Web Developers: Career Overview
Develop and implement websites, web applications, application databases, and interactive web interfaces. Evaluate code to ensure that it is properly structured, meets industry standards, and is compatible with browsers and devices. Optimize website performance, scalability, and server-side code and processes. May develop website infrastructure and integrate websites with other computer applications.
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What Tasks Do Web Developers Perform?
Typical responsibilities of web developers cover:
- Write supporting code for Web applications or Web sites.
- Design, build, or maintain Web sites, using authoring or scripting languages, content creation tools, management tools, and digital media.
- Back up files from Web sites to local directories for instant recovery in case of problems.
- Select programming languages, design tools, or applications.
- Evaluate code to ensure that it is valid, is properly structured, meets industry standards, and is compatible with browsers, devices, or operating systems.
- Develop databases that support Web applications and Web sites.
- Perform Web site tests according to planned schedules, or after any Web site or product revision.
- Perform or direct Web site updates.
Skills and Knowledge
Effective web developers rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The abilities most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Types of Web Developers Jobs
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Back End Developer
- Back End Engineer
- Back End Software Engineer
- Back-End Web Developer
- Computer Graphic Artist
- Computer Graphic Designer
- Front End Developer
- Front End Engineer
Job Outlook
There are roughly 539,231 web developers working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +4.6% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Web Developers
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $125,527 |
| Hourly median | $60.35 |
| 10th percentile | $84,856 |
| 25th percentile | $105,192 |
| 75th percentile | $145,862 |
| 90th percentile | $166,198 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Web Developers Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $121,000 |
| California | $117,380 |
| Washington | $112,010 |
| Maryland | $111,750 |
| Virginia | $110,830 |
| Massachusetts | $107,570 |
| Illinois | $103,300 |
| Alaska | $102,530 |
| Colorado | $101,760 |
| Missouri | $100,950 |
| Minnesota | $99,870 |
| Michigan | $97,690 |
| Rhode Island | $95,380 |
| North Carolina | $94,070 |
| New Hampshire | $93,810 |
| Hawaii | $93,600 |
| Texas | $93,120 |
| Ohio | $92,380 |
| Pennsylvania | $89,910 |
| New Jersey | $87,980 |
| Arizona | $87,070 |
| Idaho | $84,250 |
| South Carolina | $83,200 |
| Vermont | $82,170 |
| Florida | $81,410 |
| Kentucky | $80,960 |
| Utah | $80,350 |
| Nevada | $79,550 |
| Oregon | $79,540 |
| Oklahoma | $76,740 |
| Connecticut | $75,280 |
| Georgia | $75,000 |
| Tennessee | $74,950 |
| Louisiana | $74,500 |
| Nebraska | $74,320 |
| Indiana | $73,790 |
| Delaware | $72,800 |
| Kansas | $71,430 |
| North Dakota | $71,190 |
| West Virginia | $69,160 |
| Wisconsin | $67,970 |
| New York | $67,400 |
| Iowa | $67,110 |
| Montana | $65,490 |
| Alabama | $62,990 |
| New Mexico | $60,010 |
| Mississippi | $58,260 |
| South Dakota | $50,420 |
| Puerto Rico | $44,290 |
| Arkansas | $43,530 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Compensation for web developers differ across the country. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $112,532 | 22.4% | 1.47 |
| New England | $93,856 | 5.0% | 1.28 |
| Great Lakes | $91,330 | 12.4% | 0.89 |
| Southwest | $90,977 | 9.5% | 0.77 |
| Plains States | $88,100 | 6.4% | 0.94 |
| Southeast | $86,825 | 22.8% | 1.12 |
| Middle Atlantic | $84,266 | 18.3% | 1.23 |
| Rocky Mountains | $79,621 | 2.8% | 1.77 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $161,750 | 1,710 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $157,490 | 2,730 |
| Rochester, MN | MN | $127,700 | 40 |
| Columbia, SC | SC | $126,380 | 300 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $126,040 | 3,620 |
| Vallejo, CA | CA | $123,370 | 40 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $120,750 | 3,420 |
| Winston-Salem, NC | NC | $120,710 | 50 |
Which Industries Hire Web Developers
Most web developers work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 34,260 | $85,070 |
| Information | 11,950 | $113,800 |
| Educational Services | 6,350 | $82,080 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 4,540 | $115,690 |
| Finance and Insurance | 3,780 | $114,590 |
| Wholesale Trade | 3,210 | $77,620 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 3,020 | $101,010 |
| Manufacturing | 2,890 | $85,640 |
Below are examples of industries where web developers work:
Software Web Developers Use
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Video creation and editing software: Adobe After Effects (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: AJAX (hot technology)
- Data base management system software: Amazon DynamoDB (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2 (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Amazon Redshift (hot technology)
- Cloud-based management software: Amazon Web Services AWS CloudFormation (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Amazon Web Services AWS software (hot technology)
Work Environment
Daily working conditions for web developers is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Spend Time Sitting
- Freedom to Make Decisions
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
How to Become Web Developers
Most web developers positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
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- Computer Systems Analysts (Primary-Long)
- Computer Network Support Specialists (Supplemental)
- Computer User Support Specialists (Supplemental)
- Computer Network Architects (Supplemental)
- Database Administrators (Primary-Short)
- Database Architects (Primary-Long)
- Data Warehousing Specialists (Supplemental)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Future web developers typically earn programs in:
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services
4 programs across 4 majors
About the Data
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 15-1254.00 (Web Developers).
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