How much should C++ Developers earn?

C++ Developer salaries broken down by experience, seniority, and position salary listings. Taken from the Insights Library on cord.

The average C++ Developer salary is £71,896, based on the expected salaries of 797 Developers looking for UK-based work on cord in 2021. The average salary range of Mid-Senior level C++ Developer positions in the UK is £46,154-£86,515. These insights break down the details of the salary expectations of C++ Developers by years of experience and seniority, as well as the salaries listed on 46 C++ Developer positions at different seniority levels.

Up to 9 years’ experience, C++ Developer salaries increase at an average of £5,528 per year from £39,250 to £89,000. Above 9 years’ experience, they level out, and while occasionally reaching six figures, they don’t tend to exceed £90,000 on average. This suggests that, at 10 years or more in, years’ experience is no longer the most decisive factor in a C++ Developer’s salary expectations, and that they may need to change jobs (into, for example, architecture or management) in order to increase their earning potential above this level.

On average, UK-based C++ Developers expect the following salaries:

• Entry-level: £36,321
• Junior: £42,460
• Mid: £58,785
• Senior: £82,541
• Lead: £94,128

As above, C++ Developers who become Lead level (i.e., middle managers) can expect to earn more than even the most experienced Senior C++ Developers who remain in fully hands-on roles.

Salary ranges of C++ Developer positions

Positions on cord are posted with a minimum salary level and a maximum salary level. The graph below shows the average values of these ranges, as well as the average mid-point. Average ranges are large for several reasons, including that definitions of seniorities vary across companies, and that positions can be posted with multiple seniorities (but only one salary range).

Among 46 UK-based C++ Developer positions, the average mid point of salaries listed were as follows:

• Junior: £56,500
• Mid: £60,769
• Senior: £71,970
• Lead: £73,500

Note: no entry-level C++ Developer positions were listed on cord in 2021.

Based on the expectations data above, C++ Developers tend to expect salaries within the mid-point ranges at Entry, Junior and Mid level, but at Senior level they tend to expect salaries in line with the upper salary limits. The average expectations of Lead C++ Developers exceed the upper end of what companies are, on average, willing to offer.

Key Insights

• The average C++ Developer salary is £71,896
• C++ Developer salaries increase at an average of £5,528 per year of experience from £39,250 to £89,000 after 9 years, after which years’ experience is no longer a key factor in determining C++ Developers’ salary expectations
• Lead C++ Developers expect, on average, higher salary expectations than the upper limits of what companies offer\
• Link to Insights article on cord

Data Disclaimer

Salary expectation data refers to 797 UK-based Back End or Full Stack Engineers listing C++ as a Primary Skill, looking for UK-based (On-site or Hybrid) work on cord between January — December 2021.

Positions salary data refers to 46 UK-based Back End or Full Stack Developer positions posted on cord between January — December 2021 listing C++ as a required skill.

While data encompasses the whole of the UK, the majority of UK-based roles on cord are based in London, which makes the data more relevant to people considering work in London. Further information on regional salaries will be available soon.