How much do iOS developers make?

You’ve written your first line of Swift code, completed the “Dummies guide…”, and are ready to sit back, relax and let the dollars flow in on a beach in Bali.

Well, probably not.

But you are probably thinking about what your realistic prospects are in the changing job market.

How much do iOS developers make? Depending on your skillset and your location, salaries can vary wildly, anywhere from as low as $21,000 to as high as $150,000. The average salary across the US rounds out to around $100,000 – so with a solid skill set and a decent market, that’s about what you can expect.

Salary Ranges And Their Variations For iOS Developers

There are four criteria that impact the wages and/or salaries for IOS Developers and they are:

1. Location
2. Experience
3. Company
4. IOS Development skills that are abstract (to be detailed below).

To answer our initial query if you had to become as good as Steve Jobs to make a decent IOS Developer salary the answer is no you do not. You don’t even have to invent or create any new IOS Development skills. However, the range we discussed, is applicable as you are valued and assessed based on the four criteria listed above. We thought we would break them down for you so you can compare and assess how you fit into the overall picture.

• According to Indeed.com, the average iOS Developer makes a salary of $115,359 yearly. The average Mobile Developer makes an average yearly salary of $106,716.
• Business of Apps Worldwide reports that the US mobile app developer average salary is $107,000 per year.
• Payscale states your salary or wage depends on your location with the average being $81,477.
• While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $147,500 and as low as $21,000, the majority of Entry Level IOS Developer salaries currently range between $45,000 (25th percentile) to $101,000 (75th percentile) across the United States. As of Oct 31, 2018, the average annual pay for an Entry Level IOS Developer in the United States is $80,953 a year.
• Glassdoor reports an IOS Developer averages only $71,000.

Location

Payscale has given the following cities an above or below arrow from the average IOS Developer pay rate of $81.477.

The cities listed below were selected due to their range from one side of theUS to the other, however, if your city is not listed below, please feel free topick the nearest city to you to compare what your salary is or go the Payscale link, which allows you to put inyour direct location for average salaries.

We have also provided a graph from Stack Overflow that allows for more geographical range as it is defined by the world vs just the United States. iOS Developers have found their job skill is readily needed and desired in multiple worldwide locations and we urge you to consider broadening your horizons if you feel comfortable learning or have a second language.

Experience

Data provided by Indeed based on user input confirms the level of experience and IOS Developer has does have an impact. The more experience an IOS Developer has, the more positive the impact. For example, 0-5 years of iOS Developer experience keeps you in the $70,000 range. 5-10 years can bring an iOS Developer upwards of $103,000. iOS Developers with 10-20 years of experience usually make over $117,000 and an iOS Developer with more than 20 years of experience with usually make over $125,000.

Company

Company – Upwork reports that different companies have different iOS Developer job skills they need and there is a large skill set variance range that cannot be nailed down. If you add the location, experience, etc. it is even more abstract. However, it can be said that skill sets in Android Operating System Development and iOS correlate to pay above average. Skill sets that pay less include, but are not limited to; C++, C#, Programming Language, Apple, Xcode, and Software Development.

Abstract iOS Development Skills

IOS Development skills that are abstract – Smashing Magazine insists there are so many varied skills an iOS Developer can utilize and develop as he/she gains experience and there is no way to categorize them in specific classifications. However, it can be stated the more creating, debugging, maintaining and new skill set learning an iOS Developer is able to perform, the more they will get paid. Software engineering is a fast moving industry and an iOS developer needs to stay up to date.

We also researched data reported by The Economic Times which broke down variances in the iOS Developer salaries based on their abstract skill sets even further and added these criteria:

1. Change in market conditions which means their revenue stream isn’t positive and they have gone over anticipated costs.
2. Budgeting standards – that were unrealistic.
3. Service delivery may not be up to the mark – an example of this would be they think the job can be done in five hours vs. eight.
4. In certain cases, there can be no basis for planning – this is broken down to mean the iOS Development categories they need cannot be measured with a high level of accuracy.
5. Overhead variances – which goes back to how much money they have spent and what percentage of it was used on indirect material, labor and expense costs. The overhead variance occurs when it is compared to their standard overhead budgeted costs.

How do I get my first iOS job?

Short answer: Swift. As powerful as Objective-C is, the language of the future in the Apple ecosystem is Swift. Alternatively, you can dig into a cross-platform option like Flutter or React Native to write both iOS andAndroid apps – but it’s generally a better idea to specialize.

I don’t live in a major tech city, am I doomed?

Well, no. For starters, while low-market jobs don’t pay as well as places like the Bay Area or Austin, your costs of living are also much lower. Regardless of where you are, depending on your experience level you’ll earn a decent wage depending on the local margin.

Alternatively, you can work remotely – companies like Zapier and InVision hire remotely while paying Bay Area salaries. They’re obviously much tougher to get, but there are more and more coming out every day – here’s a handy job board.