### Bureau of Labor Statistics U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Web Developers and Digital Designers Summary
                        
            
                                                        
                                                                
                        
            
            
            
                            
                                                
                                                
                                                
                                                
            						
							
				                                                
                                            




            			web developers imageWeb developers are responsible for both the look of a website and its technical aspects.							
						Quick Facts:     Web Developers and Digital Designers2023     Median Pay
            						$92,750     per year
										$44.59     per hourTypical Entry-Level Education
                                    Bachelor's degreeWork Experience in a Related Occupation
                                    NoneOn-the-job Training
                                    NoneNumber of Jobs, 2022
                                    216,700Job Outlook, 2022-32
                                    16% (Much faster than average)Employment Change, 2022-32
                                    34,700What Web Developers and Digital Designers Do
                                                
                        
                        
Web developers create and maintain websites. Digital designers develop, create, and test website or interface layout, functions, and navigation for usability.
            
                        Work Environment
                        
Some web developers and digital designers work in the computer systems design and related services industry. Others are self-employed. Still others work in industries including publishing, management consulting, and advertising.
            
                                                How to Become a Web Developer or Digital Designer
                                                
                        
Educational requirements for web developers and digital designers vary, ranging from a high school diploma to a bachelor’s degree.
            
                        Pay
                        												                            																				    														The median annual wage for web and digital interface designers was $98,540 in May 2023.									                                														The median annual wage for web developers was $84,960 in May 2023.									                                					
						
            
                        Job Outlook
                        						
												Overall employment							of web developers and digital designers is projected to grow							 16 percent from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations.
						About 19,000 openings for web developers and digital designers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
            			
            			 Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
						State & Area Data
                       Explore resources for employment and wages by state and area for web developers and digital designers.
            
            
						
                        Similar Occupations
                        
                                                    Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of web developers and digital designers with similar occupations.
            
            
                        More Information, Including Links to O*NET
                        
                                               
                        Learn more about web developers and digital designers by visiting additional resources, including O*NET, a source on key characteristics of workers and occupations.
 What Web Developers and Digital Designers Do 
            

			web developers imageSome developers work with graphics and other designers to determine the website’s layout.			
Web developers create and maintain websites. They are also responsible for the site’s technical aspects, such as its performance and capacity, which are measures of a website’s speed and how much traffic the site can handle. In addition, web developers may create content for the site. Digital designers develop, create, and test website or interface layout, functions, and navigation for usability. They are responsible for the look and functionality of the website or interface.
Duties
Web developers and digital designers typically do the following:
Meet with clients or management to discuss the needs, design, and functionality of a website or interface
Create and test applications, interfaces, and navigation menus for a website
Write code for the website, using programming languages such as HTML or XML
Work with other team members to determine what information the site will contain
Work with graphics and other designers to determine the website’s layout
Integrate graphics, audio, and video into the website
Monitor website traffic
Create prototypes and mockups of websites or applications
Design and develop graphicsWhen creating a website, developers and designers have to make their client’s vision a reality. They build particular types of websites, such as ecommerce, news, or gaming sites, to fit clients’ needs. Different types of websites require different applications. For example, a gaming site should be able to handle advanced graphics, whereas an ecommerce site would need a payment-processing application. The developer decides which applications and designs will best fit the site, and the designer focuses on the look and usability of these elements across browsers or devices.
Some developers and designers handle all aspects of a website’s construction, and others specialize in a certain aspect of it. The following are examples of types of specialized web developers or digital designers:
***Back-end web developers*** are responsible for the overall technical construction of the website. They create the basic framework of the site and ensure that it functions as expected. Back-end web developers also establish procedures for allowing others to add new pages to the website and meet with management to discuss major changes to the site.
***Front-end web developers*** create the technical features for a website’s look. They develop the site’s layout and integrate graphics, applications (such as a retail checkout tool), and other content. They also write webdesign programs in a variety of computer languages, such as HTML or JavaScript.
***Web and digital interface designers*** are responsible for creating the look and feel of a website or interface with regard to photos, color, font type and size, graphics, and layout. They also are responsible for the functionality, usability, and compatibility of the website or interface.
***Webmasters*** maintain and update websites. They ensure that websites operate correctly, and they test for errors such as broken links. Many webmasters respond to user comments as well.
 Work Environment
			web developers imageDevelopers build websites for all types of businesses.			

	    
				
	
	
	
	
	
	
	    					 Web and digital interface designers held about 117,900 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of web and digital interface designers were as follows:
        Computer systems design and related services
                17%Self-employed workers
                13Retail trade
                7Finance and insurance
                5Advertising, public relations, and related services
                4Web developers held about 98,800 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of web developers were as follows:
        Computer systems design and related services
                21%Educational services; state, local, and private
                7Self-employed workers
                7Management, scientific, and technical consulting services
                6Software publishers
                6Work Schedules
Most web developers and digital designers work full time.
 How to Become a Web Developer or Digital Designer

			web developers imageDevelopers often have both programming and graphic design knowledge.			
Educational requirements vary for web developers and digital designers, based on work setting and other factors.
Education
Educational requirements for web developers and digital designers range from a high school diploma to a bachelor’s degree.
Some employers prefer to hire web developer candidates who have a bachelor’s degree in a specific field, such as computer science or programming.
Web developers need to have a thorough understanding of HTML programming. Many employers also want developers to understand other programming languages, such as JavaScript or SQL, and have knowledge of multimedia publishing tools, such as Flash. Throughout their career, web developers must keep up to date on new tools and computer languages.
Employers of digital designers may prefer to hire candidates who have a bachelor’s degree in a field such as web design, digital design, or graphic arts.
Web developers and digital designers may not need specific education credentials if they can demonstrate their abilities through prior work experience or projects.
Advancement
Web developers and digital designers who have a bachelor’s degree may advance to become project managers. For more information, see the profile on computer and information systems managers.
Important Qualities
***Communication skills*.** Web developers and digital designers need to communicate effectively with coworkers to coordinate work on projects.
***Creativity*.** Web developers and digital designers often are involved in creating the appearance of a website and must make sure that it is appealing as well as functional.
***Customer-service skills*.** Webmasters have to respond politely to user questions and requests.
***Detail oriented*.** Web developers and digital designers must focus for long periods and write code precisely, because a minor error could cause an entire webpage to stop working.
***Problem-solving skills*.** Web developers and digital designers must check for coding errors and fix any that they find.
 Pay

