Where web developers are commanding the biggest salaries

By Investor Empires On May 20, 2024

Over the past two or three decades, web development has been a growing industry, with millions of people able to develop relatively lucrative career paths. The typical web developer in the United States earns $92,750 per year, According to the data From the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Web developers “take what a designer might have put together and code the design” to create a website or web page, says Dan Martino, digital director and founder of Web Developers. 914 digital, a New York-based digital media company. “If you look at your browser, a developer has taken all the graphics and coded them.”

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Working with different programming language tools, developers create and publish websites, and can work on either the front-end or back-end of those sites. It's a relatively specialized skill set as well, which is what has traditionally made web development a high-paying career path.

How much do web developers make?

As mentioned, the average pay for web developers in the United States, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, is about $93,000 per year. But there are other estimates as well, and many factors that can ultimately impact what a particular developer ultimately earns. For example salary Data from reality It shows average base salaries for developers at just under $80,000 per year.

Where the developer lives also plays a big role in what they might expect to earn as well. For example, Washington, D.C. and states like California and Washington — which are home to large tech hubs like Silicon Valley and Seattle — tend to see high average developer salaries. But experts say things are changing.

“There has been some movement away from some of the tech hubs,” says Nick Bunker, director of North American economic research at Indeed. “Some of the biggest declines, in terms of overall web developer job numbers, were in San Francisco, Seattle, and San Jose,” he explains. This is part of a broader slowdown in the tech sector, but Pinker says developers “with the right skills, abilities and relationships to get in” are more likely to earn a good salary.

Cities and states with a large technology presence are one factor that can increase developers' profits. So, again, states like California, Washington, Virginia (bordering the District of Columbia), Massachusetts (Boston), and Texas (Austin), tend to be in the upper tier in terms of developer salaries.

Cost of living

Naturally, different cities and states have varying levels of affordability and costs of living. For example, a web developer earning an average salary in California may not feel like they have the same purchasing power as a developer earning the same salary in, say, Wyoming.

For potential developers, this is something to keep in mind. As remote work becomes more widespread, there may be an opportunity to try to take advantage of negotiating a higher salary compared to the local cost of living.

Web developer salary by state

Here's how web developer salaries rank by state, according to Latest data available (May 2023) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in descending order. You will also see the corresponding annual average cost of living index for the state, According to calculations by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC)..

“MERIC derives each state's cost of living index by averaging indices for participating cities and metropolitan areas in that state,” the MERIC website says, weighing the costs of categories such as groceries, housing, utilities and transportation. In general, for simplicity's sake, the higher a state's cost of living index, the higher the cost of living.

Here's how the average income of web developers ranks in each state, and each state's corresponding cost of living index, per MERIC:

Rank	location	Average income	Cost of living index
1	Washington, DC	$112,490	146.8
2	California	$111,910	138.5
3	Washington	$108,410	116
4	Virginia	$105,830	101.9
5	Delaware	$102,450	101.1
6	illinois	$100,580	92.1
7	Massachusetts	$99,850	146.5
8	Minnesota	$93,780	94.1
9	Texas	$93,180	92.7
10	New Hampshire	$91,210	114.1
11	Connecticut	$88,640 (restricted)	112.8
11	Georgia	$88,640 (restricted)	90.8
12	Michigan	$88,460	90.6
13	South Carolina	$88,450	95.3
14	Alaska	$88,090	125.2
15	Pennsylvania	$87,260	95.6
16	Ohio	$83,160	94.7
17	Maryland	$83,150	116.5
18	New Jersey	$79,590	113.9
19	rhode island	$79,940	110.7
20	New York	$79,230	125.9
21	Vermont	$79,030	115.3
22	Florida	$78,640	100.7
23	Oklahoma	$77,660	86.2
24	Tennessee	$77,010	90.3
25	North Carolina	$76,530	95.3
26	Kansas	$72,870	87.1
27	nebraska	$70,310	90.9
28	yeah	$69,410	90.3
29	Kentucky	$68,860	92
30	Missouri	$68,430	88.5
31	West Virginia	$67,390	87.7
32	wisconsin	$67,060	95.1
33	Arizona	$66,960	108.4
34	Utah	$66,720	103.2
35	who	$65,890	109.9
36	Louisiana	$64,820	91
37	Oregon	$64,260	114.7
38	Colorado	$64,240	105.1
39	North Dakota	$63,560	94.6
40	Alabama	$63,020	88.3
41	Nevada	$63,020	101
42	Wyoming	$62,890	92.4
43	Montana	$57,970 (restricted)	102.9
43	Mississippi	$57,970 (restricted)	86.3
44	Indiana	$57,470	91
45	Idaho	$56,690	98.6
46	South Dakota	$50,770	92.4
47	Puerto Rico	$48,160	There are no data
48	Arkansas	$42,140	89
49	Hawaii	There are no data	180.3
50	New Mexico	There are no data	94

