Front end developer jobs are in high demand. As more and more companies and organizations realize that their sites need to be mobile friendly, their websites need to be responsive and their employees need to be able to create rich content for their users, front-end development has become a very popular field.
A front-end developer is responsible for creating the user experience of a website and has a lot of freedom to get creative. You’ll have to keep up with emerging technologies and trends, but with a long-term passion for creation and coding, you can build a rewarding career as a front-end developer.
This online course is for front-end developers who want to build a professional portfolio and gain the skills, experience and confidence to get their dream job as a front-end developer. All students will get access to our exclusive FrontEndDevelopers community.
Starting Salary For Front End Developer Overview
We’ve put together a list of some of the best front-end developer salaries in Nigeria, so you can see what kind of money you can make right out of college. We’ve included entry-level salaries, as well as the salaries for junior and senior level positions.
It’s important to note that these are just averages—the actual amount you make will depend on where you live and what kind of experience you have. If you’re looking for more specific numbers, we recommend asking around at your local meetup groups or online forums.
What Is Frontend Development?
Frontend development focuses on a website’s or app’s frontend — the part that the users see and interact with. As a frontend developer, you’ll work closely with UI and UX designers to translate their designs into functional websites.
It’s also a highly collaborative career path as you’ll have plenty of opportunities to work with other people and teams. As a frontend developer, your workflow will involve several other people, including designers, artists, and marketing professionals.
It’s also worth mentioning that as a frontend developer, you can efficiently work from home. All you need is an internet connection and a computer. As such, some companies might be open to offering you a remote position and even reimbursing you for the computer or your internet bill.
Frontend Developer Skills
Aside from the technical requirements listed above, there are several soft skills that you should master if you want to increase your chances of getting hired as a frontend developer.
These include:
- Good communication skills: You’ll have to work with and communicate with other teams, clients, and customers while you’re working on their websites and applications.
- Collaboration skills: Working well within a team is another crucial soft skill since you’ll be working with others.
- Problem-solving skills: Much of web development involves seeking the right solution to a specific problem — not unlike finding the missing piece of a puzzle.
- Creativity: This includes translating the customer or client’s vision into a working website or application. A good understanding of visual and design hierarchy will serve you well too.
Average Salary for Front-End Developers
We’ve put together information from a lot of sources and have concluded that on average, a front-end developer earns somewhere around $86,108 per year. However, this figure may vary depending on the data source.
According to PayScale, the average salary of a front-end developer in the US is $72,701 per year. It was updated on the 15th of July 2020, and the figure is based on the compensation packages of 4,964 front-end developers. According to their data, a front-end developer earns an average hourly rate of $28.78.
According to Glassdoor’s study, the national average salary for a front-end developer in the US is $76,929.
Indeed.com also reported on the highest average compensation for front-end developers. According to them, the average base compensation for a front-end developer is $108,695. This was updated on July 23rd, 2020, and is based on the earnings of 9,600 front-end developers. Indeed.com also reports cash bonuses of $2,500 per year.
Front-End Developer Salaries Based on Years of Experience
As expected, if you’re more experienced than your peers, you’ll make more money.
According to PayScale, if you have 0-1 years of experience, you can expect to make roughly $59,287 a year. With 1 to 4 years of experience, you can expect somewhere around $70,000 a year. Employees in their mid-career can expect to make $81,959 a year, while the more experienced ones with 10+ years of experience earn an average of $87,942 a year. You get the drift!
According to Glassdoor, entry-level front-end developers earn an average of $65,407 a year. Developers with 4 to 6 years of experience can earn somewhere around $77,500 a year. While those with more than 7 years of experience take home somewhere around $83,000 a year. Experienced employees with more than 10 years of experience can earn around $89,000 a year. Senior developers who are in their late-career or with more than 15 years of experience earn as much as $103,000 per year.
Front-End Developer Salaries Vary with Location
It’s no surprise that the salaries for front-end developers vary with location. In fact, it’s one of the key factors that influences compensation for front-end developers.
According to PayScale, if you’re a front-end developer in San Francisco, you make 49% more than the national average. Front-end developers in Washington and New York make 18% and 13%, respectively, more than the national average. On the other hand, if you’re a front-end developer in Chicago, Illinois, you earn 1% less than the national average.
According to Glassdoor, the median base pay for front-end developers based on geographical locations is as follows:
- Front-end developers earn an average of $112k per year (which is 46% more than the national average) in San Francisco, California.
- In Los Angeles, front-end developers take home an average of $83,183 (which is 8% more than the national average) in a year.
- If you’re a front-end developer in NYC, you can expect to earn an average of $89,044 (which is 16% more than the national average).
- Front-end developers in Washington earn $76,516 (which is 1% less than the national average).
According to Indeed.com, the average salary for front-end developers based on the location are as follows:
- Front-end developers in Washington DC earn 21% more than the national average.
- In Oregon, front-end developers earn 5% more than the national average.
- In New York City, front-end developers earn 7% more than the national average.
- Front-end developers in California earn 20% more than the national average.
According to their report, front-end developers in the following cities make the most money:
- Front-end developers in San Francisco make $155,841 per year.
- Front-end developers in San Jose make $148,521 per year.
- Front-end developers in New York make $128,626 per year.
- Front-end developers in Chicago make $118,122 per year.
- Front-end developers in Austin make $107,374 per year.
Notice the difference in the statistics? The reason behind this is the difference in the number of salaries reported.
Perks And Benefits
Front-end developers, in addition to earning a good sum of money, enjoy other perks and benefits. One of the most important ones is that front-end development is one of the most in-demand jobs. A large part of the world is online, from clothing lines to hospital chains, the majority of companies have their own websites. This has resulted in a growing demand for web developers.
If you want to be your own boss, you can choose to become a freelance front-end developer. By doing this, you can work with more than one company at a time, which will expand your skill set and bring more opportunities your way. Also, as a freelancer, you can work at your convenience and have a flexible work schedule.
Front-end developers have the option to work from home; all you need is a computer and an internet connection. If you work with a company and you’re working from home, your company may even provide you with a computer and reimburse you for the internet connection.
If you ask us, the coolest thing about being a front-end developer is the satisfaction that you get after developing something that makes millions of lives simpler. Regardless of the type of websites you develop, the user will benefit from your work.
In addition to all of these benefits, as the World Wide Web evolves, so will your career opportunities.
Frontend vs Backend Developer Salaries
Backend developers work on the backend of a website or an application. They ensure that everything works smoothly and are in charge of the server-side of things, such as databases, client-server data flow, server logic, and more.
As such, their job requirements and responsibilities are more complex than those of a frontend developer. It’s logical to assume that their salary will be higher, and the numbers below prove it.
First up, Glassdoor lists the average base pay for a backend developer at $79,518, with the lowest salary being around $48K, while the highest is around $132K.
Indeed reports the average backend developer salary at $118,856 per year, with an added $4,000 annual bonus.
PayScale lists the average backend developer salary being $81,161, with a low of $51K and a high of $131K.
Finally, ZipRecruiter calculates the average backend developer salary to be $83,770 per year, with the lowest being $33,500 and the high end reaching $149K.
That brings the average backend developer salary to around $90,826 per year, a slightly higher figure than the average frontend developer salary.
