From the 2025 DevEco survey: - 71% of Ruby developers have 5+ years of experience, vs 49% overall - 33% of Ruby devs earn over $120k/year, vs 15% across all developers
So Ruby devs are about 45% more experienced than average, yet TWICE as likely to earn top-tier salaries.
Experience clearly plays a role, but it doesn’t explain the full gap. It’s likely tied to where Ruby gets used. Rails monoliths are quietly powering large businesses that value reliability and long-term maintainability over chasing the latest stack trend.
If you’ve already built solid software experience and want to move into a field that pays well and values craftsmanship, Ruby and Rails are excellent bets.