As more and more of our lives are spent on the internet, it has never been more important for businesses to have websites. The webspace is booming, and with this means that the job of web developer is booming. This table represents the top 5 US states to work as a web developer in terms of adjusted salary. The data was originally sourced from the national average web developer salary data from ZipRecruiter and the cost of living index by state from the World Population Review. The adjusted income column takes into account the cost of living in that state. The average web developer salary in the United States is $68,388 which is a surprising $20,000 less than the adjusted salary of a developer in Utah.
The cost of living index is a calculation made based on a state's price of goods. The higher the index score, the more costly the state is to live in. These goods are often based on categories such as food, housing, health care, transportation, education, childcare, and entertainment. The cost of living index is a useful tool for identifying states where the salary looks higher but is effectively lower due to the high cost of living. In the data table, California is a good example of why this tool is useful. California's average income is $80,164, the highest in the country, but their adjusted income is lower than all states on this table with the exception of Illinois. Additionally, states like Vermont are hit harder than even California, with an average income of $80,859 but an adjusted income of just $49,841.
Source:Thinkful.com
| Rank | State | Average Income | Cost of living index | Adjusted income |
| 1 | Utah | $75,768 | 98.4 | $88,064 |
| 2 | Texas | $79,308 | 91.5 | $86,304 |
| 3 | Virginia | $79,328 | 100.7 | $84,619 |
| 4 | California | $80,164 | 151.7 | $83,272 |
| 5 | Illinois | $70,733 | 89.3 | $80,466 |