The average back-end developer earns six-figures in the U.S., and top-earners live in these states

Close up of female hands coding on laptop at cafe table with cup of coffee on the side. (Credit: Getty Images)

Imagine yourself shopping for a brand-new car. It’s easy to get pulled in by the sleek lines and contours, the deep colors, and the flashy tech. But it’s what’s under the hood that really matters for most vehicles—and the same holds true for websites and applications. That’s why back-end web developers are so important.

Back-end developers operate “under the hood,” so to speak, on websites and apps. While front-end developers may code and work with the visuals and design, “back-end developers work with databases, may build custom content management systems, and work with SQL and PHP,” says Dan Martino, the digital director and founder of 914Digital, a New York-based digital media company. 

If you were to stick with the car analogy, Martino says that “a back-end developer is building out the engine and the computer systems,” as opposed to a front-end developer, who might work on the interior’s design and colors.

How much do back-end developers make? 

Back-end developers in the United States earn an average of $100,778, according to internal data from ZipRecruiter that was provided to Fortune. The overall pay range between states tends to range between $92,000 per year or so in Oregon to more than $115,000 in Washington D.C., but there are a range of factors that can influence what a back-end developer earns in any specific state or city.

Julia Pollak, Chief Economist at ZipRecruiter, says that it’s important to note that salaries can be a tad misleading, too, as they don’t incorporate total compensation for developers, who are often pulling in sizable bonuses and stock options on top of that salary.

Pollak also says that back-end developers may end up earning more than their front-end counterparts.

“Because back-end developers are dealing with ever more data, and responsibility for building the data server database logic, the job has become incredibly important and crucial,” Pollak says. “Getting things to run quickly on the back end, with vast amounts of data, is a very specialized and difficult skill—back-end developers need to be really proficient,” she says. That, in a nutshell, is why back-end developers can command relatively high salaries.

Cost of living

While the average back-end developer may earn a relatively high salary, they must also keep the cost of living where they live and work in mind. A developer earning a high salary in an expensive city may see more of those earnings whittled away by high rent and childcare costs (for example) than a developer earning a bit less in a cheaper area. Again, this is something to merely keep in mind for prospective developers looking at high-paying career tracks.

View this interactive chart on Fortune.com

Back-end developer salary by state 

Below, you’ll see the states where back-end developers earn the most on average. The salary numbers were provided by ZipRecruiter, and were calculated between the beginning of 2024 through early May 2024. 

Further, the cost of living (COL) index for each state is calculated by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC), which averages indexes from metro areas and cities, and incorporates costs for groceries, housing, utilities, and transportation.

These are the states where the average back-end developer earns the most (and the least):

Rank	Location	Salary*	Cost of living index
1	Washington, D.C.	$115,499	146.8
2	Wisconsin	$113,373	95.1
3	California	$113,074	138.5
4	Massachusetts	$108,811	146.5
5	Ohio	$108,006	94.7
6	New Jersey	$106,696	113.9
7	Pennsylvania	$105,931	95.6
8	Vermont	$105,790	115.3
9	Minnesota	$105,368	94.1
10	Maryland	$104,406	116.5
11	Alaska	$103,791	125.2
12	Illinois	$103,753	92.1
13	Colorado	$103,709	105.1
14	Connecticut	$103,611	112.8
15	New Hampshire	$102,996	114.1
16	Washington	$102,594	116
17	North Dakota	$102,513	94.6
18	Maine	$102,300	109.9
19	South Carolina	$101,965	95.3
20	Hawaii	$101,546	180.3
21	Montana	$101,413	102.9
22	Tennessee	$101,185	90.3
23	Delaware	$100,956	101.1
24	Arizona	$100,205	108.4
25	Rhode Island	$100,089	110.7
26	West Virginia	$99,912	87.7
27	New Mexico	$98,787	94
28	Iowa	$98,665	90.3
29	Nevada	$98,506	101
30	Georgia	$98,475	90.8
31	Oklahoma	$98,357	86.2
32	Alabama	$98,319	88.3
33	Kentucky	$98,311	92
34	Idaho	$98,265	98.6
35	North Carolina	$98,099	95.3
36	Utah	$97,817	103.2
37	Wyoming	$97,413	92.4
38	Missouri	$97,000	88.5
39	Texas	$96,861	92.7
40	Louisiana	$96,676	91
41	Nebraska	$96,578	90.9
42	Michigan	$96,468	90.6
43	Indiana	$96,224	91
44	Florida	$96,220	100.7
45	Kansas	$95,442	87.1
46	Mississippi	$95,274	86.3
47	Virginia	$94,347	101.9
48	South Dakota	$93,263	92.4
49	Arkansas	$92,260	89
50	Oregon	$91,864	114.7
51	New York	No data	125.9

*Back-end developer salary as of May 2024

The takeaway 

The web development process can be split up into different parts, including both the front-end and back-end portions. While some developers have “full-stack” skill sets—meaning they work both front and back-end—some developers opt to specialize in the front or back-end specifically. Back-end developers tend to work “under the hood,” with a lot of data and databases.

Their proficiency in back-end systems and processes isn’t easily obtained, either, which is what makes a back-end developer’s abilities prized in the labor market, allowing the average back-end dev to earn a six-figure salary. Prospective back-end developers should keep in mind that their salaries likely will depend, to some degree, on where they live and work, and the specific skills and programming languages they possess.

While working on the back-end of websites and applications may also not be quite as sexy as designing them for the front-end user, it’s a critical process. And back-end developers may not only command high salaries, but could also see big bonuses and other compensation, too.