Survey: Average US developer makes $79,000

While the US game industry underwent numerous closures and layoffs in a turbulent 2008, those developers who kept their jobs made more money on average, according to Game Developer Research. According to a survey of more than 3,880 game makers, the average US developer salary was $79,000 in 2008, up 7 percent from the previous year's $74,000 (which was up only slightly over 2006's results).

On average, the best-paid developer positions were in business and marketing, with people in those roles bringing in an average of $102,143. After the salesmen, the highest-paid positions were programmers ($85,024), producers ($82,905), sound designers ($78,167), artists ($69,532), and game designers ($67,379).

Bringing up the rear were quality assurance testers, who brought in a median income of $39,751--half the average developer salary. According to the US Census Bureau, the average household income in the country for 2007 was $50,233.

To prevent skewed results, the survey excluded reported salaries under $10,000, as well as those from students or educators. Also omitted were salaries over $202,500. More results from the survey can be found in the April issue of Game Developer.