Web Developers
US occupation · SOC 15-1254
Job titles people report: Technology Applications Engineer, Web Architect, Web Design Specialist, Web Developer, Webmaster
Pay and outlook
- Median annual wage, May 2025
- $92,650
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Middle half earn
- $64,230 – $126,230
- 25th to 75th percentile
- People employed, May 2025
- 70,190
- Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
- Projected change, 2025–35
- +3.8%
- At or above the all-jobs rate (3.5% to under 7%)
- Openings a year (projected)
- 5,300
- New jobs plus replacing people who leave
- Typical education to enter
- Bachelor's degree
- BLS
- All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
- Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
- Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.
What the work involves
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.
Main tasks
- 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.
Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.
Getting in
- Typical education to enter (BLS)
- Bachelor's degree
- O*NET Job Zone 3
- Medium preparation
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Interests it suits
The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.
- Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
- Investigative: research, analysis and solving problems with ideas
- Artistic: creating, designing and self-expression
Fields of study that lead here
From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 4 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.
Computer Science
- Computer Programming/Programmer, General
- Computer Science
- Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design
- Web/Multimedia Management and Webmaster
Find colleges that fit you with our matcher: choose Computer Science at the Major step.
Where many students take computer science
- Western Governors UniversitySalt Lake City, UT · 23% of degrees · 155,088 undergraduates
- Southern New Hampshire UniversityManchester, NH · 14% of degrees · 163,164 undergraduates
- University of Maryland Global CampusAdelphi, MD · 25% of degrees · 49,664 undergraduates
- University of Maryland-College ParkCollege Park, MD · 25% of degrees · 30,760 undergraduates
- University of the PeoplePasadena, CA · 33% of degrees · 22,688 undergraduates
- University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · 19% of degrees · 33,068 undergraduates
Ordered by the field's share of degrees awarded times undergraduate enrolment (College Scorecard), among colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online universities are included. It's a rough measure of how big the programme is. It says nothing about quality. The share counts every programme in the field, not only the ones linked to this career.
Related careers
Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.
- Web and Digital Interface Designers
$104,000 median · +6% projected
- Software Developers
$135,980 median · +10.2% projected
- Computer Programmers
$100,390 median · -7.3% projected
- Database Administrators
$104,620 median · -0.1% projected
- Database Architects
$139,500 median · +9.4% projected
- Computer Systems Analysts
$105,850 median · +7.9% projected
Sources
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0
Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk