Entry-level web developer pay in the U.S. lands around $65k–$90k a year, with hourly rates near $30–$45 depending on location and stack.
What The Numbers Say Right Now
Salary data paints a wide band, and that band tightens as you define role, location, and stack. Fresh hires reporting to Glassdoor sit around the mid-$80k mark for a title that mentions the web specifically. Broader junior developer listings cluster in the high-$70k to low-$90k range. Government benchmarks list the overall web occupation near the low-$90k median, which blends junior and senior, so an entry step falls under that line.
| Source | Role Label | Reported Pay (US) |
|---|---|---|
| Glassdoor | Junior Web Developer | ~$84k avg; $64k–$112k typical |
| Indeed | Web Developer (all levels) | ~$82.6k avg; $47k–$143k range |
| PayScale | Web Developer | ~$69k avg base; $48k–$99k range |
| BLS | Web Developers | $90,930 median (all levels) |
Those figures come from self-reported salaries and national surveys. They line up: early-career sits below the occupation median, mid-career meets it, and seasoned folks clear it. The spread also reflects job mix: front-end heavy roles in smaller markets pay less than full-stack roles at venture-backed firms in tech hubs.
Entry-Level Web Developer Pay — What You Can Expect
Target a base band near $65k–$90k in large U.S. markets, and low-$60k to mid-$70k in smaller metros. Hourly contracts often land between $30 and $45 for the same skills. Add cash bonuses or equity at some employers; many junior offers include a small bonus pool or refresh grants after the first review cycle.
How Titles Skew Pay
Words on the posting matter. “Junior developer” averages a notch higher than “junior front-end developer” across crowdsourced trackers. Pure “web designer” tracks lower because duties lean toward layout and assets, not application logic. If the title mixes design and development, pay often sits in the middle.
What Skills Move The Needle
Core HTML, CSS, and modern JavaScript set the floor. Add a front-end framework such as React, Vue, or Svelte. Know a server-side stack—Node, Python with a web framework, or a typed option. Comfort with Git, test basics, and a cloud platform badge helps. Show SQL fluency and API habits. Each item widens your band and nudges you toward midpoints.
Location And Cost-Of-Living Effects
Pay shadows local demand. Tech hubs post higher bases and richer equity. Remote roles often anchor to a company’s pay zones; some set tiers by metro, others by state. If an offer pegs to a lower tier while you live in a high-cost city, ask about moving to a higher zone after probation.
How Recruiters Evaluate Entry Candidates
Hiring teams screen for proof of shipping. Four to six solid projects beat dozens of tiny demos. Recruiters skim for a clean README, live links, tests, and commit history. Bootcamp grads land interviews when projects read like real tickets, not class assignments. Internships, freelance gigs, or open-source merges shorten the path to an offer.
What A Good Portfolio Signals
Pick one polished app per stack area: a front-end SPA, a small full-stack service, and a data-aware feature. Show CI checks, a short test suite, and a deploy script. Add a CHANGELOG that tells the story of fixes and refactors. Keep each repo under a crisp name and plain README sections: purpose, stack, how to run, link to prod.
Interview Areas That Tie To Pay
Offers tie to signals: code fluency, reasoning, and delivery. Expect a take-home or a pairing round on DOM work, state, async, and APIs. Some teams run a short system design chat scaled for the web: routes, caching, rate limits, and basic data modeling. Clear answers on trade-offs tend to move you into the stronger slice of the band.
Offer Math: How To Read The Package
Two offers with the same base can pay very differently. Look at equity, bonus targets, and benefits. Health, HSA match, retirement match, education budgets, and commuter perks add real dollars. Also check the review cadence; a six-month review can bring a faster step up than a twelve-month cycle.
Benchmarks You Can Reference
Public datasets help you sanity-check. The U.S. labor bureau lists the occupation median for web roles, which anchors the long-run path. Crowdsourced sites track junior titles and show current ranges across markets. Use both when you prep your ask, and keep a note of city or pay-zone rules in the posting.
You can compare offers against the BLS web occupation page and a live tracker such as Glassdoor junior web data. Both update on a regular rhythm, so numbers shift over time.
