Table of contents

Average annual income for WordPress contractors in 2025Hourly rates vs salaried WordPress rolesWhat affects your income as a WordPress contractor?WordPress contractor salary by job type or roleWhere WordPress contractors find high-paying workHow WordPress contractor rates have changed over timeWhat benefits (if any) do WordPress contractors receive?Getting started as a WordPress contractorGetting StartedAdditional Resources

Get the industry’s fastest hosting for WordPress◦ 99.99% uptime
◦ Comprehensive security
◦ Support

WordPress Guide → Monetize → Contractor Annual Income

WordPress Contractor Annual Income Report, 2025

WordPress powers over 40% of the internet, and that ecosystem needs a growing army of developers, designers, and technical experts. Whether you’re freelancing full-time or contracting between gigs, the earning potential in the WordPress space is real—and rising.

Let’s break down what WordPress contractors are earning in 2025, what influences those rates, and how you can position yourself to earn more this year.

Get fast, reliable hosting for WordPress

Power your site with the industry’s fastest, most optimized WordPress hosting

WordPress.org plans

Average annual income for WordPress contractors in 2025

WordPress contractor pay varies based on skill level, specialization, and type of work—but here’s a general snapshot for 2025 in the United States:

Experience Level	Hourly Rate	Estimated Annual Income	Common Work Types
Entry-level	$20–$40/hr	$40,000–$65,000	Theme installs, basic site builds
Experienced	$50–$100/hr	$75,000–$120,000	Custom themes, plugin work, site maintenance
Expert	$100–$150+/hr	$125,000–$200,000+	WooCommerce, enterprise, headless builds

Top-tier contractors working with high-paying clients—especially in ecommerce and enterprise—can push beyond $150,000 annually with consistent work.

Hourly rates vs salaried WordPress roles

Contractors often charge more per hour than salaried developers, but the tradeoff is that income can fluctuate based on workload.

Hourly rates for independent contractors range from $20 to $150+ depending on experience.
Salaried roles at agencies or tech companies typically range from $65,000 to $120,000 per year.
Freelancers have higher earning potential but must manage client acquisition, contracts, and downtime.

In-house roles may come with benefits and stability, but many skilled developers prefer freelance freedom and the chance to earn more on large projects.

What affects your income as a WordPress contractor?

Contractor income isn’t just about skills—it’s shaped by what you specialize in, where you’re based, and how you structure your work.

Experience level

More experience typically means higher pay. Entry-level contractors handling basic installs or small business sites usually earn less. As you take on custom builds, multisite setups, and plugin development, your rates can rise significantly.

Specialization

Clients pay more for niche skills. Some of the highest-paid specialties in 2025 include:

WooCommerce store development
Custom plugin creation
Headless WordPress builds using REST API or GraphQL
WordPress performance optimization and security hardening

A narrow niche often beats being a generalist when it comes to income.

Location

Location still matters—even in a remote-friendly world. U.S.-based contractors in high-cost cities like San Francisco, Austin, and New York often charge premium rates. Globally, developers in Western Europe and Australia also command higher fees than those in Southeast Asia or South America.

Contract type and client model

Your income depends heavily on your business model:

Direct client relationships often pay the most but require more time spent on sales and client management.
Subcontracting for agencies offers steady work but usually lower rates.
Retainers or maintenance plans can create stable monthly income.

Balancing short-term builds with long-term contracts can stabilize cash flow.

WordPress contractor salary by job type or role

Each WordPress role comes with its own pricing expectations. Here’s how different specialties tend to stack up in 2025:

Front-end developer: $40–$80/hr for theme customization and visual design.
Full-stack developer: $60–$120/hr for theme + plugin + server expertise.
Plugin developer: $75–$150/hr for custom plugin creation and optimization.
Theme developer: $50–$100/hr for full custom designs or FSE block themes.
WooCommerce specialist: $90–$160/hr for complex ecommerce builds.
Performance/security expert: $80–$150/hr for speed optimization and hardening.

Your pricing should reflect not just the hours worked, but the value you bring.

