Web3 salaries have fallen to their lowest level since December 2021, just one year after reaching record highs in early 2025, Finbold reporting has found.
The average Web3 worker in May 2026 earns around US$138,000 a year – a 75.1 per cent decline from the January 2025 peak of US$553,000. Compared to December 2021 levels at around US$205,000, salaries are down roughly 32.7 per cent.
Between December 2021 and May 2026, the average Web3 salary was around US$239,000, meaning current pay is approximately 42 per cent below the period average.
The average salary stood at approximately US$293,000 in 2022 before declining to about US$223,000 in 2023 and US$206,000 in 2024. In 2025, the yearly average climbed to roughly US$275,000, propped by the above-mentioned January record.
However, that momentum has since reversed. So far in 2026, the average Web3 stands at US$181,000, with May’s US$138,000 figure marking the lowest monthly average in the dataset.
“With the average salaries and the number of new Web3 job openings going down over the past five years, it is evident that the industry has entered a highly competitive, selective phase. Should the trend continue, even lower compensation, a smaller number of openings, and increasingly fiercer competition among candidates could become the new norm,” said author of the report Marko Marjanović,.
As of May 2026, Web3 CTO positions have the highest average salary of roughly US$150,000 per year, with a minimum base salary of US$50,000 and a maximum of US$350,000.
Lead developers make the least amount of money, with salaries ranging from US$80,000–US$247,000, or about US$151,000 a year on average.
North American developers have the highest average salary (US$143,000 per year, to be precise), with a minimum base salary of US$80,000 and a maximum of US$260,000.
Oceanian developers have the lowest salaries, making US$112,000 a year on average, making between US$90,000 and US$160,000.
