Side-by-side distribution
Java
$129,250
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 20.4%
- Live roles
- 1,405
SQL
$119,600
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 28.7%
- Live roles
- 94
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
Highest-paying jobs
Software Developer - Database Administrator - Senior
Database Developer SME- TS/SCI w/poly
Database Administrator PL/SQL Developer
Senior Mainframe Developer – IMS Database & zOS
Distinguished Systems Developer - SQL Engine
SQL Server Database Senior Developer, Vice President
Technical Lead (.NET/SQL) Programmer Analyst 4
Database Developer
Senior Lead Software Developer Database | Acushnet Company
Principal Software Developer - Query Engine, Database Internals - Elasticsearch
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 |
Accenture
|
$101,920 | 7 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
GDIT
|
$114,228 | 4 |
|
Amentum
|
$156,850 | 2 |
|
Elastic
|
$128,481 | 2 |
|
MUFG
|
$176,000 | 1 |
|
InterSystems
|
$174,500 | 1 |
|
Intel
|
$172,445 | 1 |
| US USAA | $166,055 | 1 |
|
TOMORROW HIRE
|
$162,240 | 1 |
Java vs SQL: which pays more?
The median for Java is $129,250 per year (typically $104,783–$175,000), versus $119,600 for SQL ($98,880–$159,245). That puts Java about 8% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Java and SQL 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.