Web Developers Salary
In Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, web developers earn $81,350 at the median, or about $39.11 an hour. The range runs from $52K at the entry level to $137K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 109.9), so that salary is closer to $74,022 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $4,214/month, about 82.5% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $81K get you in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Santa Cruz-Watsonville’s Regional Price Parity (109.9). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About web developers
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What this looks like in Santa Cruz-Watsonville
Pay for web developers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville runs about 12% below the U.S. median of $93K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $4,214/month, which is 81.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 10% above the national average (BEA RPP 109.9), so groceries and services cost more too. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for web developerss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for web developers in metros near Santa Cruz-Watsonville, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Stockton-Lodi | $50K | $48K |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | $104K | $96K |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $107K | $94K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $152K | $132K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
Entry-level web developers (10th percentile) start around $52K. Mid-career wages sit at $81K. Top earners bring in $137K or more, a $84K spread from bottom to top.
Web Developers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Web Developers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $130K | +41% | 4,430 |
| Virginia | $128K | +39% | 4,590 |
| California | $120K | +29% | 7,320 |
| District of Columbia | $115K | +24% | 430 |
| Maryland | $113K | +22% | 1,960 |
| Missouri | $104K | +12% | 1,160 |
| Minnesota | $101K | +9% | 1,200 |
| Utah | $100K | +8% | 1,280 |
| New York | $99K | +6% | 3,990 |
| Michigan | $98K | +6% | 1,580 |
| Massachusetts | $98K | +6% | 1,940 |
| Rhode Island | $98K | +6% | N/A |
| North Carolina | $97K | +4% | 2,030 |
| New Jersey | $95K | +3% | 2,250 |
| Wisconsin | $91K | -2% | 1,180 |
| Georgia | $90K | -2% | 1,500 |
| Pennsylvania | $86K | -7% | 1,670 |
| Colorado | $86K | -7% | 1,680 |
| Connecticut | $86K | -7% | 750 |
| Texas | $86K | -7% | 4,910 |
| Louisiana | $85K | -8% | 490 |
| Illinois | $85K | -8% | 4,310 |
| Vermont | $85K | -9% | 70 |
| Nevada | $83K | -10% | 340 |
| Kentucky | $83K | -11% | 270 |
| Indiana | $81K | -13% | 860 |
| Nebraska | $80K | -13% | 230 |
| Idaho | $79K | -14% | 220 |
| Oklahoma | $79K | -15% | 410 |
| New Hampshire | $78K | -16% | 470 |
| West Virginia | $78K | -16% | 400 |
| South Carolina | $78K | -16% | 710 |
| Arizona | $76K | -18% | 1,010 |
| Delaware | $76K | -18% | N/A |
| Tennessee | $75K | -19% | 1,620 |
| Kansas | $74K | -21% | 500 |
| North Dakota | $72K | -22% | N/A |
| Wyoming | $68K | -26% | 50 |
| New Mexico | $68K | -26% | 130 |
| Oregon | $64K | -30% | 1,140 |
| Iowa | $64K | -31% | 420 |
| Montana | $62K | -33% | 550 |
| South Dakota | $51K | -45% | 390 |
| Arkansas | $51K | -45% | 400 |
Showing 1–10 of 44 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track web developers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Santa Cruz-Watsonville numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a web developer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $81K, rent takes 81.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $4,214/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,500/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for web developers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new web developers typically earn — is $52K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,143/month. At HUD’s $4,214/month FMR, rent would take 134% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is web developer a high-paying job in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Local pay runs 12% below the national median — $81K here vs. $93K nationally.
How does Santa Cruz-Watsonville compare to the national average for web developers?
Santa Cruz-Watsonville pays $81K median vs. the U.S. average of $93K — that’s -12%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 109.9), the purchasing-power equivalent is $74K — below the national median.
How much do web developers make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
The median is $81,350 a year, that works out to about $39 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $52,380, and experienced web developers can clear $136,840. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $81K enough to live in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,159/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $4,214/month, which eats 81.7% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a web developers salary go in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Santa Cruz-Watsonville has a Regional Price Parity of 109.9 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median web developers salary is worth about $74,022 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do web developers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.