Front End Web Developer Salary: How Much Do They Make?

You know your way around HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. You appreciate a website with beautiful aesthetics. You enjoy working on creative projects, and you’re ready to kick start your career or perhaps change career paths. If this sounds like you, you might consider a career as a front-end developer.

A front-end developer, also sometimes referred to as a client-side developer, is someone who deals with the front end of a website or app. This is the part of a website that users see, click, touch and use. As a front-end developer, you make decisions such as fonts, color schemes, and sliders to ensure that users have an immersive experience. A front-end developer is responsible for everything users would interact with on websites.

Front-end developers make a much higher salary than the national average. The role also comes with loads of opportunities and challenges that’ll help you grow, and that’s a big benefit. Most importantly, being a front-end developer requires you to interact with people and work in teams, which back-end developers often miss out on. As a front-end developer, you’ll have to code and sit down with UX and other designers to chalk out solutions to some of the major problems. This makes you a huge piece of the puzzle to ensure that a website performs as it should– now that’s satisfying!

Alright, we said front-end developers don’t top the list of highest-earning jobs. That doesn’t mean they don’t earn well. Keep reading to get a better idea of how much you can earn as a front-end developer.

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Average Salary for Front-End Developers

We’ve put together information from a lot of sources and have concluded that on average, a front-end developer earns somewhere around $86,108 per year. However, this figure may vary depending on the data source.

According to PayScale, the average salary of a front-end developer in the US is $72,701 per year. It was updated on the 15th of July 2020, and the figure is based on the compensation packages of 4,964 front-end developers. According to their data, a front-end developer earns an average hourly rate of $28.78.

According to Glassdoor's study, the national average salary for a front-end developer in the US is $76,929.

Indeed.com also reported on the highest average compensation for front-end developers. According to them, the average base compensation for a front-end developer is $108,695. This was updated on July 23rd, 2020, and is based on the earnings of 9,600 front-end developers. Indeed.com also reports cash bonuses of $2,500 per year.

Front-End Developer Salaries Based on Years of Experience

As expected, if you’re more experienced than your peers, you’ll make more money.

According to PayScale, if you have 0-1 years of experience, you can expect to make roughly $59,287 a year. With 1 to 4 years of experience, you can expect somewhere around $70,000 a year. Employees in their mid-career can expect to make $81,959 a year, while the more experienced ones with 10+ years of experience earn an average of $87,942 a year. You get the drift!

According to Glassdoor, entry-level front-end developers earn an average of $65,407 a year. Developers with 4 to 6 years of experience can earn somewhere around $77,500 a year. While those with more than 7 years of experience take home somewhere around $83,000 a year. Experienced employees with more than 10 years of experience can earn around $89,000 a year. Senior developers who are in their late-career or with more than 15 years of experience earn as much as $103,000 per year.

Front-End Developer Salaries Vary with Location

It’s no surprise that the salaries for front-end developers vary with location. In fact, it’s one of the key factors that influences compensation for front-end developers.

According to PayScale, if you’re a front-end developer in San Francisco, you make 49% more than the national average. Front-end developers in Washington and New York make 18% and 13%, respectively, more than the national average. On the other hand, if you’re a front-end developer in Chicago, Illinois, you earn 1% less than the national average.

According to Glassdoor, the median base pay for front-end developers based on geographical locations is as follows:

Front-end developers earn an average of $112k per year (which is 46% more than the national average) in San Francisco, California.
In Los Angeles, front-end developers take home an average of $83,183 (which is 8% more than the national average) in a year.
If you’re a front-end developer in NYC, you can expect to earn an average of $89,044 (which is 16% more than the national average).
Front-end developers in Washington earn $76,516 (which is 1% less than the national average).

According to Indeed.com, the average salary for front-end developers based on the location are as follows:

Front-end developers in Washington DC earn 21% more than the national average.
In Oregon, front-end developers earn 5% more than the national average.
In New York City, front-end developers earn 7% more than the national average.
Front-end developers in California earn 20% more than the national average.

According to their report, front-end developers in the following cities make the most money:

Front-end developers in San Francisco make $155,841 per year.
Front-end developers in San Jose make $148,521 per year.
Front-end developers in New York make $128,626 per year.
Front-end developers in Chicago make $118,122 per year.
Front-end developers in Austin make $107,374 per year.

Notice the difference in the statistics? The reason behind this is the difference in the number of salaries reported.

Perks And Benefits

Front-end developers, in addition to earning a good sum of money, enjoy other perks and benefits. One of the most important ones is that front-end development is one of the most in-demand jobs. A large part of the world is online, from clothing lines to hospital chains, the majority of companies have their own websites. This has resulted in a growing demand for web developers.

If you want to be your own boss, you can choose to become a freelance front-end developer. By doing this, you can work with more than one company at a time, which will expand your skill set and bring more opportunities your way. Also, as a freelancer, you can work at your convenience and have a flexible work schedule.

Front-end developers have the option to work from home; all you need is a computer and an internet connection. If you work with a company and you’re working from home, your company may even provide you with a computer and reimburse you for the internet connection.

If you ask us, the coolest thing about being a front-end developer is the satisfaction that you get after developing something that makes millions of lives simpler. Regardless of the type of websites you develop, the user will benefit from your work.

In addition to all of these benefits, as the World Wide Web evolves, so will your career opportunities.

The Skills Required to Become A Front-End Developer

Going on a job search can be overwhelming. Recruiters see hundreds of applications, most of which go unanswered. The competition can get fierce. But, if you have the passion for the craft and the skills required to make it as a front-end developer, interview requests will start rolling in.

Front-end development is an in-demand career. If you have the skills and put some time into your job applications, you’ll have your pick of job offers to choose from.

Don’t worry, we’ve made a list to keep things easy.

The technical skills you’re required to have as a front-end developer are:

HTML and CSS
JavaScript
JQuery
JavaScript frameworks like AngularJS, ReactJS, Backbone, and Ember
RESTful services and APIs

Soft skills may include:

Good communication is required for every job, but it’s more essential for web developers. You’ll have to communicate with different teams, customers, and clients while you develop products.
To build on the point above, front-end developers need to work in conjunction with other teams such as UX designers. So, you have to be a team player.
Creativity is the key!
Successful front-end developers are problem solvers.

If your skill set includes all of those listed above, then you’re probably ready for your first coding job.

Next Steps

Thinkful’s Software Engineering course is a great way to get you ready to become a Front-End Developer. This course is specifically designed to land you a job you’ll love. You gain access to all of the knowledge necessary to succeed in web development, and you get one-on-one mentorship to take you one step further.

FAQs

How do I get into front-end web development?

You can become a front-end web developer by mastering important coding languages such as CSS, HTML, jQuery, and JavaScript Frameworks. Read a lot of books and articles to get a better understanding of the working of websites. A proper understanding of SEO principles and problem-solving skills is also needed.

Will a degree help me make more money?

While some employers still require a bachelor’s degree for front-end web developer roles, many employers prefer experience and skills. In the end, what you need most is a strong knowledge of web development tools and programming languages. This can be easily acquired though non-traditional learning pathways such as coding bootcamps.

How much do Thinkful grads make?

The salary of a front-end web developer depends on years of experience and job location. The average salary of a front-end web developer is around $70,000 - $90,000. Senior developers with more than 15 years of experience earn around $103,000 per year.