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Kubernetes Developer Salary and Equity in 2026
How much can a Kubernetes developer expect to make at US-based startups? The average estimated salary for Kubernetes developers is 136k per year, with a range from 84k to 225k. The salary range for Kubernetes developers varies depending on factors such as location, industry, experience, and startup stage.
136.3k
Average Salary
4 years
Average years of experience
Salary
The average salary for a Kubernetes developer is$136,333, which is 20.8% higher than the average startup salary of$112,833. Kubernetes developer salaries are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: location, years of experience, title, size of company, and industry.
Top of market
$200,208/yr
Range $180k - $225k
Average
$136,333/yr
Range $129k - $143k
Below Average
$94,250/yr
Range $84k - $115k
Top Locations
The highest average salary a Kubernetes developer can get in Los Angeles, that is $170,000. This pay is 24.7% higher than the average Kubernetes salary in startups, which is $136,333. Salaries will vary based on your location. The top-paying markets in the US, on average, are currently: Los Angeles (avg $170,000 per year), San Francisco Bay Area (avg $170,000 per year), Remote (avg $162,000 per year). Remote jobs often pay based on the location you reside in.
Los Angeles
$170k
Remote
$162k
Denver
$150k
Boston
$142k
Austin
$140k
Chicago
View SalariesNew York
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View SalariesIndustries
The highest average salary a Kubernetes developer can get in Nonprofits, that is $279,000. This pay is 24.1% higher than the average Kubernetes salary, which is $224,900. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Nonprofits (avg $279,000 per year), Doctors (avg $225,000 per year), Patient Management (avg $225,000 per year).
Tech Stack
Top Tech Stacks
The top-paying developer skills of 2026 are:
1. Celery
$202k
2. Clojure
$195k
3. OpenCV
$192k
4. Clojurescript
$187.5k
5. Symfony
$175k
6. Scipy
$175k
7. Heroku
$165k
8. Dart
$160k
9. Amazon ECS
$155k
10. DynamoDB
$150k
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary a Kubernetes developer can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $150,000. This pay is 32.9% higher than the average salary in startups, which is $112,833. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.
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