Stack Overflow Survey: Rust and Go Dominate Developer Satisfaction

The 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey results are in, and Rust and Go have once again topped the "most loved" and "most wanted" programming language categories. The survey, which collected responses from over 90,000 developers worldwide, provides valuable insights for job seekers looking to skill up.

Most loved languages (% of developers who want to continue using them):
1. Rust — 87.2%
2. Go — 78.4%
3. TypeScript — 75.1%
4. Kotlin — 72.8%
5. Python — 71.3%

Most in-demand languages by job postings:
1. Python — driven by AI/ML boom
2. TypeScript — dominant in full-stack web development
3. Go — growing in cloud infrastructure and microservices
4. Rust — expanding in systems programming and WebAssembly
5. Java — maintaining enterprise stronghold

Salary premiums by language (US market):
- Rust developers: +22% above average ($172,000 median)
- Go developers: +18% above average ($168,000 median)
- Python (ML focus): +15% above average ($165,000 median)
- TypeScript: +8% above average ($155,000 median)

For international developers targeting visa-sponsoring roles, the survey highlights an important trend: companies sponsoring visas disproportionately hire for Python, TypeScript, and Go roles. Rust positions, while high-paying, tend to be at larger companies with established sponsorship programs.

The survey also found that developers who contribute to open-source projects receive 34% more recruiter outreach, making it one of the most effective strategies for job seekers — especially those seeking international opportunities where portfolio visibility matters.