Wage may well be a taboo topic to a few other folks, however if you happen to’re a WordPress developer, or are making an allowance for a occupation in WordPress construction, figuring out what persons are incomes is very important to maximizing your individual incomes energy.
So let’s discuss that secret – let’s communicate in regards to the reasonable WordPress developer wage. That approach, you’ll know precisely what you’re value (and the way you’ll be able to earn extra).
To do the subject complete justice, we’re going to damage this publish into two portions.
Nonetheless searching for that absolute best WordPress host?
First, we’ll check out the knowledge from activity websites and freelancing platforms to be told:
- The average WordPress developer salary for full-time jobs
- What WordPress developer freelance rates look like
- How WordPress developers stack up to other developers (Drupal or Joomla)
Then, once we’ve coated what the averages are, we’ll speak about some tips for increasing your own salary as a way to transfer your self against the appropriate facet of the wage bell curve.
However first, a little bit caveat…
Calculating a Unmarried “WordPress Developer Wage” Is Laborious
There are some things that may skew those numbers. First, as a result of WordPress is so fashionable (recently powering over 32% of the web), there are a ton of people that may fall beneath the label of “WordPress developer”.
For instance, there’s the respect between WordPress “builders” and “implementers”.
Builders are those running immediately with code and construction answers, whilst implementers are extra about taking the ones answers and turning them into web pages for purchasers.
However to numerous other folks, they each rely as “WordPress builders”, particularly on the subject of freelancing.
Then, to complicate issues additional, you will have the worldwide nature of WordPress. There are builders and freelancers everywhere in the international, this means that that geography goes to play a large function within the averages, particularly on the subject of freelance charges.
Principally, there’s numerous stuff that may skew the averages, so stay that during thoughts while you’re taking a look on the information.
What the Activity Websites Say In regards to the Moderate WordPress Developer Wage
For this primary phase, we’ve aggregated WordPress developer wage information from fashionable activity websites.
For most of these websites, we’re the use of all of the United States for the common. Clearly, different international locations, and even explicit US states, will range from this reasonable:
- Glassdoor – $68,224 (source)
- Certainly – $59,987 or $28.84 in line with hour (source)
- ZipRecruiter – $71,019 (source)
- Payscale – $50,447 for WordPress internet builders (source)
- SimplyHired – $62,164 (source)
- Neuvoo – $68,250 (source)
Put the ones numbers in combination, and also you get a median wage of $63,348 for full-time WordPress builders in the US as an entire.
What The Information Says About WordPress Developer Freelance Charges
Numerous WordPress builders are freelancers, no longer full-time workers.
Right here, we’ll accumulate information from some fashionable freelance marketplaces.
Not like the full-time salaries, there’s no longer essentially one unmarried reasonable right here. As an alternative, we’ll to find the variety of maximum freelance WordPress builders on every platform.
Additionally, those numbers are international, as maximum freelance websites have heaps of freelancers from everywhere in the international.
WordPress Developer Freelance Charges at Basic Marketplaces
By means of “common”, we imply huge freelance marketplaces like:
- Upwork
- Freelancer
- Folks In keeping with Hour
- And so forth.
Someone can join and there’s no longer actually any vetting procedure for who is in a position to name themselves a WordPress developer.
We have now two information issues right here…
First, in line with an article from Upwork, the common freelance WordPress developer on their platform fees anyplace from $20-$100.
2d, we took a have a look at Folks In keeping with Hour, which gives a useful breakdown of freelancers via the charges that they price:
WordPress developer wage at Folks In keeping with Hour
Of the three,768 freelancers who display up for a “WordPress developer” keyword search, right here’s the speed breakdown:
- 67% price beneath $15 in line with hour.
- 24% price $15 to $35 in line with hour.
- 7% price $35 to $60 in line with hour.
- 2% price over $60 in line with hour.
Specialised Freelance Marketplaces
The above numbers don’t glance too scorching within the common freelance marketplaces. Actually, we must agree with Bridget, they’re beautiful appalling! 
Not like the open nature of Upwork or Folks In keeping with Hour, those marketplaces require checking out sooner than freelancers are allowed to start out searching for paintings.
Consequently, they’re tougher to get into. But when you are making it throughout the exams, the charges glance much better.
First, there’s Codeable. Absolutely the minimal fee that you simply’ll get on Codeable is $60 in line with hour. And Codeable says that their charges typically run $60 to $90 in line with hour.
