The Complete Career Guide for Web Developers in Farmington Hills, MI

Hey there. If you're a web developer scoping out opportunities in the Metro Detroit area, you've likely got Farmington Hills on your radar. As a local career analyst who’s tracked this market for years, I’ll give you the straight talk. This isn’t a glossy brochure; it’s a data-driven look at what your career and life actually look like here. Farmington Hills is a mature, affluent suburb with a strong corporate presence, offering a stable but competitive tech environment. Let’s break it down.

The Salary Picture: Where Farmington Hills Stands

First, let’s talk numbers. The data is clear: web development in Farmington Hills pays well, especially for a cost of living that’s below the national average. The median salary for a web developer here is $92,193 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $44.32. This is almost identical to the national average of $92,750 per year, indicating that the local market pays competitively on a national scale. However, the real value emerges when you factor in the local economy.

The 10-year job growth is projected at 16% for the broader "Web Developers and Digital Designers" category in the area (a figure aligned with BLS projections for the region). This isn't explosive Silicon Valley growth, but it's solid, stable demand. There are currently about 165 jobs listed in the metro area for web developers, which reflects a healthy, active market. Farmington Hills isn't the central tech hub of Detroit—that’s more downtown and in the northern suburbs like Troy—but it’s a significant node in the network, especially for corporate and B2B tech.

Here’s a realistic breakdown by experience level. While the median is a great benchmark, your actual offer will depend heavily on your stack and the specific employer.

Experience Level	Typical Years	Salary Range (Annual)	Key Local Drivers
Entry-Level	0-2 years	$65,000 - $80,000	Focus on front-end fundamentals (React, Vue), local agency work, or junior roles at larger corporations.
Mid-Level	3-5 years	$85,000 - $105,000	Full-stack capabilities, experience with modern frameworks, and a portfolio showing project impact.
Senior-Level	6-10 years	$105,000 - $130,000+	Architecture decisions, mentoring, and expertise in specific domains (e.g., e-commerce, SaaS). Lead roles.
Expert/Lead	10+ years	$130,000 - $160,000+	CTO/VP of Engineering, principal engineer roles, or highly specialized consulting. Often at larger, established firms.

How does this compare to other Michigan cities?

• Detroit: Salaries can be slightly higher (median closer to $95k-$100k) due to the density of tech startups and automotive R&D, but the commute and city living costs can offset this.
• Ann Arbor: Home to the University of Michigan, it has a strong tech scene with a mix of academia and startups. Salaries are comparable to Farmington Hills, but the housing market is notoriously expensive.
• Troy: A major corporate headquarters hub (e.g., Deloitte, PwC). Salaries here can be at the upper end of the range for comparable roles, especially in enterprise software. It’s a 15-20 minute commute from Farmington Hills.
• Royal Oak: Stronger in the digital agency and creative tech space. Salaries are similar, but the lifestyle is more urban and social.

Farmington Hills sits in a sweet spot: strong corporate salaries without the intense competition or cost of living of downtown Detroit or the premium price tag of Ann Arbor.

The Real Take-Home: After Taxes and Rent

A $92,193 salary sounds great, but let’s see what it means for your monthly budget. Here’s a realistic breakdown for a single filer (using a ~25% effective tax rate for estimation, which includes federal, state (MI has a flat 4.25%), and FICA).

Annual Salary: $92,193
Estimated Monthly Take-Home Pay: ~ $5,760 (after taxes)

Monthly Budget Breakdown for a Web Developer Earning $92,193:

Category	Estimated Cost	Notes & Local Context
Rent (1BR)	$1,029	The average 1BR rent is $1,029/month. You can find decent apartments in Farmington Hills or adjacent Novi for this price.
Utilities	$150 - $200	Includes electricity, gas, water, and a mid-tier internet plan (necessary for WFH). Comporium or AT&T Fiber are common.
Groceries	$300 - $400	Michigan has no sales tax on groceries. You'll shop at local Kroger, Meijer, or the Farmington Farmers Market.
Transportation	$200 - $400	Car is essential. Includes gas, insurance, and maintenance. Public transit (DDOT/FAST) is limited. A commute to Troy/Detroit can add cost.
Health Insurance	$200 - $400	Highly variable. Many large employers (see below) offer good plans, but you'll still have a premium.
Entertainment/Dining	$300 - $500	Farmington Hills has a growing downtown scene. You can find deals, but nightlife is more subdued than Royal Oak.
Student Loans/Savings	$300 - $500	Varies widely. Allocate what you can.
Discretionary/Buffer	$500 - $700	For clothing, travel, hobbies, or unexpected costs.

