STEM

Web Developer

Build and fix websites so pages load fast, look right, and work on phones, tablets, and laptops

Open interactive guide

What does a Web Developer do?

Web developers work for agencies, stores, schools, and their own clients, often from home. They turn a designer's mockup into a real site, connect it to data, and keep it running. It suits people who enjoy both how a page looks and how it works.

A day in the life

9:00 AMCheck the site for overnight errors and broken links
10:00 AMTurn a designer's mockup into page code that fits any screen
11:30 AMConnect a contact form so messages reach the client's inbox
1:30 PMTest the page in several browsers and on a real phone
3:00 PMSpeed up a slow page by shrinking large images
4:30 PMAdd a client's new text and photos to the live site

What's great

  • Refresh the page and see your work
  • Freelance and remote work are common
  • Small projects make a strong portfolio
  • Mixes design sense with logic

The hard parts

  • Clients keep changing their minds
  • Browsers show the same page differently
  • Popular frameworks come and go
  • Freelance income can be uneven

What is a Web Developer's salary and outlook?

$48k – $120k
Salary Range
Bachelor's degree
Typical Education
Growing

Typical pay in this guide runs from about $48,000 to $120,000 a year, with a midpoint around $80,000. These are planning figures for students, not a job offer or an official wage.

CareerLens rates the outlook as Growing.

For the official national outlook, see BLS Occupational Data.

How do you become a Web Developer?

A common path is Bachelor's degree in computer science or web development. The ladder often runs from Junior Web Developer to Web Developer, then Senior Web Developer, and Head of Web Development. Other routes: Web development bootcamp plus a project portfolio; Associate degree in web development; Self-taught, starting with small freelance sites; Start in web design and add coding skills.

  • Web development bootcamp plus a project portfolio
  • Associate degree in web development
  • Self-taught, starting with small freelance sites
  • Start in web design and add coding skills

Career path

Entry level
Junior Web Developer
Mid career
Web Developer
Senior
Senior Web Developer
Executive
Head of Web Development

Explore colleges

See College Scorecard facts for programs related to this path.

Will AI replace a Web Developer?

How much will AI change this job?

A lot

AI will change many everyday tasks in this job. The work shifts toward judgment, checking, and people.

AI writes lots of code, so your job becomes checking and guiding it.

AI tools can now write, fix, and suggest code very quickly. This means web developers spend less time typing every line and more time deciding what to build and making sure it works well. Understanding people's needs and testing ideas carefully becomes more important than ever.

AI can help with

  • Writing basic code snippets and templates
  • Finding and fixing simple bugs in code
  • Suggesting layouts and design options

What stays human

  • Deciding what users actually need and want
  • Testing sites to catch confusing or broken parts
  • Talking with clients and teammates about goals

Skills to build now

  • Learn basic coding through free online tutorials
  • Practice explaining ideas clearly in writing and speaking
  • Build small websites or apps for fun projects

Based on public research from Anthropic and OpenAI, drafted with AI, checked automatically, and read by a person. How we know

This describes how the work may change. It is not a prediction that the job will disappear.