Where WordPress contractors find high-paying work

Earning more starts with finding better opportunities. Here’s where top contractors get hired:

Codeable: This invite-only platform focuses exclusively on WordPress development. Clients are typically established businesses with decent budgets. Codeable vets all freelancers before acceptance and allows you to set your own rates. Top-tier developers here often charge $70–$150/hour or more, and projects range from plugin customization to full-scale site builds.
Toptal: Known for matching elite developers with serious clients, Toptal has a rigorous screening process. Once accepted, you’ll have access to clients that include startups, enterprise companies, and tech-forward brands. WordPress work here may involve complex integrations, performance tuning, or scalable theme development.
Upwork (with filters and niche positioning): While Upwork has a mix of low- and high-budget clients, setting your profile up as a WordPress specialist—with strong reviews, a clear niche, and a premium rate—can help you attract bigger projects. Filtering for “Expert” level and clients with high budgets helps weed out the lower-paying gigs.
LinkedIn and direct outreach: Many contractors find long-term clients by actively posting about WordPress work on LinkedIn or reaching out directly to digital agencies and businesses. Position yourself as a solution provider rather than a coder. Having a polished portfolio and a confident, consultative pitch is key here.
WordPress-focused agencies and white-label partnerships: Some agencies outsource overflow work to independent contractors. You can find these opportunities by networking in communities like Post Status, the Advanced WordPress Facebook group, or even Reddit. These jobs may not be posted publicly, but can provide consistent, high-quality work at reasonable rates.

A polished portfolio, testimonials, and strong GitHub activity can all help land higher-paying clients.

How WordPress contractor rates have changed over time

The WordPress contractor market has steadily grown—and evolved—over the last five years.

2020–2021: Pandemic-era demand for online stores and blogs caused a boom in freelancer hiring.
2022–2023: Rates plateaued slightly as markets adjusted, but performance, security, and ecommerce remained high-value.
2024–2025: Full Site Editing (FSE), block themes, and headless WordPress drove demand for more technical roles.

WooCommerce continues to be one of the most lucrative specialties in 2025, with many businesses upgrading or migrating from other platforms.

What benefits (if any) do WordPress contractors receive?

Unlike salaried roles, contractors typically don’t get employer-sponsored benefits. You’ll need to budget for:

Health insurance and retirement: Often self-funded via private plans or IRAs.
Time off: Paid vacations are self-managed and require pre-planned income buffers.
Licenses and tools: Software, hosting, and plugin licenses often come out of pocket.
Continuing education: Courses, conferences, and certifications are investments in future earning potential.

Factoring these into your pricing ensures your freelance business stays sustainable.

How to increase your WordPress contractor income in 2025

Want to charge more and land better projects? These strategies can help:

Upskill: Learn React, Gutenberg block development, and modern PHP (8.2+).
Specialize: Go deep on WooCommerce, LMS platforms, security, or headless frameworks.
Package services: Offer monthly maintenance or performance retainer packages.
Sell digital products: Create plugins, block patterns, or starter themes for passive income.
Sharpen business skills: Learn how to write proposals, negotiate rates, and qualify better clients.

Technical skills get you in the door, but business skills help you close the deal.

Getting started as a WordPress contractor

If you’re new to WordPress freelancing, start with the essentials:

Learn the basics of HTML, CSS, PHP, and the WordPress ecosystem.
Build and launch a few personal or sample sites to demonstrate your skills.
Set up a portfolio site with testimonials, pricing, and service offerings.
Use job boards or freelance platforms to land your first projects.
Keep learning—staying current is key to climbing the income ladder.

Every expert was once a beginner. With the right foundation, growth is just a matter of time and effort.

Next steps for WordPress contractor annual income

WordPress contractors in 2025 can earn anywhere from $60K to $150K+ per year—and sometimes more. Your rates depend on what you know, what you offer, and how you run your freelance business.

Want to grow your WordPress income this year? Focus on high-paying specialties like WooCommerce, build a portfolio that converts, and choose clients who value expertise.

Ready to upgrade your WordPress experience? Professional hosting improves speeds, security, and reliability for a website and a brand that people find engaging and trustworthy.

Don’t want to deal with server management and maintenance either? Our fully managed hosting for WordPress is the best in the industry. Our team are not only server IT experts, but WordPress hosting experts as well. Your server couldn’t be in better hands.

Click through below to explore all of our hosting for WordPress options, or chat with a WordPress expert right now to get answers and advice.