Java & C++ - Chicago, IL - Average Experience
Salary Report
Information Technology Job
Java and C++
Development
United States Location
Chicago - Gary - Kenosha
IL - IN - WI
USA Metropolitan Area
Competitive Position® Salary Report
Data Observed 6/1/25 to 5/31/26
Salary Average
$157,002
Experience Requirement
6 Years and 1 Month
Raise +1 Year
$11,082 at 7.06%
Salary and Number of Jobs
About Salary and Jobs
Salary Range :
At required Experience of 6 Years & 1 Month: $157,002 is Salary average; 50% of Jobs pay between $134,884 & $179,120; and, 5% of Jobs top $211,225.
Number of Jobs :
Most Jobs are available closest to the Salary Average.
Fewer Jobs are available at Lower and Higher Salaries.
Salary End Points :
$26,400 = annual salary at $15 per hour working between: 44 weeks at 40 hours a week, to, 52 weeks at 34 hours a week.
$442,879 = annual salary for the highest paying IT Job in the highest paying US City at the Top 2.5% Experience and Top 2.5% Salary.
Job Market :
Job offers, publicly posted in want ads by employers, were observed and measured from 6/1/25 to 5/31/26.
View: Documentation and Methodology.
Top Salaries
| Top Percentile of Job market | Top Salary |
|---|---|
| 2.5% | $221,787 |
| 5% | $211,225 |
| 10% | $199,143 |
| 25% | $179,120 |
| 33% | $170,967 |
| 50% | $157,002 |
Top Percentile of Job Market =
Number of Jobs Above the Top Salary
÷
Number of all Jobs at 6 Years and 1 Month Experience.
Salary Range and Jobs
Percentage of Jobs within Salary Lows and Highs
| Percent of Job Market | Salary Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Low Salary | High Salary | |
| 10% | $152,886 | $161,118 |
| 25% | $146,562 | $167,442 |
| 33% | $143,037 | $170,967 |
| 50% | $134,884 | $179,120 |
| 67% | $125,022 | $188,982 |
| 95% | $92,217 | $221,787 |
Salary Average =
$157,002
Mid Point between each Low/High pair.
Percent of Job Market =
Number of Jobs with Salary between Low/High pair
÷
Number of all Jobs at 6 Years and 1 Month Experience.
Salary and Experience
Salary ±1 Year
| Experience | Salary Average | Raise +1 Year |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Years and 1 Month | $144,392 | $12,610 at 8.73% |
| 6 Years and 1 Month | $157,002 | $11,082 at 7.06% |
| 7 Years and 1 Month | $168,084 | $9,888 at 5.88% |
About Salary and Experience
Salary by Year :
Salary increases rapidly in the first years, rises vigorously with greater experience and grows robustly into maturity.
Salary Growth Overall :
The increase in Salary average from low to high experience is more than that in the USA IT job market as a whole.
Salary and Experience Range :
Salary average rises with experience: $62,467 at the low experience of 1 Year and 1 Month; $157,002 at the average experience of 6 Years and 1 Month; and, $203,115 at the top experience of 11 Years and 2 Months.
Experience End Points :
0 = Entry Level.
15 Years and 9 Months = Top 2.5% Experience in the IT Job with the highest required experience in the USA.
Job Market :
Job offers, publicly posted in want ads by employers, were observed and measured from 6/1/25 to 5/31/26.
View: Documentation and Methodology.
Salary by Year
Salary and Experience Range
95% of Jobs require Experience between the Low and Top
| Experience | Salary Average | Raise +1 Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 1 Year and 1 Month | $62,467 | $28,273 at 45.26% |
| Average | 6 Years and 1 Month | $157,002 | $11,082 at 7.06% |
| Top | 11 Years and 2 Months | $203,115 | $6,878 at 3.39% |
Qualifications
Description
Software development, using Java and C++ programming languages, is the position's primary responsibility.
Skills
The qualifications of this information technology Job:
- Java;
- C++;
-
- Software-Application Developer,
-
Agile, Application (App), Back End, Big Data, Cloud, .Net, Embedded, Front End, Full Stack, Machine Learning, Mobile, Portal, Software (SW), User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX) or Web,
and
Analyst, Architect, Developer, Engineer, Lead or Programmer.
Characteristics
A+ Skills
Additional IT skills requested in some job descriptions:
- Project Lead,
- Development Manager, Lead Developer, Project Lead, Project Manager, Project Supervisor, Team Lead, Team Supervisor or Technical Lead,
- 3.6% of job descriptions;
- Master of Arts/Science or Ph.D. Graduate Degree,
- 29.1% of job descriptions;
- Bachelor of Arts/Science Degree,
- 53.6% of job descriptions;
- Security Clearance,
- 9.1% of job descriptions;
- Data Mining,
- 6.4% of job descriptions;
- Cassandra,
- 4.5% of job descriptions;
- Scala,
- 17.3% of job descriptions;
- Jira,
- 3.6% of job descriptions;
- Agile software methodology,
- 16.4% of job descriptions;
- Scrum software methodology,
- 3.6% of job descriptions;
- Microsoft Azure,
- 28.2% of job descriptions;
- AWS (Amazon Web Services),
- 40% of job descriptions.
Location
Chicago, IL
- Illinois,
- Addison, Arlington Heights, Aurora, Batavia, Barrington, Berwyn, Bollingbrook, Boone, Buffalo Grove, Burbank, Calumet City, Carol Stream, Carpentersville, Chicago Heights, Chicago, Cicero, Cook County, Crystal Lake, De Kalb County, De Kalb, Deerfield, Des Plaines, Downers Grove, DuPage County, East Chicago, Elgin, Elk Grove, Elk Grove Village, Elmhurst, Evanston, Geneva, Glendale Heights, Glenview, Grundy County, Hanover Park, Harvard, Harvey, Highland Park, Hines, Hinsdale, Hoffman Estates, Homewood, Itasca, Joliet, Kane County, Kankakee County, Kendall County, Lake County, Lake Forest, Lansing, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Lombard, Maywood, McHenry County, Morris, Mount Prospect, Mundelein, Naperville, Niles, Norridge, North Chicago, Northbrook, Oak Brook, Oak Forest, Oak Lawn, Oak Park, Ogle, Orland Park, Palatine, Park Forest, Park Ridge, Plano, Riverside, Riverwoods, Rochelle, Rockford, Rolling, Romeoville, Rosemont, Schaumburg, Schiller Park, Skokie, St Charles, Streamwood, Tinley Park, Vernon Hills, Warrenville, Waukegan, Westchester, Wheaton, Wheeling, Will County, Wilmette, Winebago, Wood Dale and Woodridge;
- Indiana,
- Cedar Lake, Crown Point, East Chicago, Gary, Hammond, Hobart, Lake County, Lake, Merrilvilee, Merrilville, Portage, Porter County, and Valparaiso;
- Wisconsin,
- Kenosha County and Kenosha.
These locations are all included in the Chicago, IL metropolitan area as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB).