Ethereum Devs is a low salary of over 50%: Report

A new report from Protocol Guild shows that Ethereum’s core developers are well below industry standards.

The survey collected responses from 111 of the 190 guild members, finding that most people were 50% to 60% less than their peers in similar roles.

Compensation gap

Median salary for Ethereum developers surveyed came in at around $140,000 compared to an offer average of $300,000 on rival projects. The report also details pay by focus area, with an average salary of $130,000 for client developers, $215,000 for researchers and $130,000 for adjustment roles.

Additionally, these contributors said they did not get fairness or token exposure from their employers. The general allocation was $0, with only 37% of respondents receiving something. Meanwhile, final stage offers made to rival organizations over the past year included a median or token share of 6.5%. This ranges from 10% to 30% co-founding level allocations to 0.1% to 3% early employee grants.

The gap created pressure. Almost 40% of respondents have received external job offers over the past year. In total, 108 people were disclosed across 42 people, with an average package reaching $359,000. Some developers said they were also offered $700,000 to move elsewhere.

Finishing wage gaps

Founded in 2022, the Protocol Guild has become a lifeline for such developers. Boasted by the “1% commitment” of projects that include Eigenlayer, Ether.fi, Taiko and Puffer, the group has distributed more than $33 million since its launch. Vanek also pledged 10% of its profits in 2023, from its spot ether ETFs to initiatives.

Over the past 12 months, the average guild member has received $66,000 through this fund, with a median distribution of $74,285. This support represents almost a third of the total annual pay for many employees, with average salary increasing from $140,000 to $207,121.

The survey responses demonstrate how important this additional support is, with 59% of participants rated the guild’s funds as “very” or “very important” to their ability to continue working with Ethereum.

The network secures nearly $1 trillion in value, serves millions of users, and relies on major upgrades to power thousands of applications. Protocol Guild warned that inadequate compensation would put Ethereum at risk by undermining developer retention, slowing roadmap progress and threatening long-term neutrality.

The group also emphasized that adjusting wages to market rates is important to maintain talent and ensure future growth of the ecosystem.