Front-End Developer Salary: Your 2024 Guide

With the world becoming more reliant on interface-based technology, demand for professionals like front-end developers is expected to increase. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), about 19,000 web developer job openings, on average, will be available each year from 2022 to 2032 [1].

If you like creating attractive and easy websites to use, you may enjoy a career as a front-end developer. In this article, learn how much front-end developers earn and the various factors that can impact your annual pay.

What is a front-end developer?

A front-end developer works on the “front” side of development projects, which refers to the website, application, or software that the user interacts with. Front-end development includes all of the visual design elements of the page, with an emphasis on the user experience. 

In this role, you’ll work with a team, including those responsible for the back end—or the support side—of the program. Depending on the team’s size, a front-end developer may have different responsibilities or play a specialized role in web development. You might use HTML and CSS to design applications or rely on other programming languages to add functionality and dynamic experiences. 

Read more: What Does a Front-End Developer Do?

What is the average front-end developer salary?

Based on five career websites, the average front-end developer salary in the US ranges from $82,819 to $111,919. The data breaks down as follows [2, 3, 4, 5, 6]:

*All salary data and information as of November 2023

Keep in mind, your precise annual pay will likely be contingent upon several factors, a few of those being education, work experience, and geographical location. 

What factors affect front-end developer salary?

Many specific aspects of your resume—such as your highest level of education or your desired industry to work in—impact the types of jobs you qualify for and how much you can earn. To better estimate the salary as a front-end developer, let’s take a closer look at what factors influence your annual pay.

Education

Your education level can directly influence how much money you make as a front-end developer, as the average salary for this role with a bachelor's degree is higher than what you might earn if you have a two-year degree. Here is a breakdown of average salary based on degree level and the percentage of professionals that hold it, according to Zippia: 

Popular areas of study for front-end developers include computer science, graphic design, computer engineering, and information technology.

Experience

In general, the more experience you have working as a front-end developer, the more earning potential you may qualify for. Data from Zippia, Glassdoor, and Payscale reveal how much your experience can affect your salary. While the average entry-level salary for a front-end developer ranges from $65,210 to $68,000, a senior-level salary averages $92,788 to $107,000 [2, 3, 5].

Technical skills

If you develop a more comprehensive skill set as a front-end developer, you may gain access to higher-paying jobs within this field. Here are some popular skills for front-end developers and how they can affect your salary, according to Indeed [4]:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS): 13.46 percent higher salary

• Machine learning: 17.06 percent higher salary 

• Continuous Integration (CI): 13.54 percent higher salary

• Enterprise software: 17.82 percent higher salary

• Data structures: 11.03 percent higher salary 

• Unit Testing: 7.25 percent higher salary 

• DevOps: 10.38 percent higher salary 

• Natural language processing: 21.70 percent higher salary 

Location

As a front-end developer, the place where you decide to live and work can have a direct impact on your salary, so it might be a good idea to consider location when surveying your job prospects. According to Zippia, the five highest-paying states and districts for front-end developers are [3]: 

• California: $107,914

• Washington: $105,655

• Oregon: $97,564

• District of Columbia: $96,783

• Nevada: $94,156

The five lowest-paying states for front-end developers are [3]: 

• Hawaii: $70,557

• Nebraska: $70,747

• Kansas: $73,488

• Alaska: $74,021

• Oklahoma: $74,046

Industry

While working as a front-end developer, you can choose from various industries, selecting jobs based on the pay you hope to earn. When you look at salary averages across industries within this field, you see which industries are more lucrative. According to Zippia, here are the top five industries where the average salary for front-end developers is the highest [3]: 

1. Finance: $97,831

2. Media: $96,189

3. Technology: $92,380

4. Manufacturing: $91,234

5. Start-up: $91,202

Job title

Your specific job title also can have a direct impact on your salary. According to Zippia, here are some average salaries for front-end developers based on their job titles [3]: 

• Mobile Applications Developer: $99,257

• Web Application Developer: $85,840

• Applications Developer: $89,205

• Software Developer: $87,521

• Lead Web Developer: $108,800

Read more: What Is an Android App Developer? Your Career Guide

Job outlook 

The BLS includes front-end developers in the category with all other web developers and digital designers. The projected growth from 2022 to 2032 is 16 percent for this career field, much faster than average across industries [1]. This is approximately 19,000 average job openings projected each year over the decade.  

Next steps

If you’re ready to take the next step and start a career as a front-end developer, consider earning the Meta Front-End Developer Professional Certificate on Coursera. This nine-course series is beginner-level and covers skills such as CSS, HTML, React, JavaScript, and user interface/user experience design principles. Learn the skills you need to become a front-end developer in about seven months. Upon completion, gain exclusive access to career resources like resume review, interview prep, and career support.