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The differences between senior web application developers and contract 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 senior web application developer and a contract developer. Additionally, a senior web application developer has an average salary of $100,403, which is higher than the $91,433 average annual salary of a contract developer.
The top three skills for a senior web application developer include java, web application and scrum. The most important skills for a contract developer are C++, javascript, and java.
| Senior Web Application Developer | Contract Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $100,403 | $91,433 |
| Hourly rate | $48.27 | $43.96 |
| Growth rate | 13% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 181,779 | 249,808 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 37 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior web application developer is responsible for designing and creating website servers and system applications to support business functions and operations or according to the client's specifications. Senior web application developers must have an excellent command of programming languages to write and configure codes that would operate the website and ensure smooth navigation. They work closely with a group of web analysts and engineers to strategize techniques for user requirements and perform quality checks to identify and resolve the website's gaps.
Contract Developers develop secure web applications for data collections, quality measurement efforts, and reporting purposes for large-scale performance, wireframes and UI specifications for interactive and static reporting and analysis features, and developing UI to interact with reporting engines. They are involved with system design and technical documentation and responsible for dot net development. In this position, contract developers must excellent in problem-solving, analytical skills and attention to detail, display and manipulate performance metrics, and highly confident dealing with internal and external clients.
Senior web application developers and contract developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Web Application Developer | Contract Developer | |
| Average salary | $100,403 | $91,433 |
| Salary range | Between $79,000 And $127,000 | Between $67,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman | Avanade |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior web application developer and a contract developer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Web Application Developer | Contract Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior web application developers' and contract developers' demographics:
| Senior Web Application Developer | Contract Developer | |
| Average age | 37 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.0% Female, 15.0% | Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 16.1% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 27.8% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |