If you’ve shopped online today, been on any social media, or played a video game on a console or your phone, you can thank a full-stack developer. As more websites, platforms, and applications are being developed every second, the demand for full-stack developers continues to grow.
According to the Evan Data Group, by the year 2023, there will be almost 28 million web developers operating. And a report done by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics states the availability of jobs in full-stack development will rise from 135,000 to more than 850,000 by the year 2024.
Because of this high demand, the salaries for most full-stack web developers are increasing, but how much do full-stack web developers really make? And where do they earn the most? Before we can talk about what full-stack web developers earn, let’s talk about what they do.
What does a full-stack web developer do?
Often, you’ll see that full-stack web developers make more than front-end and back-end developers—because they are different. A full-stack web developer covers everything that a front-end and a back-end web developer is responsible for.
Front-end web developers are responsible for building and writing codes for what users see every day on a website or an app. In response, back-end web developers focus more on server-side rendering and databases.
Is full-stack web development a promising career for me?
Being a full-stack web developer can be stressful at times since you’ll be responsible for managing a lot at once. Still, depending on the company, team, salary, experience, and other essential factors, it can be a fantastic career choice for those interested in web development.
Depending on your experience with web development, you might need a degree or a certification—depending on what your employer will require from you. While some companies require a bachelor’s degree, more and more companies are taking a chance on bootcamp grads. If you’re new to the tech industry, a coding bootcamp will give you the necessary hands-on web development experience that you’ll need to be successful as a full-stack web developer.
If you’re in charge of managing a company’s website, application, or platform, you’re practically in charge of making the company’s first impression on new customers and clients. With the amount of time web developers put into a project, the thing to look forward to the most, besides a well-done project, is the paycheck for all of your hard work. According to Indeed, web development is in the top 25 highest-paying jobs in the tech industry.
What job titles can full-stack web developers get?
Often, companies aren’t always looking for a specific “full-stack web developer” for their team. Instead, other roles are almost camouflaged as full-stack development roles to fit in some additional duties and responsibilities.
Full-stack web developers will often be referred to as these roles:
- Front-end/back-end developer
- Web analyst
- Software engineer
- Website/application architect
How much money do full-stack web developers make?
Since full-stack web development is a broad term, the salary of a full-stack web developer can vary depending on what position you have, what hiring platform you use, and what part of the nation you’re in.
According to Glassdoor, the national average salary for a full-stack web developer has been ranked as one of the highest paying positions for freelancers and full-time web developers, with a national average base salary of around $99,000 per year.*
But since salary often varies by state, we’ve listed average entry-level full-stack web developer salaries from various locations in the United States and three different hiring platforms (Indeed, Glassdoor, and ZipRecruiter).
Entry-level full-stack web developer salaries* by location
*current as of June 2021
Nationwide
- Indeed: $62,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $50,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $56,000 Per Year
Austin, Texas
- Indeed: $90,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $80,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $55,000 Per Year
Chicago, Illinois
- Indeed: $56,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $78,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $53,000 Per Year
Denver, Colorado
- Indeed: $55,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $80,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $59,000 Per Year
Houston, Texas
- Indeed: $59,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $76,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $56,000 Per Year
Los Angeles, California
- Indeed: $57,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $84,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $56,000 Per Year
Miami, Florida
- Indeed: $109,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $70,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $53,000 Per Year
New York City, New York
- Indeed: $62,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $85,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $62,000 Per Year
San Diego, California
- Indeed: $55,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $74,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $56,000 Per Year
San Francisco, California
- Indeed: $63,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $108,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $66,000 Per Year
Seattle, Washington
- Indeed: $58,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $92,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $56,000 Per Year
Washington, D.C.
- Indeed: $60,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $91,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $57,000 Per Year
Senior-level full-stack web developer salaries* by location
*current as of June 2021
Nationwide
- Indeed: $108,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $99,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $103,000 Per Year
Austin, Texas
- Indeed: $111,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $105,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $94,000 Per Year
Chicago, Illinois
- Indeed: $108,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $92,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $105,000 Per Year
Denver, Colorado
- Indeed: $110,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $104,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $104,000 Per Year
Houston, Texas
- Indeed: $94,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $90,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $105,000 Per Year
Los Angeles, California
- Indeed: $119,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $94,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $98,000 Per Year
Miami, Florida
- Indeed: $94,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $77,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $88,000 Per Year
New York City, New York
- Indeed: $125,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $109,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $113,000 Per Year
San Diego, California
- Indeed: $102,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $90,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $96,000 Per Year
San Francisco, California
- Indeed: $152,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $128,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $126,000 Per Year
Seattle, Washington
- Indeed: $121,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $108,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $114,000 Per Year
Washington, D.C.
- Indeed: $116,000 Per Year
- Glassdoor: $109,000 Per Year
- ZipRecruiter: $111,000 Per Year
Why are full-stack web developers paid so much?
Many companies have a website or a platform of some sort—even some applications. They are always looking for front-end and back-end web developers, but most companies prefer a full-stack web developer since they or a team of full-stack developers can manage almost everything on web development.
On top of being a web developer, they must also manage all of the front-end and back-end operations of a company — anything from website designing to data analytics — which also gets appropriately compensated.
Are you thinking about a career in web development? If you want to become a full-stack web developer, check out the software engineering bootcamp at Flatiron School. You can finish the program in as little as 15 weeks and develop a job-ready portfolio so you can start your new career.
Apply now or book a 10-minute chat with admissions to learn more about the program.
