Ethereum Dominates Dev Activity as Crypto Salaries Shift

Ethereum captures more than 75% of developer activity

A study of 85 blockchain developers conducted between June 2024 and June 2025 found Ethereum accounted for over 75% of on-chain development activity, while Polygon grew its share from 11% to 20%. The research — led by Luiz Eduardo Abreu Hadad of Sherlock Communications — highlights a clear trend: developers are favoring established, secure ecosystems rather than building new base layers.

Developers prioritizing real-world solutions over new platforms

Hadad noted developers demonstrate "strong technical maturity" and a focus on solving real-world problems inside trusted environments. This shift reinforces Ethereum's dominance in smart contract deployments, decentralized finance (DeFi) projects, and Layer-2 integrations where scalability and security remain top priorities.

Compensation trends: falling salaries for most, rising pay for executives

Despite Bitcoin's record rallies, Dragonfly Capital reports that crypto salaries declined across nearly every role in 2024–2025. Entry-level positions saw the steepest cuts, while executive pay surged, creating what Dragonfly described as a "barbell effect." International engineering executives earned more than U.S. counterparts for the first time, with ranges of $530,000 to $780,000.

Which roles still command premiums?

Product management executives posted the highest compensation ($390,000–$484,000), and founder pay climbed 37% to $197,000 from $144,000 in 2023. Mid-level roles were largely flat. Specialized Web3 talent remained in high demand: zero-knowledge cryptographers commanded about $300,000 annually, senior smart contract engineers earned $160,000–$250,000, and blockchain developers ranged from $150,000 to $210,000.

Regional pay differences and hiring strategies

Geographic pay scales reflect continued market stratification: North America offered $120,000–$250,000, Europe $82,400–$185,400, and Asia-Pacific $70,000–$150,000. Hiring models became global-first, with 81% of companies adopting international recruitment and Asia’s representation nearly doubling from 20% to 41% year-over-year. Remote work remains dominant: 54% fully remote, 30% hybrid, and just 2% fully in-office.

These trends underscore a mature developer market that prioritizes secure, scalable blockchain ecosystems like Ethereum and Layer-2 networks, while compensation dynamics reshape recruitment for Web3, DeFi, and smart contract engineering roles.

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