Web developer salary by state
1
Washington, DC
$112,490
146.8
2
California
$111,910
138.5
3
Washington
$108,410
116
4
Virginia
$105,830
101.9
5
Delaware
$102,450
101.1
6
illinois
$100,580
92.1
7
Massachusetts
$99,850
146.5
8
Minnesota
$93,780
94.1
9
Texas
$93,180
92.7
10
New Hampshire
$91,210
114.1
11
Connecticut
$88,640 (restricted)
112.8
11
Georgia
$88,640 (restricted)
90.8
12
Michigan
$88,460
90.6
13
South Carolina
$88,450
95.3
14
Alaska
$88,090
125.2
15
Pennsylvania
$87,260
95.6
16
Ohio
$83,160
94.7
17
Maryland
$83,150
116.5
18
New Jersey
$79,590
113.9
19
rhode island
$79,940
110.7
20
New York
$79,230
125.9
21
Vermont
$79,030
115.3
22
Florida
$78,640
100.7
23
Oklahoma
$77,660
86.2
24
Tennessee
$77,010
90.3
25
North Carolina
$76,530
95.3
26
Kansas
$72,870
87.1
27
nebraska
$70,310
90.9
28
yeah
$69,410
90.3
29
Kentucky
$68,860
92
30
Missouri
$68,430
88.5
31
West Virginia
$67,390
87.7
32
wisconsin
$67,060
95.1
33
Arizona
$66,960
108.4
34
Utah
$66,720
103.2
35
who
$65,890
109.9
36
Louisiana
$64,820
91
37
Oregon
$64,260
114.7
38
Colorado
$64,240
105.1
39
North Dakota
$63,560
94.6
40
Alabama
$63,020
88.3
41
Nevada
$63,020
101
42
Wyoming
$62,890
92.4
43
Montana
$57,970 (restricted)
102.9
43
Mississippi
$57,970 (restricted)
86.3
44
Indiana
$57,470
91
45
Idaho
$56,690
98.6
46
South Dakota
$50,770
92.4
47
Puerto Rico
$48,160
There are no data
48
Arkansas
$42,140
89
49
Hawaii
There are no data
180.3
50
New Mexico
There are no data
94

Ready meals

Web developers tend to have relatively high salaries, but compensation can vary widely depending on many factors, including where you live. In general, developers are more likely to earn higher salaries in states with tech hubs, like California or Washington, where cities like San Francisco and Seattle are home to many major tech companies.

But with changes in the technology sector and the rise of remote work, developers may have more options to gauge their options and try to live in areas with lower costs of living. But it's also important to keep in mind that starting in 2024, the tech sector will shrink slightly, and there won't be as many jobs as there were a few years ago.

“This is a slowdown in a job that pays very well, compared to other jobs,” Bunker says. “There has been a noticeable decline,” he says, but in the long term, web development should remain an area of growth and opportunity.