Front-End Developer Salary: Your 2025 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 16,500 web developer job openings, on average, will be available each year from 2023 to 2033 [1]. If you like creating attractive and easy websites to use, you may enjoy a career as a front-end developer. In this article, delve deeper into the job responsibilities, salary prospects, and industry trends relevant to front-end engineers, including the factors that might impact your front-end engineer salary.

If you're ready to take the next step toward a role in front-end development, consider earning credentials from an industry leader in technology with Meta's Front-End Developer Professional Certificate program. In as little as six weeks, you could learn to create a responsive website using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React.

Front-end developer salary

The median annual wage for web developers and digital interface designers is $98,090 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest ten percent salary range earned less than $48,560 and the highest ten percent salary range earned more than $162,870 [1]. 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 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. 

Entry-level front-end developer salary

An entry-level front-end developer job focuses on contributing to a web development team, helping to create the user interface of websites and applications. Your responsibilities may include testing code, designing visuals for a website, and testing and troubleshooting various website elements. 

According to Glassdoor, the average entry-level front-end developer earns $82,693 per year in the US [2]. These salary insights include a base average salary of $65,530 annually, plus $17,163 in additional pay. Additional pay may include bonuses, profit-sharing, or commissions.

Front-end developer vs. front-end engineer

The terms front-end developer and front-end engineer are often used interchangeably. However, depending on the company or industry, these roles may have subtle differences. For example, a front-end engineer may focus more heavily on scalability, maintenance, and testing whereas a front-end developer may concentrate on user interface design and translating business needs into interactive, dynamic web pages.

Factors that can influence your front-end engineer 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 your 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 [3]: 

For those who opted for a degree, computer science is the chosen major for the majority of front-end developers, accounting for approximately 30 percent of experts in this field. Other common majors include graphic design (10 percent), computer engineering (8 percent), and information technology (7 percent). 

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 front-end developer salary ranges from $63,000 to $110,000, a senior-level salary averages $80,000 to $140,000 [2, 3, 4].

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:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)

• Machine learning

• Continuous Integration (CI)

• Enterprise software

• Data structures

• Unit testing

• DevOps

• Natural language processing

• Angular JS

• jQuery

• Redux

• User interface design (UI)

• User experience (UX)

• RESTful APIs

Cascading style sheets (CSS), React.js, hypertext markup language 5 (HTML5), and JavaScript are among the popular, high-paying web development skills and programming languages acquired by front-end engineers, according to Payscale. Typical average salaries for front-end engineers with these skills are [4]: 

• CSS: $79,224

• React.js: $91,419

• HTML5: $78,121

• JavaScript: $85,251

• Web development: $84,162

Certification

Certifications equip you with the latest tools, techniques, and strategies, allowing you to adapt to industry changes effectively. Below are some widely recognized certifications that you can consider for enhancing your skills in front-end software development:

• CIW Web Foundations Associate: $81,000 [5]

• Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP): $114,000 [6]

• Certified Web Developer (CWD): $72,000 [7]

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certified Developer - Associate: $116,000 [8]

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]: 

1. Washington: $105,655

2. California: $107,914

3. Oregon: $97,564

4. Utah: $89,119

5. Virginia: $90,938

Industry

The top-paying industries for front-end developers and their median annual wages are as follows [1]:

• Finance and insurance: $121,710

• Computer systems design and related services: $98,610

• Advertising, public relations, and related services: $74,510

• Retail trade: $69,280

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

Job outlook 

The BLS includes front-end developers in the category with all other web developers and digital designers. The projected growth from 2023 to 2033 is eight percent for this career field, faster than average across industries [1]. This is approximately 16,500 average job openings projected each year over the decade.  

Next steps to becoming a front-end developer

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 such as resume review, interview prep, and career support.