Web developers: pay, outlook and skills
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.
Pay distribution and location comparison
These are published pay distribution points for everyone working in this occupation, not pay levels for junior, mid, or senior roles. Location figures are pay as published; no cost-of-living adjustment is applied.
United States, all industries
| Pay point | United States | Selected area |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $48,100 | - |
| 25th percentile | $64,230 | - |
| Median | $92,650 | - |
| 75th percentile | $126,230 | - |
| 90th percentile | $162,290 | - |
| People employed | 70,190 | - |
Source: OEWS May 2025, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (imported 9/17/2026) official file Reference period: OEWS May 2025.
Long-term outlook
Official ten-year projection for 2025 to 2035. Projected annual openings are an average per year over the decade, including openings from workers leaving the occupation. They are not a count of jobs open today.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (imported 9/17/2026) official file Employment is published in thousands of jobs and converted here to people.
OptimizeResume analysis using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This is not a BLS statistic or a prediction that an individual will be hired.
Score trend
Historical scores may be restated when BLS revises underlying data. The chart uses the latest restated values.
Confidence
- At least 90% of required inputs and occupation-industry mapping are covered.
How this score is built
Monthly industry demand is mapped to this occupation using official occupation-industry relationships, then combined with occupation fundamentals and long-term projections.
Read Methodology v1.0Skills, software, and day-to-day work
Skill values are O*NET importance ratings on a 1-5 scale for the occupation itself. They describe what the work requires, not how much employers are hiring right now.
Most important skills
- Programming4.1 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.8 / 5
- Complex Problem Solving3.6 / 5
- Operations Analysis3.6 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.6 / 5
- Active Learning3.5 / 5
- Active Listening3.5 / 5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.4 / 5
- Speaking3.3 / 5
- Systems Analysis3.1 / 5
- Writing3.1 / 5
- Coordination3.0 / 5
O*NET importance rating, 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Software and technology
- Development environment softwareApache Kafka (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Go (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Microsoft Azure software (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Web application software (in demand for this occupation), Apache Maven (hot technology), Apache Subversion SVN (hot technology)
- Web platform development softwareCascading style sheets CSS (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Google Angular (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Hypertext markup language HTML (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), JavaScript (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), JavaScript Object Notation JSON (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Node.js (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development softwareC# (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), jQuery (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Oracle Java (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Python (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), TypeScript (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Apache Spark (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query softwareAmazon Web Services AWS software (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), GraphQL (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Structured query language SQL (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2 (hot technology), Amazon Redshift (hot technology), Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Data base management system softwareMongoDB (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), MySQL (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), NoSQL (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Amazon DynamoDB (hot technology), Apache Cassandra (hot technology), Apache Hadoop (hot technology)
- Operating system softwareLinux (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Apple macOS (hot technology), Bash (hot technology), Google Android (hot technology), Microsoft Windows (hot technology), Microsoft Windows Server (hot technology)
- Application server softwareDocker (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), GitHub (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Kubernetes (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Spring Boot (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Atlassian Bitbucket (hot technology), Red Hat OpenShift (hot technology)
- Enterprise application integration softwareJenkins CI (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Extensible markup language XML (hot technology), Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services SSIS (hot technology), Atlassian Bamboo, Common gateway interface CGI, Extensible stylesheet language XSL
- Web page creation and editing softwareWordPress (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Facebook (hot technology), Adobe Dreamweaver, Google Sites, LinkedIn, Social media sites
- Content workflow softwareAtlassian JIRA (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Sitecore CMS
- Object oriented data base management softwarePostgreSQL (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Hibernate ORM (hot technology)
- File versioning softwareGit (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology)
O*NET marks individual examples only. “Hot technology” means the tool is frequently named across job postings generally; “in demand for this occupation” means O*NET recorded it as required by employers for this occupation. Unmarked examples are still commonly used.
Typical 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.
- Maintain understanding of current Web technologies or programming practices through continuing education, reading, or participation in professional conferences, workshops, or groups.
- Analyze user needs to determine technical requirements.
Also advertised as: Technology Applications Engineer, Web Architect, Web Design Specialist, Web Developer, Webmaster.
Check your resume against a real job posting
This page describes the occupation in general. A free scan compares your own resume with the specific job description you are applying to, requirement by requirement, and shows where your real experience is already strong and where it is simply not documented yet. Only experience you actually have should ever be added.
Scan my resume freeSource: O*NET Database version 31.0 by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Used under CC BY 4.0. OptimizeResume has modified the data for display only: selected the most important rated skills, grouped software examples by category while keeping each example’s official flags, and shortened the task list.
Guides for applying to this work
Sources and how to read this page
Source: OEWS May 2025, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (imported 9/17/2026) official file
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (imported 9/17/2026) official file
O*NET 31.0 Database version 31.0 by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0 and modified for display on this page. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
How each number should be read
- Pay percentiles describe the spread of pay across everyone in the occupation, not experience levels.
- Employment counts are jobs, not people hired during the year.
- Projected annual openings are a decade average from the official projection, not current vacancies.
- O*NET skill ratings describe the work, not employer hiring demand.
- Values BLS did not publish, suppressed, or top-coded are shown as such and never treated as zero.