BLS OEWS, May 2025

Frontend developer salary in the US

What frontend developers are paid in the US, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with how your own pay compares. Figures from the BLS OEWS release dated May 2025.

Median annual pay

$135,980

Middle half earn

$105,210 to $171,980

People in this job, US

1,687,890

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Software Developers, national, annual pay, May 2025

10th percentile
$82,460
25th percentile
$105,210
Median
$135,980
75th percentile
$171,980
90th percentile
$214,670

BLS has no separate code for this title; it is counted under Software Developers, so the range covers a broader set of engineering jobs.

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 15-1252. Percentiles across everyone employed in the occupation, not experience levels.

At a glance

What frontend developers earn across the US

  • The highest-paying large metros are San Jose, CA ($213,110), San Francisco, CA ($186,640), Seattle, WA ($167,280).
  • At the other end are San Juan, PR ($79,380), Indianapolis, IN ($106,870), Grand Rapids, MI ($107,520): the top metro's median is 168% higher than the lowest.
  • 12 of the 50 metros listed below pay a median above the national figure.
  • About 1,687,890 people are employed in this occupation across the US.
  • Pay varies widely within the job: the 90th percentile earns 2.6 times the 10th.

Worked from BLS OEWS, May 2025. Not adjusted for the cost of living.

By metro

Frontend developer pay by metro

Median annual pay in the largest US metros where BLS published figures for this occupation, highest first, May 2025.

BLS does not count frontend developers separately: they are part of Software Developers, so the metro figures are the same for every title in it. Each metro page covers the whole occupation.

Medians from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Skills

What employers look for in a frontend developer

The skills our frontend developer resume example leads with, written for US employers.

  • TypeScript
  • React
  • Next.js
  • CSS architecture
  • Web accessibility
  • Core Web Vitals
  • Responsive design
  • State management
  • Testing Library
  • Playwright

See the full frontend developer resume example, with bullets and keywords.

Negotiating

Using these numbers

Below $105,210 puts you in the bottom quarter for frontend developers in the US. That is worth raising, with evidence of what you deliver.

The median, $135,980, is the middle of the market, not a ceiling. An offer at or near it is a fair starting point to negotiate from.

Asking for $171,980 or more puts you in the top quarter, so it needs a reason an employer will accept: a wider scope, a competing offer, or a skill that is hard to hire for.

Percentiles are not experience levels. They describe everyone doing the job, so a senior hire can sit at the median of a market full of senior people.

About the numbers

What these figures are

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys employers for its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and these figures are from the release dated May 2025. They cover wage and salary workers in Software Developers, a category that is often broader than a single job title. Self-employed people are not included.

They are base pay: bonuses, equity and overtime are not included, and they are not adjusted for the cost of living.

Questions

Questions about frontend developer pay in the US

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