Web Developer Salary Guide 2026
Published: May 21, 2026 | Category: Salary Guides | By Qualora Career Advisors
Web developer pay shifts a lot by state in BLS May 2024 data. Compare California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania before you plan training.
Quick answer
This guide uses exact Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 state rows for Web Developers (SOC 15-1254). In this five-state sample, the highest published mean annual wage is California at $122,900 mean annual pay, the lowest is New York at $79,370 mean annual pay, and the largest published employment base is California with 10,820 employed web developers.
That does not mean every beginner in that state will earn that number. These are BLS wage figures for all workers in the occupation, and the state table publishes mean wages rather than a state-by-state median for this guide.
BLS May 2024 state wage table
| State | Mean Annual Wage | Mean Hourly Wage | Employment | Employment per 1,000 | Location Quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $122,900 | $59.09 | 10,820 | 0.599 | 1.17 |
| Texas | $95,310 | $45.82 | 5,280 | 0.382 | 0.75 |
| Florida | $90,250 | $43.39 | 4,530 | 0.461 | 0.90 |
| New York | $79,370 | $38.16 | 6,340 | 0.665 | 1.30 |
| Pennsylvania | $92,930 | $44.68 | 2,500 | 0.416 | 0.81 |
What the five-state table says
California leads this five-state sample on raw pay at $122,900 mean annual wage, well above Texas ($95,310) and Florida ($90,250). If salary is your main filter, that gap is large enough to matter.
New York is the outlier in the other direction. Its published mean annual wage is $79,370, but its employment-per-1,000 workers (0.665) and location quotient (1.30) show web development is still relatively concentrated there.
Pennsylvania sits between the Sun Belt and coastal extremes at $92,930 mean annual wage. Texas has more total employment (5,280) than Florida (4,530), but Florida posts the slightly stronger employment density (0.461 vs 0.382).
How to read this guide without overpromising
A state wage table is useful, but it is not a salary guarantee. Employers still pay differently based on experience, specialty, shift, industry, metro area, and whether the job is closer to entry-level support work or more advanced production work.
The other important detail is that this page uses state mean annual wage and state mean hourly wage from the BLS workbook. If you are comparing this guide to a national median you saw somewhere else, do not treat those as the same number. The measures answer different questions.
That is also why this page stays conservative. It does not invent a certification premium, remote-work premium, or state relocation payoff that the BLS table itself does not publish.
Best next step if you are comparing training paths
Start with the Web Developer career page if you want the broader role, skill, and training picture. If you are still comparing adjacent tech paths, review IT careers you can pursue without a four-year degree, browse the Workforce Training hub, or take the career quiz before you commit to a program.
BLS source note
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024, state downloadable workbook (
/oes/special-requests/oesm24st.zipstate_M2024_dlFigures on this page represent BLS wage data for the occupation as a whole, not a promise about what a new learner will earn after training.
Frequently Asked Questions
What BLS occupation does this salary guide use?
This guide uses Web Developers, SOC 15-1254, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 state workbook.
Which of these five states pays the most?
California has the highest published mean annual wage in this five-state BLS sample at $122,900. New York is the lowest of the five at $79,370.
Does this table show state median pay?
No. The figures in the state table are the published mean annual and hourly wages from BLS OEWS May 2024, not a state-by-state median for this page.
Does this guarantee what a beginner will make?
No. BLS occupation-level wage data is useful market context, but it is not an offer, guarantee, or promise of entry-level pay.
Where should I go next on Qualora?
Start with the primary career page for the full role overview, then compare related articles, courses, or categories before you decide on training.
Related Career Paths
Tags: salary, web-developer, bls, career