Are you thinking about a career in WordPress development? If that’s the case, it’s important to make sure that you’ll be fairly compensated for your work. However, it can be difficult to find out exactly how much you’ll make in this profession.
The average WordPress developer salary tends to sit between $52,000 and $64,000. However, entry-level jobs can pay as little as $42,000. Meanwhile, you’ll be paid more in cities like LA, and compensation is higher for those with specialist skills like PHP.
Fortunately, it’s easier to make a decision about your career when you understand the salary expectations. For example, you can find out how your pay may be affected by factors such as experience, location, and specialization.
In this postA post is a type of content in WordPress, a popular open-source content management system used for creating an… More, we’ll take a closer look at the role of a WordPress developer. Then, we’ll show you how much you can expect to earn in the role. Let’s jump right in!
The Role of a WordPress Developer
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WordPress powers 43 percent of all websites, making it one of the most popular Content Management Systems (CMSs). The software is free, flexible, and open-source, so it’s a great option for those who want to build a business site or a blog.
However, without the time or knowledge, creating a website might be out of the question for some people. While there are tools (like page builders) that can simplify the process, it’s difficult to design a completely custom website without help. That’s where WordPress developers come in.
As a WordPress developer, you’ll mainly be responsible for building, customizing, and sometimes managing WordPress sites. However, you might also be hired to improve the WordPress core software, or create custom products (usually themesA WordPress theme is a set of files that determine the design and layout of a website. It controls everything … More and plugins) for a website.
Additionally, you might be asked to carry out tasks like securing a WordPress site, backing up data, or migrating a website. If you have an eye for design, you could even customize a theme or build custom templates.
How Much Do WordPress Developers Make? (3 Factors Considered)
Now that you know a bit more about WordPress development, let’s take a look at three factors that can affect your earning potential.
1. Experience Level
Your experience level is one of the factors that can impact your earnings. When you’re starting out, you’ll likely work as a junior developer. Meanwhile, a senior developer may have additional tasks and even management responsibilities, with their pay reflecting this extra contribution.
According to PayScale, an entry-level web developer can expect to earn around $52,000. Those with 5 to 9 years of development experience can make at least $70,000.
Meanwhile, developers in their late career (10+ years) can expect to make over $75,000:
Indeed reports similar findings, with the average WordPress developer salary being around $64,000 in the United States:
Most WordPress developers will be expected to have at least some knowledge of JavaScript, PHP, and CSS. However, PayScale found that there are certain skills that can boost a web developer’s salary. These include dynamic HTML (DHTML), Microsoft Azure, and UNIX.
In fact, DHTML was found to increase earning potential by 51 percent. The average salary of a web developer with this skill is around $93,000.
2. Specialization
While most WordPress developers have a similar understanding of the platform, some may specialize in an advanced area of web development. For example, you might choose to focus on PHP development, LAMP stack, or pluginA plugin is a software component that adds specific features and functionality to your WordPress website. Esse… More development.
If you choose to work as a PHP developer, you’ll likely be building websites from scratch. Therefore, you’ll often be hired by clients with very specific website needs.
You can see on Indeed that the average salary of a PHP developer is $87,000. This is a lot higher than the standard pay for WordPress developers.
You may spot a similar trend if you look at freelance work. For example, the rate for WordPress developers on Fiverr starts at $25. At the higher end of the scale, clients pay up to $295:
However, when you change the search to “PHP developer”, you’ll see that some PHP developers charge over $1000. Therefore, by offering a specialized service, you can maximize your earning potential.
3. Location
Like with any job, salaries may vary from one location to another. Usually, this is a result of shifting job markets and the benefits associated with the role.
According to Indeed, WordPress developers who work in cities like Los Angeles, Denver, and New York earn more. Those in LA have the highest pay, with an average salary of $123,000. Developers based in Denver or New York can expect to earn $82,000 and $70,000 respectively.
At the bottom end of the scale, WordPress developers in Ohio earn around $47,000, while those in Houston are paid around $38,000 per year:
It’s worth noting that only 50 percent of WordPress developers in the U.S. think that their salary is enough to cover the cost of living in their area. What’s more, a developer whose compensation package is more salary-based will earn more than a developer that gets paid leave and other benefits.
You might prefer to find work as a freelancer as you can charge steeper rates to make up for the high costs in your location. However, you’ll be missing out on benefits like health insurance.
Conclusion
Before making a big career decision, it’s important to understand the earning potential of your desired role. As a WordPress developer, your salary can be impacted by various factors.
Here’s how much you can expect to earn as a WordPress developer, based on different criteria:
Do you have any questions about how much WordPress developers make? Let us know in the commentsComments are a feature of WordPress that allow users to engage in discussions about the content of a website. … More section below!
