Side-by-side distribution
C / C++
$184,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 28.4%
- Live roles
- 640
Java
$127,674
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 20.1%
- Live roles
- 1,401
Highest-paying jobs
Software Engineer - Kernels/CUDA (C++)
Software Engineer - Platform Infrastructure (Rust, C++)
Software Engineer - Network (C++)
Software Engineer - Training/Inference (C++)
Software Engineer - Linux Kernel (C++, C)
Software Engineer - C++
Staff Software Engineer (C++) - Radar Sensors
Software Engineer, Specs C++, Level 5
Software Engineer, C++, Level 5
Senior AI Systems Engineer — C++ / Applied AI
Highest-paying jobs
Java of Senior Software Engineer, AI Training
Senior Java Data Platform Engineer - Clearance Required
Senior Software Engineer, Java
Senior Software Engineer, Java
ETL Java Developer (SME)
Java Developer (SME)
Upcoming Opportunity – Principal Engineer – Java/AWS
Senior Software Engineer, Treasury and Reference Data (Java/Ruby/Python)
Distinguished Engineer - Java / AWS - Zelle
Platform Engineer (Hybrid) - Python/Java/AWS/Linux
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Anduril Industries
|
$201,250 | 24 |
KLA
|
$184,000 | 9 |
Applied Intuition
|
$160,000 | 7 |
Stellar Development Foundation
|
$230,000 | 6 |
Esri
|
$148,538 | 6 |
Northrop Grumman
|
$118,850 | 6 |
|
xAI
|
$310,000 | 5 |
Roblox
|
$269,270 | 5 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Elastic
|
$104,155 | 30 |
|
Captivation Software
|
$200,000 | 27 |
|
Leidos
|
$151,475 | 12 |
Referral Board
|
$117,865 | 11 |
Bank of America
|
$141,400 | 10 |
GDIT
|
$185,000 | 9 |
State Street
|
$119,750 | 8 |
Accenture
|
$101,920 | 7 |
C / C++ salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $270,200 | 8 |
| San Francisco | $230,000 | 8 |
| New York | $225,000 | 27 |
| Los Angeles | $210,000 | 5 |
| Chicago | $200,000 | 20 |
| Boston | $200,000 | 7 |
C / C++ vs Java: which pays more?
The median for C / C++ is $184,500 per year (typically $145,000–$215,000), versus $127,674 for Java ($103,110–$173,425). That puts C / C++ about 45% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so C / C++ 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.