Even entry-level positions allow developers to earn high salaries. In North America, the average annual salary for blockchain developers exceeds $150,000.
The cryptocurrency job market encompasses not only technical positions but also roles such as product managers, chief technology officers, and compliance officers, all of which offer high compensation.
Cryptocurrency CEOs primarily accumulate vast wealth through equity and token distribution, rather than just base salaries. Industry leaders like Changpeng Zhao (CZ) have net worths reaching billions of dollars.
The cryptocurrency job market fluctuates with industry cycles, with job openings increasing during bull markets and declining during bear markets.
The overall cryptocurrency market cap first surpassed $4 trillion in August 2025. This is not only a high-profit market for investors but also has spawned a rapidly growing and highly attractive job market.
Developers can earn six-figure salaries, while many cryptocurrency CEOs have amassed billions in wealth. The industry now encompasses a complete career ecosystem, including smart contract development, community management, and the birth of unicorn startups.
The growth and wealth foundation of cryptocurrency begins with developers—they build the infrastructure that makes everything possible.
According to data from the Web3 Careers platform, as of September 2025, the average annual salary for blockchain developers is $150,000, with a salary range of $78,000 to $262,000. Ethereum developers earn between $80,000 and $260,000 annually, while smart contract developers have an average annual salary of about $125,000.
Geographic location and experience significantly impact salaries. Developers in North America generally earn higher salaries—average salaries for blockchain and Web3 positions in the U.S. far exceed $140,000, especially for mid to senior-level positions.
Developers can also earn additional income through freelancing and participating in decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) projects, supplementing traditional salaries. Participation in DAO projects can add thousands of dollars to monthly income, along with opportunities for token rewards. During periods of cryptocurrency market prosperity, token values can increase significantly.
While developers are the builders of the ecosystem, creating successful Web3 projects or blockchain components requires more roles to be involved.
Product and management positions also enjoy high salaries, as cryptocurrency combines technology, economics, and user experience, necessitating stable leadership to oversee the entire operation.
Data from the Web3.Career platform shows that the average annual salary for product managers is about $171,000, while project managers earn around $122,000. Chief technology officers can earn over $300,000 annually.
Cryptocurrency organizations also face increasingly complex regulatory challenges. There is a strong demand for legal professionals in the cryptocurrency field, while most traditional law firms and accounting firms are unable to handle matters related to digital tokens.
Legal services have become a scarce resource in the industry. In the Web3 field, legal professionals have an average annual salary of about $170,000, with a base salary range of $120,000 to $275,000. Compliance officer salaries vary widely—entry-level positions are around $75,000, while senior positions can far exceed $150,000, depending on jurisdiction and company size.
The highest earners in the cryptocurrency field are typically CEOs and founders. While it is difficult to accurately estimate the salaries of startup CEOs, many have a base salary of around $150,000 in 2025, in addition to potential earnings from equity or tokens. This salary is higher than that of many founders of traditional tech startups.
However, this is just the base salary, which usually constitutes only a small portion of total compensation. The true wealth of founders and executives often comes from their equity and token allocations.
In some cryptocurrency startups, successful founders can still hold 5%-15% of shares even after early-stage equity dilution. The allocation of tokens for founders typically ranges from 5%-25% of the total supply, with specific percentages varying by project, stage, and structure.
This high-profit industry is dominated by top billionaires.
Top cryptocurrency success stories have created unprecedented wealth. Here are some of the wealthiest individuals in cryptocurrency:
Changpeng Zhao (CZ): Founder and former CEO of Binance, with an estimated net worth of $82.6 billion in 2025. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index attributes about 90% of Binance's shares to him, and he also holds a significant amount of BNB (BNB) tokens.
Giancarlo Devasini: CFO of Bitfinex and a founding member of Tether, the largest stablecoin issuer by market cap and one of the most traded crypto assets. He is estimated to hold about 47% of Tether, with a net worth of approximately $22.4 billion.
Brian Armstrong: CEO of Coinbase, holding about 19% of the company, with a net worth of $13 billion.
Michael Saylor: A non-crypto native individual currently serving as Executive Chairman of Strategy (formerly Strategy). He has publicly stated that he personally holds about 17,732 bitcoins (BTC), while Strategy holds approximately 639,835 bitcoins.
Chris Larsen: Co-founder and long-time Executive Chairman, holding 250 million XRP tokens and significant equity in Ripple Labs. With XRP rebounding in 2025 (over $3) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission withdrawing further appeals, industry insiders estimate his net worth to be between $9 billion and $11 billion.
The cryptocurrency industry has shown cyclical characteristics in its first 15 years. The job market is often directly related to industry performance.
During bull markets, company valuations and profits grow rapidly, with hundreds of new job openings each month, alongside a surge in demand for products and services. Trading volumes on exchanges rise, customer demand increases, and companies hire on a large scale to support operations.
During bear markets, job openings decrease significantly. Companies are forced to lay off employees and improve operational efficiency, as profit margins tighten, operations become unprofitable, customer demand declines, and token prices fall.
Related: Nasdaq-listed Predictive Oncology launches $344 million DePIN treasury linked to Aethir (ATH)
Original article: “From Programmer to CEO: Who Will Make Money from Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) in 2025”
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