Companies are in search of experienced tech professionals. Today, many companies will go out of their way and offer top dollar in order to bring experienced professionals on board.
Because of years of investment and emphasis on technology education and development, Mexico has a solid cohort of semi-senior and senior developers. Our annual IT salary guide—Mexico’s Tech Salaries Report 2023— revealed some unique insights into the local ecosystem and senior developer salaries.
Mexico’s tech ecosystem has not only grown in size in the last decade or so—with thousands of new tech professionals entering the workforce— but it has also expanded in terms of its variability and diversity. Tech professionals with the most experience have been on the front lines of the changing industry for more than a few years now. So what does this population of software developers, engineers, and managers specialize in and how much do they earn?
Senior Developers in the U.S. and Mexico
According to our latest survey, half of Mexico’s tech talent has six or more years of experience. This is a direct result of the educational programs and the emphasis that the country has put on training young people in tech-related professions in the past few years. It has led to more and more young professionals embarking on a career in the technical fields.
In the U.S. a mid-level software engineer has about 3 to 6 years of experience.
In the United States, for example, data from Zippia indicated that there are 526,174 senior software engineers employed in the U.S. currently. In the U.S. economy, tech occupations make up a total of more than 6.4 million workers. Given the massive size of the technology sector in the U.S, the job openings in the sector continue to outpace the available talent, particularly when it comes to more niche or specialized positions that require a little more experience.
Today, software developers and engineers possess a wide range of skills. In addition to the technical expertise necessary to operate in their field, they need to accumulate essential soft skills such as analytical thinking, communication, troubleshooting, and leadership skills. For advanced managerial positions, the years of technical know-how stack up with the organizational skills needed to lead or head a development team. This is very valuable for growing companies that need stability and leadership as they move forward.
Seniority Levels in the U.S. vs. Mexico’s Tech Industry
The United States measures seniority and experience slightly differently, although the trajectory is similar in the U.S. as it is in Mexico. In the U.S., software engineers begin as entry-level interns or junior engineers. At this stage they are developing skills and learning the ropes of working in a real-world environment. Once people get to three to six years of experience, they graduate to become mid-level or intermediate engineers. Beyond this stage, when engineers develop more ability to work independently and solve problems, they can move up to the senior engineer status, and this usually implies about four to seven years of experience.
Mexico’s experience level is categorized differently. So, for example, a semi-senior developer in Mexico has about the same amount of years as a senior developer in the U.S, but given that it takes a little longer for Mexico’s developers to accumulate the same experience as working U.S. developers, seniority in Mexico is measured in more categories. For our Mexico Tech Salaries 2023, we divided experience levels as follows:
| Junior | 0-2 yrs experience |
| Middle | 2-5 yrs experience |
| Semi-Senior | 5-10 yrs experience |
| Senior | 10-15 yrs experience |
| Expert | >15 yrs experience |
Top Programming Languages Used by Senior Developers in Mexico
Our recent IT salary guide provides a multidimensional look into the Mexican tech ecosystem and what the tech talent in the country is all about. Our report revealed that the top programming languages used in Mexico are:
- JavaScript
- Java
- Python
- SQL
- C++
When it comes to experienced developers in correlation with the most used languages, the picture looks a little bit different. According to our survey, C# is the language most commonly used by experienced developers followed by SQL. Both of those languages have been around a long time and are widely used thanks to their versatility and the ability to apply them to a wide range of applications like mobile apps, desktop, games, websites, and more.
- C#: The chart also shows some interesting trends. More senior and semi-senior respondents cited C# as their main programming language. C# is, of course, one of Microsoft’s primary programming languages and is therefore a default requirement to programmers or developers working with Microsoft tools. It is also a language used across many platforms.
- SQL: SQL or Structured Query Language is used for database management, business management, and sales report, used by platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat for database management to store the profile information of users.
- JavaScript: Third on the list is JavaScript, which has also been around for a while and has expanded in functionality. While it started mostly as a web development tool, it is now used widely in many different applications and functions. This popular programming language is used by many senior developers and engineers, as well as semi-seniors, and middle developers.
Top Programming Languages in the U.S. and Worldwide
In Stack Overflow’s 2022 developer survey, professional developers reported JavaScript as the top language in the U.S. followed by HTML/CSS, SQL, and Python.
According to one Statista estimate, the most used programming languages among developers worldwide differ somewhat from those prominent in Mexico’s tech ecosystem. Statista’s graph shows JavaScript, HTML/CSS, and SQL as the top three worldwide.
How Much Do Senior Developers Make in Mexico?
Salaries vary widely based on several factors like region, specialization, and experience. Our recent survey showed that the average salary for a senior developer in Mexico is $4,285 USD. This, of course, will vary based on specialization, job role, and other factors.
Specialization has a big impact on the salary of a software developer or engineer. Our survey revealed that Python seems to be the highest-paying specialization in terms of programming language among senior developers. Here is a snapshot of some of the common languages and their median salary among senior developers in Mexico.
| Senior Developer | Median Salary/month |
| Javascript | $3,783 |
| Python | $4,162 |
| Java | $3,900 |
| SQL | $3,243 |
| C++ | $3,242 |
Source:CodersLink 2023
For C#, the median salary among senior and expert developers is: $5,129 per month, according to our data. Zip Recruiter reports the annual pay for Senior C# developer in the United States as $121,842 a year or $10,153.5 per month.
Our survey showed that most of Mexico’s tech professionals hover around their early or mid-thirties. When it comes to senior developers between age 30 and age 40, the median salary is about $4,324 per month.
To learn more about IT Salaries by role, download our Mexico Tech Salaries Report 2023.
Find Qualified Talent Among Mexico’s Senior Developers
The tech industry might be in the midst of a correction, but the skills needed to develop the technological infrastructure that has got us to where we are today is going nowhere. Software developers, engineers, designers, and everything in between, continue to be in great demand across all sectors.
Find qualified and experienced talent among Mexico’s developers and engineers. Want to know how you dip into this competitive market? Or learn more about the senior developer salaries? Connect with our team and learn about the options for hiring remote developers in Mexico.
