Hiring Web Developers

What do web developers do?

• Write supporting code for Web applications or Web sites.
• Design, build, or maintain Web sites, using authoring or scripting languages, content creation tools, management tools, and digital media.
• Back up files from Web sites to local directories for instant recovery in case of problems.
• Select programming languages, design tools, or applications.
• Evaluate code to ensure that it is valid, is properly structured, meets industry standards, and is compatible with browsers, devices, or operating systems.
• Develop databases that support Web applications and Web sites.

Core tasks, O*NET OnLine, 15-1254.00.

What does it take to become one?

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

O*NET Job Zone 3, SVP (6.0 to < 7.0). O*NET OnLine.

Employers commonly list experience with Amazon Web Services AWS software, Apache Kafka, Atlassian JIRA, Bootstrap, C#, Cascading style sheets CSS for this role.

What do web developers get paid?

BLS OEWS, May 2025 publishes a wage for web developers in 81 of the metro areas in this build. The median ranges from $50,300 to $166,670 a year depending on the metro, with a midpoint of $82,820. This is what employers pay, place of work, not a single national figure and not what any one person takes home.

BLS OEWS, BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 15-1254.

What does hiring one cost?

The same as any role: tier, not location or salary, sets the fee. Across all six tiers the published range is $6,240 to $54,340 per search. For scale, the highest published median for web developers in this build is $166,670. A contingency firm hiring at that level would bill roughly $33,334 to $50,001 on the first year salary alone, 20 to 30%.

Frequently asked

How fast can a web developers search fill?

23 to 35 days, 2 to 3x faster than a typical contingency search, per the recruiting provider's published figures.

What if the hire does not work out?

A 45-day replacement guarantee, at 50% off a repeat search for the same role.