Vocational Index

Career

Web developers

Build the websites people use every day.

$92,650
Median pay
+3.8%
Job growth, 2025–35
5,300
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school

Here's what you actually need to know.

The work

What people in this job do

  • 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.

The outlook

How the forecast changed this year

2024–34 edition+7.5%2025–35 edition+3.8%
Projected 10-year growth in last year's and this year's BLS projections. 5,400 → 5,300 openings a year.

AI
BLS now cites artificial intelligence in this occupation's outlook: “share decreases as low- and no-code tools, along with artificial intelligence (AI), increasingly automate web development and increasingly allow other workers to complete web development tasks.”

The deeper question

What kind of person does this path ask you to become?

What this work centers on

Information & systems
5.0
Ideas & analysis
5.0
Creation & expression
3.1
Objects & tools
3.0
Persuasion & leadership
3.0
People & care
2.2

O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.

The work

Do you want most of your days spent on information & systems, then ideas & analysis?

Responsibility

Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?

“Write supporting code for Web applications or Web sites.”

Development

What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?

Programming, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Complex Problem Solving.

Trade-offs

What does it ask of you in exchange?

4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $92,650 a year and 5,300 openings nationally each year.

Paths in

Degrees that lead here

  • Computer ScienceSee the degree →
  • Information Technology ManagementSee the degree →
  • Computer Programming/Programmer, GeneralCIP 11.0201
  • Computer ScienceCIP 11.0701
  • Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources DesignCIP 11.0801
  • Web/Multimedia Management and WebmasterCIP 11.1004

Paths across

Careers that use similar skills

Ask anything about this career.

“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.

Not sure this fits who you are? Start with Vocational Finder →

Sources

  1. BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  2. BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  3. O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  4. CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.