Net Monthly Surplus: $1,000 - $1,500 (after all essential expenses)

Can they afford to buy a home?
Yes, but with a caveat. The median home price in Farmington Hills is around $325,000 - $375,000. With a $92,193 salary, you’d be at the upper end of what’s comfortable for a mortgage. A 20% down payment ($65k-$75k) is a significant hurdle, but not impossible after a few years of saving. With a smaller down payment (5-10%), your monthly mortgage, taxes, and insurance would likely be $1,800 - $2,400, which is more than double the average rent. It’s feasible with a dual-income household or after a promotion to a senior role. Many developers here wait until they’re in the $110k+ range before buying, often in more affordable suburbs like Westland or Livonia.

Where the Jobs Are: Farmington Hills's Major Employers

The job market here is dominated by established corporations, not flashy startups. This means stability, good benefits, and a more traditional 9-to-5 culture. Remote work is common, especially post-2020, but hybrid models are frequent.

1. Gentex Corporation: A global leader in automatic-dimming rearview mirrors. They have a significant IT and software division in the area. They hire for embedded web interfaces and internal application development. Insider Tip: Gentex is very engineering-focused. Knowing C++ alongside JavaScript is a plus for their automotive clients.

2. BorgWarner: A major automotive supplier headquartered in Auburn Hills (15 min away). They have a large IT presence and need web developers for their internal portals, supply chain dashboards, and dealer-facing sites. Hiring Trend: They are heavily investing in digital transformation for the EV shift.

3. Beaumont Health (now Corewell Health): One of Michigan’s largest health systems. They have a massive IT department in Southfield/Royal Oak. They hire for patient portals, medical record systems (Epic), and public-facing health sites. Insider Tip: Health tech is booming. Experience with HIPAA compliance and FHIR APIs is a golden ticket here.

4. The Walsh Group (Engineering & Construction): While based in Chicago, they have a major office in Farmington Hills. They need web developers for project management portals, client reporting tools, and internal wikis. Hiring Trend: They’re moving toward more interactive, data-rich dashboards for construction projects.

5. Roush CleanTech: A leader in alternative fuel vehicle systems. Located in Livonia, just west of Farmington Hills. They need developers for their dealer networks, emissions reporting tools, and internal R&D portals. Insider Tip: Niche automotive tech is a huge local industry. This is a great place to specialize.

6. Local Digital Agencies: Shops like The James Agency or Pancake Digital (often based in nearby Novi or Royal Oak) hire contract and full-time developers for client work. This is a faster-paced environment and a great way to build a diverse portfolio.

Insider Hiring Trend: The biggest demand is for full-stack developers who can handle both front-end (React/Vue) and back-end (Node.js, Python, or Java) work. Companies are less interested in pure front-end specialists unless it's for a major consumer product. Security-conscious development is also a growing focus.

Getting Licensed in MI

This is critical: Michigan does not require a state-issued license to practice as a web developer. You do not need to pass a state exam or register with a board. The "license" here is your portfolio, your experience, and your reputation.

However, there are professional certifications that hold weight locally:

• AWS Certified Developer or Solutions Architect: Highly valued by corporate IT departments (like at BorgWarner or Gentex).
• Google Cloud Professional Cloud Developer: Also respected, especially for companies using GCP.
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM): Useful for moving into team lead or agile project manager roles, which are plentiful in the corporate environment.

Getting Started Timeline:

• If you have a degree: You can start applying immediately. Your degree (BS in Computer Science, etc.) is your "license."
• If you're self-taught or from a bootcamp: Your portfolio is everything. Spend 3-6 months building 2-3 robust, original projects. Contribute to open source. Document your process on GitHub and LinkedIn. Then start applying. The 16% growth means there's room for talented self-taught developers, especially in agencies.

Best Neighborhoods for Web Developers

Farmington Hills is largely suburban, but the character varies. Commute to major employers (BorgWarner in Auburn Hills, Gentex in Zeeland but with local offices, Corewell in Southfield) is a key factor.

Neighborhood	Vibe & Commute	Estimated 1BR Rent	Why It's Good for Devs
Downtown Farmington	Walkable, charming, young professional vibe. 10-15 min to most major employers.	$1,100 - $1,300	Best coffee shops (like The Filling Station) for coding. Easy social life. Central location.
North of 13 Mile Rd	Quieter, more residential, excellent schools. Commute to Troy/Auburn Hills is easy via I-696.	$950 - $1,150	More space for the money. Great for those who want a home office. Less traffic.
Near Laurel Park	Family-oriented, near shopping (Laurel Park Place mall). Commute is a bit further east.	$900 - $1,100	Lower cost of living. Good for developers with families or who value quiet.
Adjacent to Novi	More modern apartments, next to the Novi tech corridor. 15-20 min to Farmington Hills core.	$1,050 - $1,250	Direct access to I-96, making commutes to Detroit or Ann Arbor feasible. More dining options.
West of Middlebelt Rd	Affordable, older suburbs. Commute adding 10 min to most destinations.	$800 - $950	Budget-friendly. Good for saving for a house. Rely on a car for everything.

