Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between junior developers and senior web developers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a junior developer and a senior web developer. Additionally, a senior web developer has an average salary of $97,916, which is higher than the $75,006 average annual salary of a junior developer.
The top three skills for a junior developer include java, C++ and javascript. The most important skills for a senior web developer are javascript, web application, and CSS.
| Junior Developer | Senior Web Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $75,006 | $97,916 |
| Hourly rate | $36.06 | $47.08 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 13% |
| Number of jobs | 259,820 | 239,535 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 39 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A junior developer is an individual with an entry-level position that is hired by an information technology (IT) company to work with its development team to write and maintain code for computer applications. Being an entry-level position, junior developers are required to learn the codebase and gain experience from working on large projects. They attend and participate in meetings conducted by the development team to discuss issues with other developers. Junior developers must also participate in paired programming with mid-level and senior developers.
A senior web developer is responsible for designing, building, and optimizing websites and other software applications. You are expected to perform a few tasks that include identifying client specifications and user requirements, working closely with teams and clients, and testing and documenting software for websites. Other duties include writing, modifying, and debugging websites, keeping up-to-date with the latest social marketing trends, and supervising junior web developers. You will also be responsible for writing code to create web pages and to work closely with mobile developers.
Junior developers and senior web developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Junior Developer | Senior Web Developer | |
| Average salary | $75,006 | $97,916 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $99,000 | Between $74,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Atlassian | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Media |
There are a few differences between a junior developer and a senior web developer in terms of educational background:
| Junior Developer | Senior Web Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between junior developers' and senior web developers' demographics:
| Junior Developer | Senior Web Developer | |
| Average age | 39 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.9% Female, 24.1% | Male, 81.5% Female, 18.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 16.0% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 9% |