Do scrum masters get paid well? How much does a scrum master make?

If you are considering a career as a scrum master, these questions may be something that you would want to probe further.

Well, you’ve come to the right place.

Scrum masters are professionals who help implement and ensure compliance with the scrum framework and its methodologies in a team.

They work with each team member to coach and guide them through the set roles, procedures, and practices.

Although the scrum framework can be implemented in any type of industry, it is most widely followed in the IT industry.

Given that the average yearly income of scrum masters in the US is $99,492, while their median hourly pay ranges around $46, it is safe to say that these professionals get paid well.

Infact the job of a scrum master is one of the 25 highest paying jobs in America while the scrum master salary in India averages INR 14L per year.

This salary figure changse based on the candidate’s level of experience, location, company, skills, and the industry.

Read on to learn more about the following topics about scrum master salary:

Also read: How to write an impressive scrum master resume?

What is a scrum master?


A scrum master is responsible for helping team members who are working on a project to optimize their efficiency and productivity by facilitating agile methodologies.

They ensure smooth communication between team members and the team leaders to facilitate optimum results.

Although these professionals are not the decision-makers in the team, they identify and remove roadblocks in project development life cycles.

So, are scrum masters high in demand?

According to a report published by the World Economic Forum, 3 out of 9 in-demand roles in product development will be Scrum related by 2022.

Furthermore, it is estimated that the demand for scrum master professionals will increase by 37.9% over the next decade.

Needless to say, if you are considering a career in the IT industry, becoming a scrum master is a lucrative option.

Also read: What is the job description of a scrum master?

Scrum master salary graph

Source: Asana

Scrum Master Salary Based on Experience Level


Irrespective of your job profile or any other factors, the basic criterion that influences your salary is your experience level.

If you are a newbie in the field, your starting salary will be lower than professionals with more experience under their belt.

Likewise, as a scrum master, your salary will increase with your years of experience.

Here are the average salary figures based on experience level in the US:

  • Entry-level scrum master salary - $85,000 per year
  • Senior scrum master salary - $1,17,062 per year

Scrum master salary graph

Source: TakeThisCourse

Also read: What does a scrum master do?

Top Companies Hiring Scrum Masters


Depending on the size, turnover, market value, and workload of an organization, companies offer different salary ranges to scrum masters.

While it may seem enticing to target the highest paying companies for scrum masters, you must also know that the competition among candidates to get hired by these giants is equally ferocious.

Having said that, take a look at US’s top hiring companies (also highest-paying) for scrum masters:

COMPANY YEARLY SALARY
Bank of America $1,20,000
Liberty Mutual Insurance $1,18,941
Wells Fargo $1,17,780
U.S. Bank $1,12,680
IBM $1,02,669
Capital One $1,01,089
Kitestring Technical Services $1,00,175
J.P. Morgan $1,00,521
PNC Financial Services Group $97,180
Accenture $97,093
Fidelity Investments $95,622
Atos-Syntel $91,024
Cognizant Technology Solutions $86,677
Renee Systems $86,050
Wipro $84,702

Top Companies Hiring Scrum Masters in India


COMPANY YEARLY SALARY
Tata Consultancy Services INR 10,76,996
Cognizant Technology Solutions INR 14,14,786
Amdocs INR 15,59,155
Accenture INR 11,78,752
Wipro INR 12,29,264
IBM INR 14,77,606
Capgemini INR 12,31,346

Also read: * How to write an agile resume?

Highest-paying US Cities and States for Scrum Masters


Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty and probe scrum master salaries in various US cities and states.

Scrum Master Salary in the US Cities


Scrum master salary Dallas, TX $100,588
Scrum master salary Chicago, IL $103,152
Scrum master salary Atlanta, GA $96,635
Scrum master salary Charlotte, NC $95,683
Scrum master salary New York, NY $103,986
Scrum master salary Los Angeles, CA $105,816
Scrum master salary Boston, MA $109,902
Scrum master salary Tampa, FL $92,578
Scrum master salary Seattle, WA $1,14,407
Scrum master salary St Louis, MO $96,572
Scrum master salary Miami, FL $96,647

Scrum Master Salary in the US States


Scrum master salary Georgia $115,835
Scrum master salary Arizona $116,623
Scrum master salary Maryland $94,334
Scrum master salary New Jersey $96,021
Scrum master salary California $112,478
Scrum master salary Utah $70,833
Scrum master salary Texas $92,974
Scrum master salary Massachusetts $93,362
Scrum master salary Michigan $76,076
Scrum master salary Florida $82,762

Also read: How much do business analysts make in a year?

