Web Developer Salary:

As with any career, you’ll want to know what Web Developers earn before committing to this path. In 2021, the median salary for a Web Developer in the United States was $78,300 per year. The annual salary for an entry-level Web Developer is generally between $51,000 and $74,000, while a senior developer can make up to $155,000 annually in some locations. Additionally, once you enter the profession, you can create opportunities to increase your salary by gaining new skills and certifications. For example, a developer specializing only in front end or back end work can command a higher salary by expanding into full stack development. A front end developer who gets certification in JavaScript or another relevant skill can also command a higher salary from a current or prospective employer. The more you build your skills and credentials, the higher your salary will likely become.

What is a Web Developer?

A Web Developer builds websites and web applications for companies or clients who hire them to create a product that serves a specific purpose. They are responsible for meeting the project objectives while providing a positive experience for the end user. Web Developers write and test the product’s code and are often responsible for maintaining performance and capacity. 

Various specializations fall under the Web Development umbrella. A front end developer focuses on the visual elements of a website or application—that is, the interface that the end user sees and interacts with. A back end developer designs and creates the site’s behind-the-scenes structure and functionality. However, the type of web developer most desirable to employers is a full stack developer with front end and back-end development skills.

Web developers may work solo or as part of a team, often depending on whether they are freelance or work full-time for a particular company. Almost any business in any industry needs a web developer, but whether they have a web development team or hire a freelance developer will depend on their circumstances. Businesses need web developers because having an online presence increases their client base. Many businesses also need web developers because they want to connect with potential customers through their own web applications. 

Read more about what a Web Developer does.

What Affects Your Pay as a Web Developer

Salaries for Web Developers can vary widely. Some relevant factors include the candidate’s education, experience, skills, specialization, location, and industry.

Education

Your level of education in the field will play a role in the starting salary you may be offered. While you do not need a degree to become a Web Developer, many companies will consider you more qualified if you have a traditional degree. However, a bootcamp or certificate program can also provide the qualifications you need to attain a substantial salary as a Web Developer, assuming your program has a strong reputation for quality education. Employers place a premium on more advanced education within traditional degrees, so a candidate with a master’s degree will typically be offered more than one with a bachelor’s or associate’s.

Experience

Your experience level in the field will also affect the initial salary employers are willing to offer you. Experience includes not only on-the-job experience as a professional Web Developer but also internships, freelance work, and volunteer work relevant to web development. Even more than your education, your practical experience is typically the most critical factor in determining the compensation prospective employers are willing to provide.

Industry

The industry you are looking to work in and the size of the company you want to work for will affect the pay you may be offered. A large corporation’s budget enables it to pay more than a small business, and a tech company can generally afford to offer you more than a mission-driven non-profit. Freelancers can set their own rates but must consider the organizations that hire them. They must be willing to accommodate smaller budgets when calculating their rates if they work primarily with small-to-medium businesses or nonprofits. 

Location

If you search for Web Developer salaries coast-to-coast, you may be impressed by the large numbers visible in job listings for companies in the Bay Area or Seattle, for example. However, when considering the amount you need to be earning, you’ll want to think carefully about the cost of living in the area you will need to live in for your work. In the era of remote jobs, there is more flexibility in the relationship between where you live and where you work, but many Web Developer jobs still want employees to be on-site at least part of the time. 

Another way the area that you work in could affect your pay is the demand for web development skills in that locale. There are already a lot of Web Developers in Cupertino, CA, so the typical entry-level salary for a Web Developer there is about $72,000, which is surprisingly low relative to the cost of living in that area. By contrast, while you may not associate Des Moines, IA with web development, the supply of Web Developers located there is much lower, so even an entry-level developer can expect to make $96,000 on average. Be sure to research your location in depth so you can avoid any mistaken assumptions about the best places to be a Web Developer.

Specialization

As in many fields, Web Developers are financially rewarded for learning specialized skills, especially if those skills are particularly in demand. Aside from the vital skills required for any web development position, some valued skills that a Web Developer might learn to help increase their pay include data analysis, search engine optimization, graphic design, APIs, and the key libraries and frameworks for the programming languages they use.

Pay Range for Web Developers

The salary of a Web Developer ranges widely. It can vary from $51,000 for an entry-level Developer in an area with a low cost of living to $155,000 for a senior developer in a populous and desirable area. The salary you can expect will heavily depend on the type of position you can secure and where your company’s office is located. 

Highest-Earning Job Titles for Web Developers

The job titles for Web Developers that correlate to the highest earnings include Senior Full Stack Developer, Senior Full Stack Engineer, Senior Security Engineer, and Senior Java Developer. Senior Front End and Senior Back End Developers also earn fairly high salaries within the range, as do Senior UX and UI Developers. As you can see, then, the experience level of the Developer has the greatest influence on their pay, followed by the breadth of their qualifications and the specific skills they have at their command.

Learn the Skills to Become a Web Developer at Noble Desktop

To become a Web Developer, you must learn specific skills critical to the job. Noble Desktop can help you build these skills through in-person or live online instruction. Either way, you’ll have access to expert instructors who can clarify issues when you are confused, provide feedback on your work, and guide you through becoming a Web Developer. Small class sizes and the option to retake any course for free once you’ve completed it are additional incentives for studying with Noble Desktop.

Noble offers several relevant certificate programs demonstrating your Web Developer skills and qualifications to share with potential employers and support you in your job search. Completing the software engineering certificate gives you the broadest qualifications and career path options. If you are primarily interested in developing for the front end, consider the front end web development certificate. JavaScript is becoming increasingly popular for web development, so completing the certificate in JavaScript will boost your resume. Opt for the full stack development certificate if you're interested in front end and back end programming. And if you prefer behind-the-scenes programming, pursue the certificate in Python development.

If you’re a beginner in web development, Noble’s hub of articles and resources on web development is a great place to start and plan your learning path. Noble’s web development courses are excellent if you’re eager to start learning but not yet ready to commit to a full certificate.

Key Takeaways

• As with any career path, you should explore the salary offerings for a Web Developer before committing to the profession
• The education you have received will affect your pay, with the highest pay typically going to those who have acquired master’s degrees in the field
• Your experience with web development, including internships and volunteer work as well as job experience, will also factor into what employers are willing to offer you
• The particular industry you take a job in and the size of the business you work for will also shape what a prospective employer can afford to offer you, with more profitable industries and larger corporations typically being able to offer more
• The location you work in will also affect your salary, but be sure to evaluate your salary not only in itself but with regard to how it compares to local cost of living, unless you will be working remotely
• Avoid making assumptions about which areas will have the most demand for Web Developers and how different areas compensate for web development relative to their cost of living
• Your specialization within web development also influences your pay range, with Full Stack Developers typically making the highest salaries
• Depending on all of these factors, Web Developer salaries can range widely, from as low as $51,000 to as high as $155,000
• Experience is the most important factor in determining the salary prospective employers are likely to offer
• You can receive comprehensive training to become a Web Developer through an in-person or live online course with Noble Desktop