2d, there’s CodementorX, the place the average and median WordPress developer hourly fee is $61 to $80 in line with hour globally:
CodementorX freelance charges globally
Or, if you happen to restrict the quest to simply North The united states, the imply turns into $81 to $100 in line with hour (you’ll be able to see an uptick in other folks charging $141+ which brings the common up):
CodementorX freelance charges in North The united states
With a bit of luck you notice the image right here! Extra in this within the subsequent phase…
WordPress Developer Wage vs Drupal and Joomla Builders
Right here’s a tragic reality about those wage numbers:
Of builders for the most important open-source content material control platforms (or internet dev basically), WordPress builders are frequently on the backside.
Ryan Sullivan of WP Website Care sums this up beautiful neatly (the entire Tweet chain is value a learn):
Fascinating. Upload “WordPress” to nearly any construction activity seek and watch the wage magically drop 30%. Any ideas why?
— Ryan Sullivan (@ryandonsullivan) July 14, 2014
So how dangerous is the adaptation? Listed below are some rapid-fire numbers for Drupal and Joomla builders.
Drupal
- Certainly – $99,082 (source) vs $59,987 for WordPress
- Glassdoor – $83,399 (source) vs $68,224 for WordPress
And the Drupal developer freelance charges at People Per Hour are:
- 36% price beneath $15 in line with hour vs 67% for WordPress
- 35% price $15 to $35 in line with hour vs 24% for WordPress.
- 19% price $35 to $60 in line with hour vs 7% for WordPress
- 9% price over $60 in line with hour vs 2% for WordPress.
Joomla
- Glassdoor – $89,774 (source) vs $68,224 for WordPress
And the Joomla developer freelance charges at People Per Hour are:
- 40% price beneath $15 in line with hour vs 67% for WordPress
- 35% price $15 to $35 in line with hour vs 24% for WordPress.
- 16% price $35 to $60 in line with hour vs 7% for WordPress
- 8% price over $60 in line with hour vs 2% for WordPress.
Tom McFarlin has a good post investigating one of the the explanation why WordPress builders may earn not up to their Drupal or Joomla opposite numbers.
Find out how to Building up Your Incomes Energy as a WordPress Developer
Good enough, so now you recognize what different persons are getting paid. However figuring out other folks’s salaries isn’t going to place extra bread for your desk!
So how are you able to build up the amount of cash that you simply earn as a WordPress developer?
Whether or not you’re underneath the common or already doing neatly for your self, listed here are some tricks to build up how a lot you earn as a WordPress developer.
Be aware – the following pointers are centered principally on freelancing, as your choices are a little bit extra restricted with full-time employment.
1. Building up Your Costs. Critically, It’s That Easy
Sure, this turns out like roughly a no brainer. Nevertheless it’s excellent to have a reminder as a result of now and again it’s simple to get set to your techniques or really feel such as you’ll lose all your purchasers if you happen to elevate your charges.
Listed below are some humorous issues about elevating your charges, regardless that:
First, you’d be stunned via what persons are keen to pay (you simply have to invite!).
2d, purchasers who’re keen to pay extra are typically more straightforward to paintings with.
It sort of feels a little bit counter-intuitive, proper? You’d assume anyone paying extra can be extra challenging, whilst anyone paying much less can be a little bit extra forgiving.
However, as any individual who’s moved up the pay scale can let you know, higher-paying purchasers are typically a lot more straightforward to paintings with.
Kinsta supplies an all-in-one webhosting answer designed to avoid wasting you time! Allow us to deal with the nitty-gritty stuff (caching, backups, and many others.), and also you focal point on what you do easiest, which is rising what you are promoting.
You’ll be able to do that systematically:
- For every new shopper request that is available in, elevate your charges a little bit bit.
- Stay elevating your charges till you to find the “candy spot”.
- If wanted, elevate your charges for present purchasers whenever you’ve discovered the candy spot.
To make your costs more straightforward for purchasers to swallow, focal point at the price you deliver, no longer the associated fee. That’s at all times a excellent rule for advertising your self in any form of freelance industry.
2. Grow to be a Specialist in a Explicit House of WordPress
One of the vital easiest techniques to boost your charges is to develop into a consultant in some explicit space of WordPress. As an alternative of being a “WordPress developer”, be a “WooCommerce developer” or a “club website online knowledgeable”.
Sure – you shrink your pool of attainable purchasers via doing this. However you additionally make it so much more straightforward to marketplace your self and command larger charges.
Plus, WordPress is fashionable sufficient that there’s nonetheless various paintings to head round although you “area of interest down”.
