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What is a front end developer?

Front end development refers to everything that users see, touch, click, and use — the visual layout, user interface/interaction, and user experience. It is also known as client-side software (as opposed to “server-side” software) and consists of buttons, images, links, and pages that all need to function efficiently, accurately, and quickly in order for the user to carry out a particular task. As a rule, this means that developers must be familiar with HTML code (probably HTML5), styling with CSS (probably CSS3), and make everything interactive with JavaScript.

Frameworks like ReactJS, AngularJS and BackboneJS are highly in demand. A front end developer salary depends on a range of factors, including skill set, level of expertise, and location. If you’re looking to recruit a front end developer, are you sure that you’re offering a fair salary? Perhaps you need to prepare yourself to carry out a major sourcing project, or you’re about to carry out some screening for this role.

While front end developers might not be at the top of the chart in terms of salary, their role brings with it some unique challenges and opportunities. Above all, they must work in partnership with everyone in the team, giving them a broader role in the development process than server-side developers. Front end developers can therefore not only code, but are also people who can sit down with visual and UX designers, and solve major challenges as part of a team.

To give you a full understanding of the subject, we’ve curated up-to-date, industry-specific data.

Average front end developer salary

Web developer (United States)

According to PayScale’s data, the average front end developer salary in the US is $69,411 per year (at the time of the publication). According to PayScale, the median hourly rate is $24.42.

On the other hand, Glassdoor’s data shows that the average base pay is $77,908 per year (plus an average cash compensation of $3,301).

Interestingly, Indeed.com reports much higher salaries, with an average salary of $108,851 per year.

Although ZipRecruiter.com does not provide their own calculation of an average salary for a particular type of job, a search for jobs with the keywords “front end web developer” results in the above data for particular salary ranges. It is, therefore, possible to calculate an average salary of (at least) $114,020 per year.

Experience



As you would expect, front end developer salary levels depend heavily on the level of experience of a particular developer.

According to PayScale:

less than 5 years: average total compensation of $65,338 (excluding bonuses, and overtime pay)

5 to 10 years of experience (mid-career experience): an average total compensation of $78,000

10 to 20 years of experience (experienced): an average total compensation of $87,000

20+ years of experience (late-career experience): an average total compensation of $89,000

According to Glassdoor, (as of 28.02.2019):

1 to 3 years of experience: an average total compensation of $67,423

4 to 6 years of experience: an average total compensation of $76,652 (excluding bonuses, and overtime pay)

7 to 9 years of experience (mid-career experience): an average total compensation of $82,226

10 to 14 years of experience (experienced): an average total compensation of $87,160

15+ years of experience (late-career experience): an average total compensation of $90,403

Location

Location is one of the most important factors influencing the salary of front end developers. According to PayScale, front end developers in San Francisco earn 37% more than the national average, with Washington and New York coming second and third (15% and 13% respectively).

Front end developer salary NYC, SF, and LA

By contrast, Glassdoor states that front end developer median base pay is as follows in the following geographical locations:

In SF, front end developers get on average $114,646 per year (47% above average)

In LA, front end developers earn $89,920 per year (15% above average)

In NYC, front end developers earn $93,395 per year (10% above average)

In Washington, front end developers earn $83,138 per year (7% above average)

Other factors increasing pay

Core skills

Core skills for a front end developer skills include HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (JQuery), as well as knowing how to create Responsive Web Design, being familiar with Adobe Photoshop and using Git (version control) with ease.

Skills required for higher pay

According to PayScale, the skills that increase pay for this job the most are JavaScript frameworks such as Node.js and AngularJS.

Useful additional skills

Whilst the following skills on their own add little value to a front end developer’s portfolio, when a developer is familiar with a number of them in addition to the core skills, they add a great deal of value: