Side-by-side distribution
COBOL
$130,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 20%
- Live roles
- 45
Java
$129,250
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 20.4%
- Live roles
- 1,409
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Mainframe Developer – IMS Database & zOS
Mainframe Developer
Application Technical Specialist (Unix Administrator / DCR or COBOL Programmer)
Sr. Developer, Mainframe (COBOL, z/OS, CICS, JCL) Omaha or KC
Senior Mainframe Developer
Software Developer Lead-OpenShift & Mainframe
Mainframe Developer - Cards & Rewards
Mainframe Developer
Senior Mainframe Developer
Highest-paying jobs
Java of Senior Software Engineer, AI Training
Senior Java Data Platform Engineer - Clearance Required
Senior Software Engineer, Java
Lead Java Software Engineer - Developer
Senior Software Engineer, Java
Java Developer (SME)
ETL Java Developer (SME)
Upcoming Opportunity – Principal Engineer – Java/AWS
Senior Software Engineer, Treasury and Reference Data (Java/Ruby/Python)
Distinguished Engineer - Java / AWS - Zelle
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
CAI
|
$142,480 | 2 |
| US USAA | $166,055 | 1 |
|
Bank of America
|
$141,400 | 1 |
|
Regions
|
$140,690 | 1 |
|
AG Consulting Partners, Inc.
|
$130,000 | 1 |
|
FNBO
|
$119,022 | 1 |
|
PNC
|
$115,000 | 1 |
| TF Thermo Fisher Scientific | $99,750 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Elastic
|
$104,155 | 30 |
Captivation Software
|
$200,000 | 27 |
|
Leidos
|
$151,475 | 11 |
Referral Board
|
$117,865 | 11 |
|
Bank of America
|
$141,400 | 10 |
GDIT
|
$185,000 | 9 |
State Street
|
$115,750 | 7 |
BlackRock
|
$151,500 | 6 |
COBOL vs Java: which pays more?
The median for COBOL is $130,000 per year (typically $119,022–$141,400), versus $129,250 for Java ($104,783–$175,000). That puts COBOL about 1% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so COBOL and Java are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.