Top Skills for Scrum Masters


Although experience plays a vital role while determining your scrum master salary, there are few skills that can contribute to your income.

Here’s a list of scrum master skills that help you earn more:

  • Team leadership
  • Agile software development
  • Scrum
  • Project management
  • JIRA

You can hone these skills by taking certification courses that will not only get you certified but will also give you an edge over the other candidates while applying for scrum master jobs.

Once you get certified, you can include these skills on your scrum master resume to help boost your chances of getting shortlisted.

Besides, Certified Scrum Masters (CSM) earn more than regular scrum masters.

Certified scrum master salary averages around $109k per year in the US.

Consider taking any one or a combination of the following in-demand scrum master certification courses to get certified and ask for a raise at work:

Also read: How to list top employability skills on resume?

Scrum Master Responsibilities


Irrespective of your experience level, starting your career as a scrum master can be highly lucrative, as justified by the stated salary figures.

But why are these professionals paid so well? What are their responsibilities on a day-to-day basis?

The role of a scrum master is such that their duties extend to every team member, including the product head.

And as opposed to their title, they are not the “masters” of a team, and making strategic product decisions does not fall under their responsibility.

They are however responsible for the following general tasks:

  • Coordinating and working with the development team, product owner, and other members of the organization to implement scrum framework
  • Devising techniques to facilitate product backlog management
  • Assisting the product owner to get clarity on product backlog arrangements to achieve optimum value
  • Eliminating project issues and hindrances that affect the team’s productivity and performance
  • Rendering assistance to the development team to produce high-value products before deadlines
  • Facilitating efficiency by conducting frequent reviews and creating transparency in procedures
  • Imparting scrum and agile knowledge to the development team to help them adapt to these methodologies
  • Liaising with different teams and stakeholders to implement scrum practices throughout the product lifecycle
  • Ensuring that the efficiency and productivity of the team increases over time by driving a culture of agility

Also read: What are the top interview questions for a scrum master?

Career Path of a Scrum Master


The career path of a scrum master is incredibly versatile.

As these professionals advance in their careers and gain more experience, they have plenty of career options to choose from.

Generally, scrum masters begin their careers by serving a single team of a particular product.

And with experience, they begin working with several other teams of the same or even different products.

While many choose to follow the same progression and advance to higher-level roles such as senior scrum master and chief scrum master, others choose to explore other roles like product owners, managers, agile coaches, etc.

Take a look at the different roles that scrum masters can step into as they progress in their careers:

Product Owner


If you are interested in the business aspects of product development, you can step into the role of a product owner.

They are responsible for defining user stories, optimizing product backlogs, and liaising between the customers and the development team to effectively meet the user requirements.

The average salary of a product owner is $107,936 per annum in the US.

Also read: How to write a product owner resume in 2022??

Agile Coach


Scrum masters who are passionate about motivating, guiding, and advocating the adoption of agile methodologies in an organization, can become agile coaches.

Agile coaches are agents of change who help increase the overall productivity of the workforce and improve the quality of a company's products.

The average salary of an agile coach in the US is $139,584 per year.

Agile Project Manager


An agile project manager is responsible for overseeing, managing, and motivating agile project teams to attain quality performance and productivity.

They help optimize agile projects and aim to add value to the company's products and services.

Agile product managers are different from regular projects managers in the sense that rather than managing the team members from an executive point of view, they follow the horizontal management approach.

The average agile product manager salary in the US is $117,000 per annum.

Also read: How to craft a project manager resume in 2022?

Key Takeaways

  • Scrum masters are professionals who help implement and ensure compliance with the scrum framework and its methodologies in a team.
  • The average yearly income of scrum masters in the US is $99,492, while their median hourly pay ranges around $46.
  • The entry-level scrum master salary is $85,000 per year, and the senior scrum master salary averages up to $1,17,062 per year.
  • Depending on the size, turnover, market value, and workload of an organization, companies offer different salary ranges to scrum masters.
  • Although experience plays a vital role while determining your scrum master salary, leadership skills, project management, and agile software development are some skills that can boost your income.
  • Certified scrum master salary averages around $109k per year in the US.
  • As opposed to their title, scrum masters are not the “masters” of a team, and making strategic product decisions does not fall under their responsibility.

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