Base, Bonus, And Equity
Base sets your floor. A cash bonus adds a small upside and usually pays after year end. Early-stage startups may swap bonus for more equity. Equity value depends on strike price, vesting cliff, and the company’s health; ask for a written summary and a plain-English walkthrough before you sign. Ask for a short written breakdown so you can compare later with side-by-side clearly.
Offer Comparison Checklist
- Base pay range and where the offer sits inside it
- Bonus target and payout history
- Equity type, vesting, and refresh policy
- Pay zone or location tier rules
- Level and ladder (growth path)
- Review cycle and raise mechanics
- Training budget and conference tickets
- Healthcare costs and employer match details
Tactics To Nudge Your Number Up
Small moves compound. Tailor one resume per posting and mirror the stack terms in the job ad. Link to two or three projects that match the role. Keep a running log of shipped work and quantify it: load time wins, accessibility scores, or build cuts. A short brag doc makes review talks smooth and bumps your raise odds.
Negotiation Tips That Stay Friendly
Bring data, not drama. Share a tight range backed by public sources and your other pipeline. Ask about leveling if the base feels low; a tiny level bump often lifts the band. If the team can’t move base, ask for a signing bonus, a six-month review, or a remote-work stipend. Keep the tone calm and collaborative.
Skills Worth Building Over The Next Year
TypeScript, one modern build tool, and test habits give recruiters confidence. Add auth flows, role-based access, and basic security hygiene. Learn a cloud deploy path with logs and metrics. Ship a small feature behind a flag and write a short post-mortem. These habits move you from the lower band toward the center.
City Snapshots And Pay Bands
Local markets vary. These snapshots show common bands seen in public trackers. Use them as a starting point, then check current postings.
| Metro | Typical Range (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | $80k–$110k | Often includes equity; higher base tiers |
| New York City | $75k–$105k | Rich project mix; pay zones common |
| Austin | $65k–$95k | Growth market; many full-stack ads |
| Seattle | $75k–$105k | Cloud majors; steady contractor demand |
| Chicago | $60k–$90k | Agency and product roles blend |
| Remote (US) | $60k–$95k | Anchored to employer pay zones |
Hourly Work And Freelance Math
Convert a rate to a salary to compare apples. A $35 hourly rate at 1,800 billable hours yields $63,000 before taxes. Freelancers shoulder unpaid tasks—scoping, meetings, admin—so a healthy rate covers that gap. Add tools and payroll costs to your plan. New freelancers often start near $40 and raise rates as backlog grows.
Roadmap From Trainee To Mid-Level
Expect the first twelve months to center on shipping at team speed. Months one to three: onboarding, small fixes, and pairing. Months four to six: own a small feature, write tests, and handle tickets end-to-end. Months seven to twelve: lead a mini-project, help with code reviews, and start mentoring interns. That path positions you for a band jump at the one-year or eighteen-month mark.
Signals That Trigger A Raise
- A record of shipping work that cuts bugs or load time
- Tickets closed without hand-holding
- Useful code reviews and clean pull requests
- Docs that others copy for new modules
- Production on-call handled with calm notes
Common Pitfalls That Shrink Offers
Wide, unfocused resumes. Portfolios with broken links. Demos without tests. Claims without evidence. Ghosting recruiters. Inflated ranges without public data. All of these drag the package down. Keep it tidy, ship real work, show receipts.
Breaking In Without A CS Degree
Plenty of juniors start from bootcamps, self-study, or career shifts. The missing piece is proof. Build a small web app that solves a real task for a friend or a local group: bookings, intake forms, or a simple dashboard. Ship it, write a short post about trade-offs, and keep it online. Add one bug bash session with users and capture two fixes from their notes. This kind of artifact beats another generic tutorial clone and draws better screening passes.
Sample Career Ladders And Pay Movement
Many companies use a ladder with levels like L1, L2, and L3. A hire comes in at the first rung, targets one to two years to reach the next rung, and moves into mid-level once scope expands beyond a single feature. Raises often tie to level bumps, so ask for the rubric. A clear rubric lists outcomes, not buzzwords: ownership of modules, reliability work, code reviews that unblock others, and small design proposals. Aim your weekly work at those outcomes and log wins in a short document to make review season easy.