			



	
 
                                                     
            
    
                        Web Developers and Digital DesignersMedian annual wages, May 2023Computer occupations$104,420  Web and digital interface designers$98,540  Web developers and digital designers$92,750  Web developers$84,960  Total, all occupations$48,060Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
 

	
	



		
	
	
	
The median annual wage for web and digital interface designers was $98,540 in May 2023. 


The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $48,210, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $176,490.The median annual wage for web developers was $84,960 in May 2023. 


The lowest 10 percent earned less than $46,850, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $157,280.





		
	    					 In May 2023, the median annual wages for web and digital interface designers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:	
        Finance and insurance
                $121,190Computer systems design and related services
                105,950Advertising, public relations, and related services
                71,930Retail trade
                66,250In May 2023, the median annual wages for web developers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:	
        Software publishers
                $126,480Management, scientific, and technical consulting services
                83,790Computer systems design and related services
                81,480Educational services; state, local, and private
                77,840Most web developers and digital designers work full time.
 Job Outlook

   
        
    
          
        
    
                        Web Developers and Digital DesignersPercent change in employment, projected 2022-32Web developers17%  Web developers and digital designers16%  Web and digital interface designers15%  Computer occupations14%  Total, all occupations3%Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program
            
            
			 
	
	
	

			Overall employment				of web developers and digital designers is projected to grow				 16 percent from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations.
			
			About 19,000 openings for web developers and digital designers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
			
			 Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
			Employment
	
			
Employment of web developers and digital designers is projected to grow as e-commerce continues to expand. As retail firms keep increasing their online offerings, demand for these workers is expected to grow. In addition, the continued use of mobile devices to search the web is expected to generate demand for web developers and digital designers to create websites and interfaces that work on mobile devices with many different screen sizes.
			

                        Employment projections data for     web developers and digital designers, 2022-32
                Occupational Title
                        SOC Code
                        Employment, 2022
                        Projected Employment, 2032
                        Change, 2022-32
                        Employment by IndustryPercent
                        NumericSOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program**Web developers and digital designers**
			—
			216,700
			251,300
			16
			34,700
			—**Web developers**
			15-1254
			98,800
			115,500
			17
			16,700
			Get data**Web and digital interface designers**
			15-1255
			117,900
			135,800
			15
			17,900
			Get data
 State & Area Data **Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program produces employment and wage estimates annually for over 800 occupations. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. The link(s) below go to OES data maps for employment and wages by state and area. Web and digital interface designers
					Web developers **Projections Central** Occupational employment projections are developed for all states by Labor Market Information (LMI) or individual state Employment Projections offices. All state projections data are available at www.projectionscentral.com. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. In addition, states may produce projections for areas; there are links to each state’s websites where these data may be retrieved. **CareerOneStop** CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area. There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code.
 Similar Occupations This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of web developers and digital designers. Occupation
                Job Duties
                ENTRY-LEVEL EDUCATION
                2023     MEDIAN PAY**Computer and Information Systems Managers**
            Computer and information systems managers plan, coordinate, and direct computer-related activities in an organization.
            Bachelor's degree
            $169,510**Computer Programmers**
            Computer programmers write, modify, and test code and scripts that allow computer software and applications to function properly.
            Bachelor's degree
            $99,700**Computer Support Specialists**
            Computer support specialists maintain computer networks and provide technical help to computer users.
            See How to Become One
            $60,810**Computer Systems Analysts**
            Computer systems analysts study an organization’s current computer systems and design ways to improve efficiency.
            Bachelor's degree
            $103,800**Database Administrators and Architects**
            Database administrators and architects create or organize systems to store and secure data.
            Bachelor's degree
            $117,450**Information Security Analysts**
            Information security analysts plan and carry out security measures to protect an organization’s computer networks and systems.
            Bachelor's degree
            $120,360**Graphic Designers**
            Graphic designers create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers.
            Bachelor's degree
            $58,910**Special Effects Artists and Animators**
            Special effects artists and animators create images that appear to move and visual effects for various forms of media and entertainment.
            Bachelor's degree
            $99,060**Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers**
            Software developers design computer applications or programs. Software quality assurance analysts and testers identify problems with applications or programs and report defects.
            Bachelor's degree
            $130,160
 Contacts for More Information
								
For more information about web developers and digital designers, visit
World Organization of Webmasters
For more information about computer careers, visit
Association for Computing Machinery
Computing Research Association
IEEE Computer Society
For information about opportunities for women pursuing information technology careers, visit
National Center for Women & Information Technology
CareerOneStop
For a career video on web developers, visit
Web Developers

                                                
                                                        
                                                                                                    O*NET
                                        Video Game DesignersWeb DevelopersWeb and Digital Interface Designers
 Suggested citation: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S.  Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Web Developers and Digital Designers, 
        	 at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/web-developers.htm (visited *May 21, 2024*).
 **Last Modified Date:**
                        Wednesday, April 17, 2024


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