Insider Tip: For a new arrival, Downtown Farmington is the top choice. It gives you the social and professional network without a long commute. The walkability is a huge perk after a long day of coding.

The Long Game: Career Growth

The career path here is less about explosive equity in a startup and more about steady advancement in established companies.

Specialty Premiums:

• Healthcare Tech: +10-15% over base. Corewell and others pay a premium for compliance knowledge.
• Automotive Embedded Web: +10%. Gentex and BorgWarner need developers who understand both web tech and physical systems.
• DevOps/Site Reliability Engineering (SRE): +15-20%. A critical need in all large corporations. If you learn AWS and infrastructure-as-code, your salary jumps.
• Project/Team Lead: +20%+. Moving from coding to managing projects and people is where the big salary growth happens.

10-Year Outlook:
The 16% growth is real, but it won't be evenly distributed. The growth will be in:

1. Cybersecurity for web apps: Every company is becoming more security-conscious.
2. Data visualization and dashboards: As companies collect more data, they need developers to present it.
3. Legacy modernization: Converting old, clunky corporate intranets and tools to modern web frameworks. This is a huge, unsexy but steady market.

The path is clear: get a job in a corporate IT department, specialize in a high-demand area (like DevOps or a specific industry), and move into leadership. Many developers become "solution architects" or IT managers by year 10, earning $140,000+.

The Verdict: Is Farmington Hills Right for You?

Pros	Cons
Strong, Stable Job Market: The corporate base means less volatility than startup-heavy cities.	Not a "Tech Hub": You won't find the same density of tech meetups, startups, or conferences as in Austin or Denver.
Excellent Cost of Living: Your $92,193 salary goes far here compared to coastal cities.	Car Dependency is Absolute: You need a reliable car. Public transit is not a viable daily option.
Proximity to Major Industries: Unbeatable access to automotive, healthcare, and engineering tech jobs.	Weather: Winters are long, gray, and snowy. Seasonal Affective Disorder is real; plan for it.
Good Work-Life Balance: Corporate culture often means a predictable 40-hour week.	Socially Conservative: The suburbs are family-oriented. If you're single and under 30, you may prefer Royal Oak or Detroit for nightlife.
Great Schools & Communities: If you're planning a family, the public school systems are highly rated.	Salary Ceiling: While solid, the top-end salaries may cap lower than in major tech hubs (SF, NYC).

Final Recommendation:
Farmington Hills is an excellent choice for a mid-career web developer (3-10 years of experience) who values stability, affordability, and a family-friendly environment. It's perfect for someone who wants to work on large-scale, impactful projects in the automotive or healthcare sectors without the financial stress of a major coastal city.

It's less ideal for a recent graduate seeking the vibrant, fast-paced startup scene or a single person who prioritizes nightlife and walkability. If you're early in your career, consider starting in nearby Royal Oak or Detroit for 2-3 years to build your network, then transition to Farmington Hills for the corporate salary and stability.

FAQs

1. Do I need to know someone to get a job in Farmington Hills?
It helps, but it's not mandatory. The corporate hiring process is structured. However, networking is key. Attend events hosted by MITechCity or the Detroit Tech Meetup. A referral from an employee at BorgWarner or Gentex can fast-track your application.

2. How competitive is the entry-level market here?
Moderately competitive. You're not competing with thousands of bootcamp grads like in San Francisco, but you are competing with graduates from University of Michigan, Michigan State, and Wayne State. A strong portfolio with live projects is non-negotiable. Consider taking a contract role at a local agency to get your first year of experience.

3. Is remote work common?
Yes, especially post-pandemic. Many of the employers listed offer hybrid work (2-3 days in the office). Fully remote roles are also available, often with companies based in other states but hiring locally. This gives you the flexibility to live in a cheaper neighborhood if you choose.

4. What's the best way to prepare for an interview with a local automotive company?
Research their specific tech stack. Gentex, for example, might use a lot of C++ for their core product but need web developers for their internal tools. Show you understand the industry. Be prepared to discuss how your work impacts the end-user experience or improves internal efficiency. Automotive companies are all about reliability and safety.

5. Can I survive without a car?
In short, no. While you might be able to work from home and walk to a grocery store, the job centers (BorgWarner, Gentex offices, Corewell facilities) are spread out, and public transit is not reliable for a daily commute. Budget $400/month for car-related expenses from day one.