Are you interested in web development? Would you like to approach your work from a more pragmatic, human level? You may want to consider a career as a front-end developer!
A front-end developer is a web developer that codes the front end of a website. While web development is the way a website looks, front-end development is how that design actually gets implemented on the web.
Who 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 AngularJS and BackboneJS are also highly in demand.
A front-end developer’s salary depends on a range of factors, including skill set, level of expertise, and location.
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, I’ve put together up-to-date, industry-specific data.
The average front-end developer’s salary.
$89,767.50
Putting different sources together, the average front-end developer salary is about $89,767.50 but the differences between data sources can be large.
According to PayScale’s data, the average front-end developer salary is $76,512 per year(at the time of the publication).
According to PayScale, the median hourly rate is $28.33.
On the other hand, Glassdoor’s data shows that the average front-end salary base pay is $73,613 per year.
Interestingly, Indeed.com reports much higher salaries, with an average salary of $100.974 per year. With a cash bonus of about $2,500 per year plus internet reimbursements.
Although ZipRecruiter.com does not provide their own calculation of an average front-end 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) $110,000 per year.
Experience
As you would expect, front-end developer salary levels depend heavily on the level of experience of a particular developer.
Front End Developer Salaries
According to PayScale:
| Experience | Average total compensation |
| less than 5 years | $74,000 (excluding bonuses, and overtime pay) |
| 5 to 9 years (mid-career experience): | $86,000 |
| 10 to 19 years (experienced) | $89,000 |
| 20+ years (late-career experience) Of course, not leaving out the Entry-levels which are less than a year. They’ll earn about $62,000. | $92,000 |
According to Glassdoor:
Other factors increasing frontend developer salary
Core skills
Core salary 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 front-end salary
According to PayScale, the skills that increase pay for this job the most are JavaScript frameworks such as React.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:
- Video editing
- Design skills (Adobe Creative Cloud)
- UX and UI
- SEO
- Wireframing/Prototyping tools
- Google analytics
Before you go
Decent salaries, high demand, job security, and plenty of options for mobility are just some of the perks that come with a career in front-end web development.
Employers look for problem solvers, not just people who can code, but people who can sit down with visual and user experience designers to solve major challenges.
Front-end development is a pretty flexible field in terms of where and when it can get done. The amount of freelance work available tends to be just as plentiful as full-time openings.
In case you missed it, Check out our article on How much a Web Developer Earns.