As web-based careers continue to grow around the world, there is one career that continues to amp up: Web designers and developers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates a 4% growth in the web design field from 2016 to 2026, which while slower than other career paths, is still on an incline.
If you know web designers, you already know they’re a creative bunch. They see web design as utility first, ensuring each piece they create has a stable function for end users while still meeting the needs of the organization or brand they’re helping to design. However, they also see web design for aesthetics: The placement of shapes, buttons, navigation; the colors and contrasts used that should be easy to read across all devices.
It should come as no surprise that the salaries for these integral roles have been on a steady rise over the last several years. This guide explains the web designer’s work culture and salary ranges in the U.S.
Web designers create visual concept and experiences for websites, digital marketing, web or mobile applications, and more. Their role is to visually communicate with audiences through the designs they create, often inspiring a conversion from end users.
Web developers, meanwhile, are the individuals who bring the visual design concepts to life through code development. These people most often work within a content management system (CMS) to ensure the design doesn’t only look correct but also functions and meets accessibility and user experience needs. In today’s digital marketplace, many web designers are also developers.
Brian Taylor from digital agency Forix tells us there are many levels and titles for web designers and developers, many which overlap or intersect, and others that may stand on their own, including but not limited to:
Seldom is the term “graphic designer” used to describe a web designer, as graphic designers are typically categorized as designers for non-web creative deliverables, like brochures and magazine advertisements.
Most web designers and developers work in offices across the country. While creative marketing agencies are most likely to employ web design teams, many industries hire web designers to help manage the web-facing creative elements, from apps to websites. But as the tech industries and industries of all sizes have shifted and evolved over the last two decades, many creative employees find their best work comes from working remotely, such as from home.
In a similar vein, web designers and developers often work in freelance settings as their own individual companies, providing web design services to many companies and industries where needed. This gives web designers the freedom to set their own schedules and pay, which is the case for approximately 18% of web designers, according to a 2016 report.
Around the world and across the United States, web designers are an ongoing need. The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides information for U.S.-based web designers to learn more about the states with the highest need for their career.
While the state or location of a web designer may dictate some of the salary requirements for web designers because of cost-of-living expenses, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the 2017 median pay of a web designer to be $48,700 per year, equating to approximately $23.41 per hour. Larger U.S. cities where technology is growing rapidly, such as Seattle and San Francisco, have seen higher needs for web designers, but also the need for higher salaries, due to the increased costs for living in such metros.
As the skills evolve and grow for web designers and developers, particularly in office settings, salaries can increase rapidly. According to Payscale.com, web designers who advance their roles to Senior User Experience Designer or a similar senior-level or director-level title can see their salary increase to a median of more than $100,000 per year. Senior web designers typically see a slightly smaller average pay, at around $65,000 per year.