In CA, thru and agency: C# developer = $75/hr agency, $35-47/hr is for the developer SQL db admin = $70/hr agency, 35-40/hr is for the db C/C++ dev = 100/hr agency, 45-65/hr for the developer HP Nonstop developer $120/hr for the agency, $50-65/hr for the developer Oracle developer $120/hr for the agency, $50-65/hr for the developer This is for the developer on a W2 status with the agency. If they go 1099 or Corp to Corp, they can get around 20% more per hour. As a small business owner I start freelancing at $10-15/hour. Then I my skills grew I went to $20-25/hr. Now as my client base grew I was able to drop the low end paying clients and I now can charge $50/hr. I am confident in another 5yrs I will be able to charge $80/hr. But with the economy I decided not to fight for contract and took full-time work for 94K/yr. I looked at odesk.com and decided that the people posting and the people bidding are really low-end clients. Not the kinda contacts I am interested in. But In the end you CHARGE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN FOR YOUR SKILLS. if its $15/hr or $200/hr, get as much as you can.