3. Get Paid for What You’re Already Doing by the use of Associate Partnerships
When you’re construction WordPress websites for purchasers, you want a spot to host the ones websites. And that selection opens up any other source of revenue alternative within the type of associate partnerships.
For instance, if you happen to refer a consumer to Kinsta, Kinsta’s affiliate program gives you an up-front fee plus routine fee for so long as that shopper is a Kinsta buyer.
The Kinsta associates program
That is helping you construct long-term routine earnings with out including any paintings. No longer a foul option to up the common hourly fee, proper?
In fact, you at all times need to do proper via your shopper and be clear about your suggestions. To verify you’ll be able to do this, we’ve constructed Kinsta to be a webhosting product that you’ll be able to be proud to counsel on your purchasers.
4. Be offering Price-Added Services and products, Like Ongoing Repairs
Past associate source of revenue, in a different way to generate routine earnings is to supply long-term upkeep plans on your purchasers.
Once more, whenever you construct a website online for a consumer, anyone must take care of that website online going ahead. Why no longer you?
That will give you per month earnings coming in. And due to equipment like ManageWP, keeping up a fleet of shopper websites doesn’t must be a significant time sink.
Or, if you happen to don’t like the speculation of doing the upkeep your self, there are WordPress upkeep services and products in the market that you’ll be able to both:
- Earn an associate fee from
- White-label on your purchasers
For instance, if you happen to’re already webhosting your shopper’s website online with Kinsta, you’ll be able to make the most of our partnership with SkyrocketWP to supply them an inexpensive ongoing upkeep plan (and get a fee for the referral).
Or, one thing like WP Buffs offers true white-labeling with an ongoing fee.
5. Make a selection a High quality Market (and Keep away from a Race to the Backside)
You already noticed some information from one of the largest freelance marketplaces. With a bit of luck, you spotted the large disparity between common freelance marketplaces and specialised freelance marketplaces.
The overall freelance marketplaces are frequently a race to the bottom on the subject of value. That’s made worse as a result of lots of the other folks posting jobs there are searching for rock-bottom costs. Principally, the standard of the customer leads simply isn’t excellent more often than not.
As an alternative, skip the overall marketplaces and both pass solo or use a specialised market like Codeable.
Whilst it is very important end up your chops to get into Codeable, the upshot is that Codeable is principally pre-vetting all your leads for you.
See, Codeable is clear about the truth that their minimal is $60 in line with hour which can mechanically weed out the entire low-quality leads who’re searching for anyone with rock-bottom pricing.
Codeable shows this to everybody who’s searching for a freelancer
So if anyone is looking for a WordPress freelancer on Codeable, you understand they’re glad to pay no less than $60 in line with hour. And that suggests you’ll be able to compete on high quality and repair, which is a a lot more sustainable option to run what you are promoting.
6. Be informed How Taxes Affect Your Take-House Profits
The name of the game killer of each freelance industry that no person talks about… and that’s taxes. In the US, if you happen to’re a salaried WordPress developer, then possibly your employer is withholding a bulk of your taxes in the back of the scenes. However if you happen to’re doing WordPress freelance gigs, as a sole proprietorship, this implies you must pay self-employment taxes.
Self-employed folks need to pay each the Social Safety and Medicare for the employer and for the industry. Here’s a tough breakdown of self-employment tax in 2018, which is round 15.3% (source):
- 6.2% that might usually get withheld from worker pay for Social Safety.
- 1.45% that might usually get withheld from worker pay for Medicare.
- 6.2% for the specified employer contribution to Social Safety.
- 1.45% for the specified employer contribution to Medicare.
As you’ll be able to see, it’s virtually like getting double taxed, as a result of as a freelancer you’re each the worker and the industry. 
This is the reason we extremely counsel all freelancers communicate with a tax accountant. Once in a while settings up an LLC or S Company can prevent 1000’s of greenbacks a 12 months in taxes! There are corporations like Independent Contractor Tax Advisors who deal only with serving to self-employed folks lower your expenses on taxes.
Are WordPress Builders Reasonably Paid – What Do You Assume?
Now that you simply’ve observed the knowledge, we’d love to listen to from you!
Do those reasonable salaries fit your revel in? And do you assume WordPress builders are somewhat paid compared to internet builders as an entire? Tell us within the feedback!
The publish WordPress Developer Salary: The Average, Plus How to Increase Yours seemed first on Kinsta Managed WordPress Hosting.
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