Blockchain Developer Salary in 2022 | USA vs. Europe

The rise in popularity of cryptocurrency and the use of these digital assets in various spheres boost the interest among blockchain and developers experienced in this field. However, blockchain isn’t only about cryptocurrency. In the last few years, it has been used by many companies specializing in over ten industries. For example, Kodak, a medical project DentaCoin, and the World Food Programme are real-life cases of blockchain uses. And since the demand for blockchain experts grows every day, we decided to craft a detailed overview of a blockchain developer’s salary within the most popular countries in 2022.

According to Statista, the blockchain market revenue in Europe only was estimated at around two billion U.S. dollars in 2021. The report also shows that this technology has been mainly used in the banking industry. And the use of blockchain in this domain was boosted by the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies. According to Linkedin, blockchain is now among the most vital skills companies need today. Blockchain is one of the leading technologies that are in high demand. 

Blockchain developers are primarily responsible for the architecture of a blockchain system and smart contract development. Therefore, they identify how protocols should be developed, the design of consensus protocol, and make high-level decisions related to blockchain technology. Blockchain software developers can also build decentralized applications that are based on blockchain technology. 

Since 45 percent of respondents stated that they have been working on improving the security of information exchange and blockchain technology was the most popular option for them, it seems to be obvious that blockchain developers are top specialists on the market now. However, they need to have a quite unique skill set and be experienced with already used technologies like public, private (or managed), consortium, and hybrid blockchains.

Before we start discussing how much do blockchain developers make in the U.S. and Europe, let’s first identify who can be called a blockchain developer in 2022.

Who is a Blockchain Developer?

According to most descriptions you will find on the internet, a blockchain developer is responsible for the development and optimization of blockchain protocols. This expert also works with the architecture of blockchain systems, smart contracts, and web app development using blockchain technology. However, blockchain developers can be divided into two categories that include the following ones:

• Core Blockchain Developer
• Blockchain Software Developer 

Core blockchain developer is involved in the whole process of product development, including the design, architecture, and security of the entire blockchain system. To be more specific, the role of the core blockchain developer includes:

• Design of blockchain protocols
• Design of consensus protocols 
• Design of security patterns for the network
• Design of the architecture
• Supervision of the whole network

Blockchain software developers usually have separate roles. And they never work with the design or architecture of the system. Instead, they are responsible for the development of web apps using protocols and design structures set up by a core web architect. These engineers craft decentralized applications or Dapps using blockchain technology. Their set skit of roles includes the following: 

• Smart Contracts Development
• Development of front-end designs for Dapps
• Backend development related to blockchain
• Supervision the entire stack running their Dapps

Blockchain Development Salary: U.S. vs. Europe

USA

The average Blockchain developer salary in the USA is $154,550 per year. However, it is worth noting that junior devs tend to earn less than middle or senior developers in the U.S. They can earn up to $123,817, whereas senior-level engineers can get up to $231,500. 

Nevertheless, it is a rough salary according to data taken from various sources. Therefore, each state can offer its own salary for blockchain developers, and the compensation significantly differs between states. Let’s take as examples the most popular states and compare them with those where there are fewer people and resources needed:

• Georgia – $162,500 (per year)
• Nevada – $160,000 (per year)
• Massachusetts – $160,000 (per year)
• Washington – $160,000 (per year)
• California – $155,000 (per year)
• New York – $150,000 (per year)

The answer to this salary difference relates to the demand for engineers in each state. Since some states are more known for their startups and more tech-savvy atmosphere, developers that live or work in these states tend to earn more.    

Europe

Europe is the third-largest consumer of blockchain developers worldwide (after the US and Canada). Taking rough numbers from Glassdoor, the average blockchain developer’s salary across Europe is around $50K – $150K per year. Developers in Europe tend to earn less than in the U.S. and Canada, probably due to the shorter difference in Supply and Demand in Europe. However, according to a report provided by Burning Glass Door Technology, we will soon see an increase in demand for blockchain experts (115%), which will also provide a considerably higher compensation.

Eastern Europe is well-known for its quite low-paid developers that provide high-quality products. This is why companies always seek engineers from this region. And there is nothing wrong with experts from Eastern Europe. The salary differs from the U.S. and Canada due to lower local economic levels, so the wages are lower as well. For instance, the average junior blockchain developer can earn up to $13,577 early, while senior-level blockchain experts get salaries of $54,000 – 150,000 per year (in rare cases).

The average blockchain developed in Europe can earn the following salary by country: 

• Poland – $42,057
• Ukraine – $79,000
• Czech Republic – $27,012
• Romania – $40,937

Canada

Canada takes second place as one of the most appealing places for blockchain and developers overall to work. Here a junior blockchain developer can earn up to $85,360 per year. The average blockchain developer salary in Canada is $103,709. When talking about senior-level engineers, their salary is usually around $124,880 and even more.

Australia

Austria doesn’t seem to offer a high salary for developers overall. The same situation as with Europe. An average salary of a junior blockchain developer (less than two years of experience) in Austria is $33,56 per year. Mid-level engineers can expect $3,761 per month, while senior developers usually get $5,862 per month.

Asia

The entry-level blockchain developer salary in Asia starts from $8,430 per year. Middle specialists can expect a salary up to $11,799 per year. While the average Blockchain developer salary in India is $9,221 per year, senior engineers are paid $20,000 per annum.

In addition, it’s worth looking at the salary of blockchain developers in countries located in Central and Western parts of Asia:

• Kazakhstan – $6,089
• Armenia – $12,120
• Georgia – $17,889
• Azerbaijan – $21,600

Remote Working

Even though remote jobs have gained popularity during the last two years, today, most companies want to see their blockchain engineers at the office. However, generally speaking, there won’t be a difference between the salaries of those working at the office and remotely. If you are a full-time employee, then you will be paid the same salary as we mentioned above, depending on the country. When working part-time or freelance remotely, you will probably get less than the numbers above. Check our blockchain development services.

