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The differences between 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 web application developer and a contract developer. Additionally, a contract developer has an average salary of $91,433, which is higher than the $85,840 average annual salary of a web application developer.
The top three skills for a web application developer include javascript, web application and CSS. The most important skills for a contract developer are C++, javascript, and java.
| Web Application Developer | Contract Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,840 | $91,433 |
| Hourly rate | $41.27 | $43.96 |
| Growth rate | 13% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 229,802 | 249,808 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 37 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A web application developer is responsible for designing website and system applications following clients' specifications and business' needs. Web application developers utilize their expertise in programming languages and system codes, ensuring the efficiency and smooth navigation of the website. They also run multiple diagnostic tests on the output before release, identifying inconsistencies, and addressing incompatibilities on browsers and devices. A web application developer should be detail-oriented and highly-technical as this job requires excellent digital knowledge to manage complex systems.
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.
Web application developers and contract developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Web Application Developer | Contract Developer | |
| Average salary | $85,840 | $91,433 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $110,000 | Between $67,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fairfield, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Avanade |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a web application developer and a contract developer in terms of educational background:
| Web Application Developer | Contract Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | 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 web application developers' and contract developers' demographics:
| Web Application Developer | Contract Developer | |
| Average age | 37 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.9% Female, 19.1% | 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% |