Find a realistic contractor rate range for your role, then calculate what you keep after tax and the structure that applies to you.
82roles tracked11cities covered$138/hourtop day rate5roles with rising rates
How to use these rates
Start with the benchmark for your role, check the usual range, then use the calculator to see what the rate means for your own working pattern and structure. City pages are useful when location is part of the decision.
All contract day rate benchmarks
Featured technology roles appear first, followed by the full set of verified contractor benchmarks.
At the top end
Roles with the highest current rate benchmarks
Rates on the move
Where matched data shows the biggest rises
Software Engineering
Principal Software Engineer
$127/hour
$116/hour – $133/hour
+9.0% YoY
Data Science, Analytics & Engineering
Data Engineer (Databricks/Snowflake)
$100/hour
$90/hour – $107/hour
+9.6% YoY
Artificial Intelligence
AI Product Manager
$127/hour
$116/hour – $133/hour
+12.0% YoY
Product, Design & Delivery
Technical Product Manager (TPM)
$105/hour
$94/hour – $110/hour
+7.1% YoY
Infrastructure & Cloud
DevOps Engineer
$96/hour
$86/hour – $104/hour
+8.6% YoY
Cloud & Cybersecurity
Cloud Security Specialist
$127/hour
$116/hour – $133/hour
+12.0% YoY
Cloud Infrastructure
Cloud Architect (AWS / Azure / GCP)
$109/hour
$98/hour – $118/hour
+9.6% YoY
Cybersecurity & Risk
Cloud Security Architect
$100/hour
$91/hour – $109/hour
+9.5% YoY
Enterprise Systems
SAP / Oracle ERP Cloud Consultant
$113/hour
$104/hour – $119/hour
+8.0% YoY
Cloud Infrastructure
Network & Cloud Connectivity Engineer
$99/hour
$91/hour – $105/hour
+7.0% YoY
Cloud Infrastructure
Senior Cloud & Infrastructure Lead
$127/hour
$116/hour – $133/hour
+11.0% YoY
Software Engineering & Development
Frontend Engineer (React/Vue/Next.js)
$76/hour
$70/hour – $80/hour
+6.2% YoY
Software Engineering & IT Leadership
Back-End Developer (Java / Go / Node.js)
$88/hour
$79/hour – $96/hour
+7.0% YoY
Software Engineering
Full-Stack Engineer (React / Next.js / TypeScript)
$84/hour
$75/hour – $91/hour
+6.9% YoY
Data & Analytics
Data Scientist
$100/hour
$90/hour – $107/hour
+9.4% YoY
Security & Risk
Cybersecurity Specialist / Architect
$127/hour
$116/hour – $133/hour
+12.0% YoY
Cybersecurity & Risk
Cybersecurity Engineer / Specialist
$91/hour
$83/hour – $99/hour
+10.6% YoY
Cybersecurity & GRC
Information Security Analyst
$74/hour
$67/hour – $81/hour
+9.4% YoY
Software Engineering & Development
Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)
$105/hour
$94/hour – $114/hour
+9.1% YoY
Design & IT Leadership
UI/UX Designer
$75/hour
$68/hour – $82/hour
+6.0% YoY
Quant & FinTech
Quantitative Developer (C++ / Python)
$127/hour
$116/hour – $133/hour
+12.0% YoY
Design & IT Leadership
Scrum Master / Agile Coach
$72/hour
$65/hour – $78/hour
+5.7% YoY
Software Engineering
QA Automation Engineer
$72/hour
$65/hour – $78/hour
+6.7% YoY
Software, Platform & SaaS Engineering
QA Automation Lead
$99/hour
$91/hour – $105/hour
+6.0% YoY
Smart City & Deep Tech
AI Strategy & Solutions Architect
$127/hour
$116/hour – $133/hour
+14.0% YoY
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
Generative AI Specialist
$108/hour
$98/hour – $118/hour
+13.4% YoY
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
AI Infrastructure Engineer
$103/hour
$93/hour – $111/hour
+13.0% YoY
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
AI Research Scientist
$127/hour
$116/hour – $133/hour
+13.0% YoY
Data & Analytics
MLOps Engineer
