national salary for Ruby on Rails programmers is $118,634.

San Francisco, California

Average salary: $146,002

Home to Silicon Valley, the greater San Francisco area pays Rails programmers some of the highest in the country — often well above the national average. With a quick search, you can find companies that use Ruby on Rails and unlock open positions.

New York City, New York

Average salary: $131,545

New York is already home to plenty of opportunities for Ruby on Rails programmers, and with Wall Street, media companies, and other New York industries getting on board the tech train, there are sure to be additional ones in the mix.

Atlanta, Georgia

Average salary: $125,835

Georgia Tech, Emory, and other institutions have created a tech hub in Atlanta, making it one of the best places for aspiring programmers to move. It pays above the national average and always boasts openings for Ruby on Rails programmers.

Austin, Texas

Average salary: $126,049

Silicon Hills is becoming a hotspot for Ruby on Rails programmers of all levels. Paying nearly $10,000 above the US average, Austin houses companies like LogicWare, WP Engine, and dozens of other companies that use Ruby on Rails in their tech stacks.

Seattle, Washington

Average salary: $100,500

Major corporations like Amazon call Seattle home, and they have constant openings for Ruby on Rails developers that can build out new features, maintain code, and keep mobile and desktop apps running.

Los Angeles, California

Average salary: $126,463

Los Angeles’ fast-paced lifestyle and bustling film scene may intrigue some developers. Rails can be used to build out apps like Hulu, which can expedite TV and movie creation for streaming audiences.

San Diego, California

Average salary: $117,988

LA and San Francisco’s more laid back sibling, San Diego, still has a bustling tech scene in its own right. A good payday and a beachfront lifestyle may be desirable for some Rails programmers.

Portland, Oregon

Average salary: $121,946

Like Seattle, but weirder — Pacific Northwest programmers who want the mountain views without the city price tags may find Portland (and the companies that are moving in) a better fit.

Nashville, Tennessee

Average salary: $127,892

Country music’s favorite city is also a burgeoning tech hub. For the live-music-obsessed Ruby on Rails programmer, Nashville and its suite of growing companies may be just the place to put down roots.

Boston, Massachusetts

Average salary: $131,429

With the likes of MIT, Harvard, Boston University, and Boston College leading the tech scene in the Bay State, it’s only natural that it lends itself to those in the industry. With a decent payday that rivals even some of the most well-known tech hubs, a Ruby on Rails programmer salary in Boston doesn’t disappoint.

Dallas, Texas

Average salary: $136,515

Massive corporations call Dallas home — for the great tax benefits for businesses and the most available talent in the Southern Midwest. Smaller companies, startups, and agencies share the same affinity for Texas’ second-largest city.

Houston, Texas

Average salary: $103,945

Texas’ first-largest city, however, is Houston. It provides ample opportunity and space for Ruby on Rails talent to find their next career move.

Raleigh, North Carolina

Average salary: $117,988

Over the years, the Carolinas — specifically North Carolina — have become a haven for tech companies and its employees alike. Temperate climate, cheap land and real estate, and a ton of activities within a short drive make Raleigh a desirable place for Ruby on Rails programmers.

Washington, D.C.

Average salary: $112,382

The nation’s capital provides some of the biggest opportunities — and pay days — for Ruby on Rails developers. Not only is the city home to some of the most up and coming companies, most government offices have or will have a need for programmers to build dashboards, software, and programs.

Denver, Colorado

Average salary: $148,025

The Mile High City offers mile-high paychecks for Ruby on Rails talent who relocate to the area. There are tons of companies to choose from, too.

Chicago, Illinois

Average salary: $116,037

Chime, Grubhub, and Home Chef are just a small handful of the many Ruby on Rails-based apps always looking for fresh programming talent in Chicago. The winters may be bitterly cold, but a salary of over $110K isn’t too much to turn your nose up at.

Average Ruby on Rails Developer Salary by Company

The company your work for can also affect how much you take home at the end of the work day. Let’s take a look at some of the top-paying companies for Ruby on Rails developers.

Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble — that bookseller we all know and love — is reported to pay Ruby on Rails developers upwards of $125,230. That shakes out to just over $60 per hour.

Bloomberg

Bloomberg, an international news agency headquartered in New York City, follows just behind Barnes & Noble with reported annual salaries for Ruby on Rails developers of $125,071. It’s one way to work in journalism and still make a pretty penny!

Everyday Health

Everyday Health provides trusted medical information and health advice online. They’re willing to pay for the best developers, reportedly paying those with Ruby on Rails skills around $111,797.

Walmart

You might think of Walmart as just your local superstore, but at the scale of a company like Walmart, you’d need some developers, too. For Ruby on Rails developers, Walmart cashes out a salary of $109,849.

Learn Ruby on Rails at App Academy

If these salaries are any indication, it’s that Ruby on Rails programmers can net huge salaries (and still grow from there!) even as new languages come into play. Ruby on Rails is one of the foundational languages taught in our 16-Week Accelerated Online Program.

Sign up for a live online info session to learn more, or schedule a 1:1 call with one of our team experts. Start your software engineering career today with App Academy, and see how far you can go!