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SQL remains one of the most widely used languages by software developers and is a key skill for backend developers working with data. Here, we’ll look at the average SQL developer salary in Germany and how it compares to backend developers’ other widely used languages; Python and Java.
Average entry-level and junior SQL developer salary trends
Average salaries for entry-level SQL developers with fewer than two years of experience start at €35 127 per year for software engineers. At this stage of their careers, they earn 5.1% less than their Python counterparts and 11.6% less than the average entry-level Java developer.
Once they’ve been in the profession for at least two years, SQL developers can expect the most significant pay increase of their careers at 27.2%. This puts the average junior SQL developer salary at €44 680 per year, 5% less than their Python counterparts but 2.2% ahead of junior Java developers.
Mid-level SQL developers can look forward to an additional 17.9% pay increase at the four-to-six years of experience mark. This gives them an average salary of €52 666. Despite this increase, they’ve been overtaken by mid-level Java developers and the gap between them and intermediate Python developers has widened to 11.5%.
Average senior SQL developer salary trends
Salary growth for SQL developers initially remains stable as they reach higher levels of seniority. This breaks from a trend seen among other developers who start to see their salary growth slow at the senior level.
SQL developers with at least six years of experience can expect an 18% pay rise, giving them an average annual salary of €62 126. At this stage of their careers, they still trail behind senior Python developers by 11.2% but now earn 2.4% more than Java developers with comparable experience.
Once they pass the ten year mark, SQL developers see their salaries increase by an additional 14%. This puts the average senior SQL developer salary at €70 818 per year. Despite this increase, they still earn 9.9% less than their Python counterparts and 2.2% less than those working with Java.
Average SQL Developer Salaries by Experience
Average Salary by Years Experience, showing 25th and 75th percentiles
| Years of Experience | 25th Percentile | Average | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-2 | €26,040 | €35,127 | €46,750 |
| 2-4 | €31,800 | €44,680 | €58,000 |
| 4-6 | €40,800 | €52,666 | €64,080 |
| 6-10 | €49,000 | €62,126 | €74,000 |
| 10-15 | €50,000 | €70,818 | €85,000 |
Keep in mind
The data in this article is taken from StackOverflow’s 2022 Developer Survey’s open data. In this article, ‘salary’ refers to the gross annual salary (before tax) provided by 600 survey respondents from Germany who identified as SQL developers.
We only included salary insights for experience levels with enough data points to ensure that the amounts represent SQL developers in the country. That’s why we’ve omitted developers with more than fifteen years of experience from the article.
We also ran an outlier analysis to identify data points skewing the distribution of salaries. These points were removed from the final dataset to ensure that the amounts are representative of SQL developers in Germany. We’ve also included the 25th and 75th percentiles to give you further information about the distribution of salary data.
Average salaries are single data points and only one part of a bigger story. Many respondents may earn significantly more or significantly less than these averages. However, we hope to show underlying trends by mapping the average salaries for different experience levels.
These averages should not be used to estimate what your actual salary will or should be. Salaries depend on the company size, industry, individual, perks and nature of the work. These factors all influence the salary a company will offer to a prospective hire. In addition, most developers are “fluent” in several languages and work across multiple roles, which will also affect the final figures.
It’s also important to remember that every individual’s context is different. Salary is a personal conversation that should take place between employee and employer.
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