$127/hour
$116/hour – $133/hour
+13.0% YoY
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
Deep Learning Scientist
$111/hour
$100/hour – $119/hour
+12.9% YoY
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
AI / ML Engineer
$105/hour
$94/hour – $112/hour
+12.6% YoY
Smart City & Deep Tech
Data Center Facilities Manager / Architect
$127/hour
$116/hour – $133/hour
+12.0% YoY
Web3 Blockchain & Payments
Web3 Security Engineer
$127/hour
$116/hour – $133/hour
+12.0% YoY
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
NLP Specialist
$113/hour
$104/hour – $119/hour
+12.0% YoY
Cybersecurity & Risk
Identity & Access Management (IAM) Engineer
$93/hour
$85/hour – $101/hour
+11.5% YoY
Quant & FinTech
Algorithmic Trading Systems Engineer
$127/hour
$116/hour – $133/hour
+11.0% YoY
Cloud & Cybersecurity
Application Security (AppSec) Engineer
$113/hour
$104/hour – $119/hour
+11.0% YoY
Security & Risk
GRC Lead
$113/hour
$104/hour – $119/hour
+10.0% YoY
Security & Risk
Incident Response Specialist
$113/hour
$104/hour – $119/hour
+10.0% YoY
Cybersecurity & GRC
Security Operations (SecOps) Engineer
$80/hour
$73/hour – $86/hour
+9.6% YoY
Cybersecurity & Risk
Penetration Tester / Ethical Hacker
$92/hour
$82/hour – $100/hour
+9.5% YoY
Data & Analytics
Data Architect
$109/hour
$98/hour – $118/hour
+9.3% YoY
Infrastructure & Cloud
Platform Engineer
$96/hour
$86/hour – $105/hour
+9.2% YoY
Architecture & Integration
API & Integration Architect
$113/hour
$104/hour – $119/hour
+9.0% YoY
Quant & FinTech
Core Banking Systems Specialist (Temenos / Mambu)
$113/hour
$104/hour – $119/hour
+9.0% YoY
Data AI & Analytics
Data Governance & Privacy Lead
$113/hour
$104/hour – $119/hour
+9.0% YoY
FinTech & Payments
Payments Platform Engineer
$113/hour
$104/hour – $119/hour
+9.0% YoY
Security & Risk
Security Operations Center (SOC) Lead
$113/hour
$104/hour – $119/hour
+9.0% YoY
Web3 Blockchain & Payments
Smart Contract / Solidity Developer
$113/hour
$104/hour – $119/hour
+9.0% YoY
Web3 Blockchain & Payments
Virtual Asset Payment / API Engineer
$113/hour
$104/hour – $119/hour
+9.0% YoY
Data & Analytics
Analytics Engineer
$82/hour
$74/hour – $90/hour
+8.7% YoY
Cloud, Platform & Infrastructure
Kubernetes / Container Engineer
$87/hour
$79/hour – $94/hour
+8.4% YoY
Software Engineering
Solutions Architect
$109/hour
$98/hour – $115/hour
+8.3% YoY
Data Engineering & Analytics
Business Intelligence (BI) Developer
$72/hour
$65/hour – $78/hour
+8.2% YoY
Enterprise Systems, ERP & Specialized Tech
Quantum / HPC Computing Specialist
$104/hour
$94/hour – $111/hour
+8.1% YoY
Infrastructure & Cloud
Infrastructure Engineer
$79/hour
$72/hour – $86/hour
+8.1% YoY
Software Engineering
Enterprise Architect
$127/hour
$116/hour – $133/hour
+8.0% YoY
Enterprise Systems
Salesforce / CRM Architect
$113/hour
$104/hour – $119/hour
+8.0% YoY
Data AI & Analytics
Analytics Engineer (dbt / SQL)
$99/hour
$91/hour – $105/hour
+8.0% YoY
Smart City & Deep Tech
IoT & Embedded Systems Engineer
$99/hour
$91/hour – $105/hour
+8.0% YoY
Enterprise Systems, ERP & Specialized Tech
Blockchain / Smart Contract Engineer
$95/hour
$86/hour – $102/hour
+7.7% YoY
Enterprise Systems, ERP & Specialized Tech
SAP Functional / Technical Consultant
$89/hour
$80/hour – $96/hour
+7.7% YoY
Cloud Infrastructure
Database Administrator (Oracle / PostgreSQL / NoSQL)
$84/hour
$75/hour – $91/hour
+7.6% YoY
Enterprise Systems, ERP & Specialized Tech
Workday / ERP Specialist
$83/hour
$75/hour – $90/hour
+7.6% YoY
Software Engineering
Engineering Manager
