Web Developer · Missouri · SOC 15-1254
2026 Web Developer Pay in Missouri: BLS Median + Real Take-Home
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-05.
TL;DR
- Headline Web Developer pay in Missouri is $100,950. Real take-home, after the state's cost-of-living index, lands at $110,807.
- Low BEA RPP (91.1) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $9,857.
- Wage envelope: $50,270 (P10) to $180,980 (P90), with quartiles at $73,240 and $180,980.
- Web Developer ranking: #10 on the BLS table, #1 once cost of living is in.
Wage breakdown — Missouri
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $50,270 | $55,179 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $73,240 | $80,392 |
| P50 (median) | $100,950 | $110,807 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $180,980 | $198,652 |
| P90 (top tier) | $180,980 | $198,652 |
| Mean | $114,790 | $125,999 |
| Employment | 1,580 Web Developers in Missouri | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Missouri index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 91.1 |
| Goods | 97.3 |
| Services | 85.6 |
| Rents | 70.5 |
Missouri sits below the national baseline (RPP 91.1), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 70.5.
After-tax take-home — Missouri (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)
Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median
| Layer | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gross BLS P50 (Web Developer) | $100,950 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$13,456 | 13.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$4,081 | 0–4.95% (graduated) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$7,723 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $75,690 | 75.0% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $83,081 | ÷ (91.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Missouri state-tax burden means for Web Developer take-home
Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $75,690 (75.0% of gross). After the 91.1 RPP, real take-home is $83,081.
Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).
National context
Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $90,930 for Web Developers with mean pay of $98,790 and total employment of 78,860. Missouri sits at #10 on nominal pay and #1 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Missouri climbs 9 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the real (cost-adjusted) Web Developer salary in Missouri?
- After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 91.1 for Missouri), the real-wage equivalent is $110,807 — what the $100,950 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $80,392 to $198,652.
- What does the top of the Web Developer pay scale look like in Missouri?
- The 90th percentile lands at $180,980. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $180,980.
- Where does Missouri rank for Web Developer pay?
- On nominal BLS wages alone, Missouri ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
- How wide is the wage spread in Missouri?
- P10 to P90 spans $50,270 to $180,980. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
- What are the limits of these Web Developer salary numbers?
- BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
- Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Missouri?
- The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Missouri.
- Web developer (15-1254) vs software engineer (15-1252) in Missouri — what's the gap?
- BLS splits these into separate SOC codes, and the gap is large. In Missouri, software developers (15-1252) typically earn 40-80% above web developers (15-1254) at the median, reflecting the latter's mix of agency work, WordPress/Shopify implementation, marketing-site builds, and front-end-only roles. Job titles labeled 'web developer' that are functionally full-stack engineers (React/Node, system design, on-call rotation) are usually classified by employers under 15-1252 and do not appear in this page's BLS aggregate. Read this page as the front-end / agency / CMS-implementer wage band, not the full software-engineering market.
Sources & methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 15-1254, 2024 reference period.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
- Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
- See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.
Cross-comparison: see how Missouri Web Developer pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.