Are you considering a career in web development? There’s no doubt that you must have loads of questions — such as what is the average web developer’s salary? Or, what skills do you need to master to become a successful web developer?
Salary can be a tricky topic to navigate, especially since there’s no fixed annual income for web developers. The pay can depend heavily on various factors, including skills, years of experience, location and the company.
However, you can establish a realistic wage by learning more about the industry below.
What Is the Average Web Developer’s Salary?
According to Payscale, a web developer’s median annual salary is $61,016 in the U.S. Meanwhile, the lower-paid makes $42,000 and the highest-paid web developer makes $90,000. Keep in mind that these numbers are for the starting salaries of junior web developers.
You can always expect to make more as you gain experience, develop more skills and get promoted.
Starting Salary for Senior Web Developers
Once you become a senior web developer, you can earn around $99,096 yearly. This number also applies to web developers with at least four years of experience in the field.
Again, this salary depends on various factors. However, this is a good starting point of what to expect if you intend to stay in this industry.
Types of Web Developers
The skill set is one of the most critical factors that determine a web developer’s salary. Generally, web developers fall into three main categories — front-end developers, back-end developers and full-stack developers.
Each position works on different sides of a website and requires knowledge of various tools. Here’s a closer look at each role.
Front-End Web Developers
Front-end developers work on the visual aspect and user experience of a website. They ensure the web’s design is functional and all elements are working properly, including buttons, internal links, navigation and more.
A front–end developer must have the ability to use numerous programming languages to create a website successfully. These tools include CSS, HTML and JavaScript.
On average, front-end developers make $109,479 each year.
Back-End Web Developers
Back-end developers mostly work on the technology that houses the website’s power from behind-the-scenes. These would include databases and servers. They ensure the website is stable and functional.
Back-end developers write code to help communicate the database to visitors. In addition, these developers ensure the user interface is up and running smoothly.
If you choose to become a back-end developer, you can expect to make around $95,574 per year.
Full-Stack Developers
A full-stack developer is someone knowledgeable in both ends of development. In other words, they can develop the front and back-end infrastructures to support a fully functional website. Therefore, they have the skill set to build an entire website alone.
These are the most sought-after types of professionals in the web development market. The average salary of a full-stack developer amounts to $101,106 every year.
While these are the main categories of a developer, there are also other subtypes of web developers you can specialize in, including:
- Mobile Web Developer: These developers must understand mobile responsiveness when designing websites for mobile visitors. This subcategory of a web developer also overlaps with app design and software development.
- WordPress Developer: These developers specialize in developing WordPress websites — a popular content management software. They must be proficient in HTML, CSS, JavaScript and PHP, including WordPress’ back end.
- Web Security Developer: A web security developer is also known as a security software developer or cybersecurity developer. Their job is to secure and protect websites from hackers and fix any attacks that occur.
- Web3 Developer: These developers specialize in decentralized networks like blockchain technology.
What Skills Must You Have to Become a Web Developer?
Web developers must possess various skills, depending on the position they hold in their job. There are also numerous options for their work environment. If you become a developer, you can choose to work from the comfort of your home. Or, you can work in a lively office environment — whichever is most suitable for you.
To become a web developer, you must have a well-rounded portfolio, whether you have a formal college education or not. In addition, web developers must also possess certain skills, including:
- Experience with many web languages and frameworks.
- An analytical mind.
- Project management
- Adaptability to changing sets of standards and languages.
- Communication
Are Web Developers in High Demand?
Web development is one of the most rapidly growing industries worldwide. Though the job industry is growing, salaries will also continue to increase. There’s no oversaturation of this market since the demand for developers is high.
The only downside to this industry is that it can be highly competitive. Yet to maintain a competitive edge, it helps to learn multiple languages and stay abreast of the latest frameworks. On top of that, web developers must have a wide variety of skills to be in demand.
The good news is that the job outlook for web developers is continuing to grow. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it projects there will be a 23% growth in the occupation.
What’s Trending in the Web Development Market?
You can stay relevant in web development by learning what’s trending moving forward. Use the information below to gather inspiration for what to focus on in your career.
Here are some ideas of what to expect will be trending in the near future:
- Single-page apps: These applications run within browsers. They don’t require users to switch pages to find new information. This boosts the user experience by increasing the pace of website browsing.
- Progressive Web Apps: These are websites that act like apps. Users can install and interact with them on any device and typically don’t need a network connection.
- Artificial Intelligence Development: Developers can implement AI in various ways on a website. They can use it to analyze user patterns and behavior, provide customer support with chatbots and automate website maintenance tasks.
- WebAssembly: This allows developers to write code in any programming language and convert it into bytecode, which runs in a browser.
- Voice Search and Navigation: More people are using voice search to look up information in search engines. The use of this tool will continue to increase even further.
- Native apps: Developers create these apps specifically for mobile operating systems. Native apps are powerful in performance and can provide a better user experience.
Enjoy a Career in Web Development
A career in web development can be financially rewarding, seeing as a web developer’s salary is above average for most U.S. workers. If you seek this career, it could be the perfect fit for you.
Continue to search and compare salaries on job boards to see what the general compensation looks like in your area. Once you’ve gained further insight, you can fulfill the demand in this industry and take the next steps to become a qualified website developer.
About The Author
Eleanor Hecks is the Editor-in-Chief of Designerly Magazine, an online publication dedicated to providing in-depth content from the design and marketing industries. When she's not designing or writing code, you can find her exploring the outdoors with her husband and dog in their RV, burning calories at a local Zumba class, or curled up with a good book with her cats Gem and Cali.
You can find more of Eleanor's work at www.eleanorhecks.com.