Web Developer · Virginia · SOC 15-1254
Virginia Web Developer Salary — 2026 BLS + BEA RPP
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-05.
TL;DR
- BLS reports Virginia Web Developer median pay at $110,830. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $109,374.
- Web Developer ranking: #5 on the BLS table, #2 once cost of living is in.
- Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
- BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $70,110 · P25 $93,140 · P75 $141,080 · P90 $173,630.
Wage breakdown — Virginia
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $70,110 | $69,189 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $93,140 | $91,917 |
| P50 (median) | $110,830 | $109,374 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $141,080 | $139,227 |
| P90 (top tier) | $173,630 | $171,349 |
| Mean | $119,920 | $118,345 |
| Employment | 4,450 Web Developers in Virginia | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Virginia index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 101.3 |
| Goods | 101.1 |
| Services | 92.4 |
| Rents | 105.6 |
Virginia's overall RPP (101.3) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.
After-tax take-home — Virginia (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) | $110,830 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$15,630 | 14.1% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$5,626 | 2–5.75% (graduated) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$8,478 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $81,095 | 73.2% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $80,030 | ÷ (101.3 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Virginia state-tax burden means for Web Developer take-home
Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.1% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $81,095 (73.2% of gross). After the 101.3 RPP, real take-home is $80,030.
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. Virginia sits at #5 on nominal pay and #2 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Virginia climbs 3 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Web Developer make in Virginia?
- BLS reports a median annual wage of $110,830 for Web Developers in Virginia as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $93,140 and the 75th-percentile is $141,080.
- What does the top of the Web Developer pay scale look like in Virginia?
- The 90th percentile lands at $173,630. 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 $141,080.
- How wide is the wage spread in Virginia?
- P10 to P90 spans $70,110 to $173,630. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
- Is Virginia a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Web Developers?
- No — Virginia's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
- Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Virginia?
- 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 Virginia.
- Front-end vs back-end vs full-stack web developer pay in Virginia?
- BLS does not segment by stack within 15-1254. In Virginia, 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 Virginia 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.
- Agency / contract vs in-house vs freelance web developer in Virginia?
- Agency-employed web developers in Virginia typically anchor near the BLS median with limited bonus exposure. In-house developers at non-tech companies (e-commerce, media, government) sit at or above median with stable benefits. Freelance / contract web developers can earn substantially above the BLS figure on a gross-hourly basis, but net of self-employment tax (~15.3%), self-paid health insurance, lack of paid leave, and revenue-gap risk, the realized take-home premium is closer to 10-20% than the headline gross might suggest. Specialty contract work (e-commerce platform migrations, headless CMS, accessibility remediation) commands the largest premium in Virginia.
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 Virginia 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.