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how much does a website design freelancer make

The average web developer salary is $75,430 per year. Freelance web developers charge an average of about $60 or hour. The average salary can be affected by job title, with senior web developers and software engineers taking home a higher pay range.


Thanks to the rise of the gig economy, more and more people make a living remotely as freelancers. Freelance developers earn great money for their work. And they represent a growing percentage of the freelance population. You may wonder, though: do web developers get paid well?

It's challenging to say for certain. Freelance work can involve many clients at once or over time, so figuring out an exact salary can be hard. Here, we'll go over the average pay for a freelance web developer in the United States and see what a full-time remote employee can expect to earn.

What is the Average Freelance Web Developer Salary?

Based on an average of salary estimates from Glassdoor and ZipRecruiter, the national average freelance web developer salary is $75,430 per year.

Average Freelance Web Developer Salary: $75,430
The national average freelance web developer salary in the U.S. is $75,430 per year.

Beginners without a decent portfolio or many years of experience may struggle to find higher rates. But your pay is often based on how well you convince a client that you're worth what you ask to earn. Due to the vast discrepancy between web developer jobs, most sources don't agree on an exact number for how much money web developers make.

With a bit of research, it's fair to conclude that the average freelance web developer salary per hour is about $60. And when you consider the other great benefits of remote work, that hourly wage is even more impressive.

Freelance Web Developer Salaries
Average Early Career Salary $58,000/yr
Average Mid-Career Salary $75,000/yr
Experienced Developer Salary $87,000/yr
Top Freelance Developer Salary $130,000+/yr

Full-Time Freelance Web Developer Salary

Remote web developers who hold a traditional full-time job are easier to analyze. Many tech companies allow their employees to work remotely, which offers many of the same benefits as freelance work. These programmers make a salary range of $70,000 to $100,000 per year, depending on years of experience.

ZipRecruiter reports that freelance web developers earn an average of $71,705 per year, with salaries topping out above $100,000. Their salaries are very close to the average wage for a typical full-time professional job in America.

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The average bootcamp grad spent less than six months in career transition, from starting a bootcamp to finding their first job.

Not far off from ZipRecruiter is Glassdoor's estimate, which suggests that freelance web developers make a bit more: an annual reported salary of about $79,150.

Freelancing vs. Traditional Employment

Freelancers work from home or anywhere other than a regular office. Some freelance web devs work from a home office, while others prefer to work in cafes. Others still will choose to work in a remote working space with other remote workers.

As a result, they have the opportunity to set their own hours and waste less time 'at work' when they're not being productive. Freelancing offers many benefits to traditional work, but also comes with its fair share of downsides.

Because remote workers set their own hours, they're responsible for completing projects on their own time. That means they have to get work done with no one to enforce deadlines.

Remote web developers usually don't clock in and out like traditional workers. Indeed, they often must work longer hours at unusual times, compared to office workers. For those who manage their time well, these jobs can be lucrative and rewarding.

Web developers in remote positions only make as much as they're willing to work. Being a freelancer allows you to choose your workload, and your income will depend on both the quality and quantity of the jobs you prefer. What these remote jobs lack in structure they gain in flexibility and autonomy. Indeed, remote web developers are their own boss and timecard.

How to Become a Freelance Web Developer

Should you work as a freelance web developer? If you answer yes to any of the following criteria, a position as a freelance web developer may be the right fit for you.

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  • you dream of setting your own hours in a high paying job
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  • you are self-motivated and enjoy choosing your own workload

While it's possible to learn all the necessary coding skills on your own, it's not generally the best way to break into this career.

There are a variety of ways you can become a freelance web developer, but they all require getting an education of some kind. While you could try to teach yourself web development or even pursue a computer science degree, there's another option.

Start the Path Toward a Freelance Web Developer Salary With a Coding Bootcamp

A coding bootcamp can set you up for success in this field. Coding bootcamps are fast-track coding schools that can turn you into a professional web developer in just a matter of months.

If you want to trade your traditional office job in for a remote career in web development, click the banner below. Career Karma will show you how you can earn a handsome freelance web developer salary in no time. And all of the personalized career coaching and support we offer at Career Karma will never cost you anything.


It's time to consider giving up your old job and land the freelance web development career you've been dreaming of. Join Career Karma and start your journey to work freedom today.

how much does a website design freelancer make

Source: https://careerkarma.com/blog/freelance-web-developer-salary/