$113/hour
$101/hour – $121/hour
+7.4% YoY
Software Engineering
Software Architect
$99/hour
$90/hour – $107/hour
+7.4% YoY
Enterprise Systems, ERP & Specialized Tech
FinTech Systems Integration Specialist
$87/hour
$79/hour – $94/hour
+7.4% YoY
Enterprise Applications
Salesforce Developer / Architect
$86/hour
$77/hour – $93/hour
+7.4% YoY
Enterprise Applications
ERP/CRM Specialist
$81/hour
$73/hour – $88/hour
+7.2% YoY
Data AI & Analytics
Business Intelligence (BI) Lead
$113/hour
$104/hour – $119/hour
+7.0% YoY
Product Delivery & Design
IT Program / Project Manager
$113/hour
$104/hour – $119/hour
+7.0% YoY
Quant & FinTech
Front-Office / Trading Floor Application Support
$99/hour
$91/hour – $105/hour
+7.0% YoY
Software Engineering
Mobile Developer
$80/hour
$73/hour – $87/hour
+6.8% YoY
Software Engineering & Development
Embedded Systems / IoT Engineer
$81/hour
$73/hour – $88/hour
+6.7% YoY
Software Engineering & Development
API Integrations Engineer
$76/hour
$68/hour – $82/hour
+6.4% YoY
Cybersecurity
Identity Access Management Engineer
$91/hour
$82/hour – $98/hour
+6.4% YoY
Product, Design & IT Leadership
Enterprise IT Project Manager
$81/hour
$73/hour – $88/hour
+6.2% YoY
Software Engineering
Android Developer
$73/hour
$69/hour – $78/hour
+6.0% YoY
Enterprise Applications
Business Systems Analyst
$99/hour
$91/hour – $105/hour
+6.0% YoY
Product & Design
Product Owner
$77/hour
$70/hour – $82/hour
+5.9% YoY
Cybersecurity & GRC
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
$127/hour
$115/hour – $136/hour
+11.3% YoY
Product, Design & IT Leadership
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
$138/hour
$125/hour – $148/hour
+8.7% YoY
Contractor rate intel
Day rates move. Most people find out too late.
We track contractor rate movements across tech roles each month. Get our monthly roundup: what's up, what's down, and where demand is shifting.
No spam. Unsubscribe any time. GDPR-compliant.
See how contractor day rates vary across United States cities.
Contractor day rates in the United States vary significantly by role and seniority. The highest benchmark on this page is Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at $138/hour. Use the role cards below to find benchmarks for your specific discipline.
Annualise your hourly rate over expected billable hours, then use the US Contractor Rate Calculator to compare W-2 agency vs 1099 sole proprietor take-home under 2026 federal tax, FICA, and self-employment tax, including an optional state tax picker.
Year-on-year signals are shown on each role card where matched prior-year data exists. Currently the fastest-growing contract rate tracked is AI Strategy & Solutions Architect at +14.0% YoY.
Use the range for your role as the evidence base, then adjust for seniority, specialist skills, contract length, location, and whether the rate needs to cover unpaid time or business costs. A benchmark is a starting point for negotiation, not a guaranteed offer.
Use the days you realistically expect to invoice, not every weekday in a year. Allow for holidays, public holidays, gaps between contracts, sick time, training, and non-billable administration. The calculator lets you test the assumption rather than relying on a single annualised number.
A headline rate does not show the effect of tax, unpaid leave, insurance, pension saving, equipment, or the structure through which you work. Model the rate with realistic billable days and your local calculator before comparing it with a permanent salary.