	USA (per year)	Europe (per year)
Junior	up to $123,817	$13,577
Middle	up to $170,308	up to $50.000
Senior	up to  $231,500	$54,000 – 150,000
Average	$154,550	$50.000 – $150.000

Blockchain Developer Salary By Experience Level

The salary of blockchain developers not only depends on the country but also on the experience level. And the wages of junior engineers are significantly lower than when talking about over 8 years of experience. Let’s take a closer look at salaries developers can expect depending on how many years of experience they have:

Junior Blockchain Developers (0-3 years)

Even though some engineers with 3 years of experience can be called middle experience, this position often starts from only 4 years of experience in practice. Junior developers are those who just graduated from universities (freshers) and those who only finished their course and have something in their portfolio to show. While in most countries, junior blockchain developers are not in high demand, USA and Canada are always looking for freshers to help them improve their skills and grow future blockchain experts in-house. Therefore, those engineers can earn somewhere between $89,900 and $103,730 per year in the United States. In Europe, they are paid somewhere between $13,577 and $30.000 per year.

Middle Blockchain Developers (4-8 years)

Middle blockchain developers are in high demand now worldwide. This is because they are paid lower than senior ones but get the required skill set to deliver a high-quality product. While the U.S. offers a salary of up to $170,308 per year, in Europe, these experts can expect only up to $50.000 early. However, they often get various bonuses and compensation when working full-time in both areas. The average salary of these experts is $105,000. 

Senior Blockchain Developers ( over 8 years)

These experts will always be welcomed in almost every country worldwide. However, startups are usually not able to pay as much as large companies. Senior developers can also work as team leads which only increases their salary. Since it can be hard for companies to find senior blockchain engineers, they offer various bonuses to attract them like relocation for the whole family, remote work if necessary, MacBooks, needed equipment, and more. In the U.S., these developers get $154,550 on average, while Europe offers somewhere $50.000 – $150.000. An average developer with over 8 years of experience gets $146,250 per year. 

Blockchain Developer Salary: Based on Jobs & Positions

Smart Contract Engineer

The responsibilities of this expert include the following ones:

• Architecture and design of protocols with a focus on security, performance, and scalability.
• Write, deploy, and test smart contracts as well as maintain them in production.
• Develop best ways for protocol upgrades and versioning across various networks.

The salary of the smart contract engineer, on average, is $160,556 per year.

Core Engineer

As the name applies, the core blockchain developer creates the foundation upon which everyone else will work later. This expert is responsible for the design, security, and architecture of the proposed Blockchain network. Being one of the most vital engineers in the project, core engineers can earn up to $175,000 per year.

Blockchain Architect

Blockchain architect creates end-to-end solutions for customers using blockchain. The roles of this developer include:

• Overall blockchain ecosystem engagement strategy development.
• Creation of performance metrics to check blockchain performance.
• Perform the risk/ failure analysis to prepare for risk mitigation.

The yearly salary of a blockchain architect starts from $18,525 (junior) and ends up at $165,000 (senior). 

Ethereum Developer

Being one of the most popular developers today, they work with the following tasks on a daily basis:

• Ethereum smart contracts development
• Working with Solidity programming language 
• Smart contract and decentralized app development teams support
• Creation and testing of customer-facing decentralized applications
• Coordinate the work of partners and contractors

The salary of these engineers on average is $80.000 – $100.000 per year.

Front-end Blockchain Developer

These engineers are responsible for a vast range of tasks and are different from regular front-end devs. They set up smart contracts, create front-end designs for applications as well as provide the supervision of the application stack. An average front-end blockchain developer can earn $115,000 per year. 

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Skills Required To Become A Highly Paid Blockchain Developer

Cryptography

Cryptography refers to the study of protocols that help prevent or reduce the risk of unwanted parties accessing your data. If you want to become a blockchain developer, you will need to learn many essential concepts in cryptography that will be required during blockchain development.

Smart Contracts

Due to the Ethereum blockchain, smart contracts have become popular only in recent years. Today almost every blockchain project uses smart contracts for their benefit.

Data Structures

As a top blockchain developer, you will need a solid knowledge of data structures. This is because engineers always work with different data structures.

Blockchain Architecture

To become a highly-skilled blockchain developer, you have to know blockchain architecture. This includes knowing what a ledger means in blockchain, what consensus is, and an in-depth understanding of how smart contracts work. 

Web Development

It is a common practice for blockchain developers to build web apps. Therefore, web development experience will make you acquainted with all of its aspects.

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Final Thoughts

Due to the high popularity of cryptocurrencies and NFTs, blockchain developers are in high demand today. However, the salary of engineers with the same experience level differs from country to country, where the US is the leader in this space. Junior developers are more welcomed in the U.S. as well and earn lots of money even with 1 year of experience in some cases. Europe also offers many opportunities for blockchain engineers but only with over 8 years of experience. We curated this guide to help you get a better understanding of the average blockchain developer salary in the U.S. and Europe and choose where you want to work. 

FAQs

Who is a Blockchain Developer?

This developer is responsible for developing and optimizing blockchain protocols, creating the architecture of blockchain systems, smart contract development, and more tasks related to blockchain.

How much do blockchain developers make?

The answer depends on the country and experience level. However, in the U.S., these engineers can get the highest salary.

Is blockchain developer in demand?

Absolutely yes! Blockchain developers are the most popular engineers today worldwide and especially in the U.S. and Canada.