Web Developer · Rhode Island · SOC 15-1254
2026 Web Developer Pay in Rhode Island: 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
- Web Developers in Rhode Island earn a BLS median of $95,380, with real take-home of $93,450 after BEA RPP adjustment.
- Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
- P25-P75 spread runs $82,190 to $99,430; P10 floor $38,480, P90 ceiling $121,560.
- On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #16 of 51; nominal rank is #13.
Wage breakdown — Rhode Island
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $38,480 | $37,701 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $82,190 | $80,527 |
| P50 (median) | $95,380 | $93,450 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $99,430 | $97,418 |
| P90 (top tier) | $121,560 | $119,101 |
| Mean | $91,880 | $90,021 |
| Employment | Web Developers in Rhode Island | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Rhode Island index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 102.1 |
| Goods | 98.3 |
| Services | 145.1 |
| Rents | 102.7 |
Rhode Island's overall RPP (102.1) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.
After-tax take-home — Rhode Island (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) | $95,380 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$12,231 | 12.8% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$3,255 | 3.75–5.99% (graduated) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$7,297 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $72,598 | 76.1% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $71,129 | ÷ (102.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Rhode Island state-tax burden means for Web Developer take-home
Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $72,598 (76.1% of gross). After the 102.1 RPP, real take-home is $71,129.
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. Rhode Island sits at #13 on nominal pay and #16 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Rhode Island falls 3 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Web Developer make in Rhode Island?
- BLS reports a median annual wage of $95,380 for Web Developers in Rhode Island as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $82,190 and the 75th-percentile is $99,430.
- What is the real (cost-adjusted) Web Developer salary in Rhode Island?
- After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 102.1 for Rhode Island), the real-wage equivalent is $93,450 — what the $95,380 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $80,527 to $97,418.
- What does the top of the Web Developer pay scale look like in Rhode Island?
- The 90th percentile lands at $121,560. 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 $99,430.
- Where does Rhode Island rank for Web Developer pay?
- On nominal BLS wages alone, Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island?
- P10 to P90 spans $38,480 to $121,560. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
- Web developer (15-1254) vs software engineer (15-1252) in Rhode Island — what's the gap?
- BLS splits these into separate SOC codes, and the gap is large. In Rhode Island, 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.
- Front-end vs back-end vs full-stack web developer pay in Rhode Island?
- BLS does not segment by stack within 15-1254. In Rhode Island, dedicated back-end web developers (Node/Python/PHP/.NET) typically earn at or above the BLS P75; full-stack developers cluster mid-range; pure front-end / UI-build / WordPress-theme work concentrates near the BLS median or below. The Rhode Island agency markets in tech-heavy metros pay a premium for React + TypeScript depth and modern build tooling; CMS-only stacks (WordPress/Drupal/Wix) pay below the BLS figure shown on this page.
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 Rhode Island 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.