Web Designer Salary: Your 2025 Guide

Web design is one of the tech industry's most flexible and in-demand fields. Web designers are well-compensated for their work, with a total median pay of $85,000 per year in the United States, according to salary data from Glassdoor as of September 2025 [1]. This figure includes base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation. Remember that your employer, experience, and location can also impact your salary. 

If you’re ready to start preparing for a role in web design, consider enrolling in the IBM Front-End Developer Professional Certificate. You’ll have the opportunity to learn how to develop web pages using programming languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React in as little as four months. Upon completion, you’ll have earned a career credential that helps you prepare for a role as a web designer. 

Senior-level vs. entry-level web designer salary

Entry-level web designers with up to one year of experience can expect a total median pay of $71,000 on average, according to data from Glassdoor [1]. For junior web designers, the total median pay average rises to $85,000 [2]. Experienced web designers who have worked in the field for four to six years earn an average total median pay of $89,000 [1]. Senior web designer salary averages $129,000 per year [3].

How much do web designers make?

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, web developers and digital designers earn a median salary of $98,090 as of May 2024, compared to the average salary across all occupations of $49,500 [4]. While the salary you can expect to earn as a web designer will vary based on factors like where you live, how much education you have, and your job title, web designers make an average salary higher than the average salary across all industries. 

A web designer salary by location

Earnings in the web design profession can vary based on national and international location. To get a sense of the average salary for web designers in the US, Zippia allows you to look at job postings across the country. Still, it's important to note these averages reflect a wide range of experience in web design, from entry-level to senior professionals. Discover a few states with the highest average annual web designer salaries in the US, according to Zippia [5].

• Washington: $84,645

• Massachusetts: $83,957

• District of Columbia: $81,022

• Virginia: $79,373

• Oregon: $70,323

Freelance web designer salary

Instead of being employed by a company directly, you can work as a freelance web designer. Freelancing is a type of self-employment. It can allow you to set your own pay range per project. On average, freelance web designers in the US earn a total median pay of $67,000 [6].

Contract web designers complete specific projects during a predetermined period of time. Typically, contract workers work for a staffing firm under the direction of the employer. Contract web designers in the US earn a total median pay of $88,000 annually [7].

Salary of a web designer by job title 

Titles for web designer jobs can vary based on experience level, industry, and specialization. You can review eight of the most common alternative job titles for web designers in the list below.

• Chief web designer: $141,000

• Lead web designer: $119,000

• Senior web designer: $129,000

• Front-end developer/engineer: $101,000

• UX (user experience) designer: $109,000

• UI (user interface) designer: $114,000

• HTML developer: $93,000

• Full-stack web developer: $94,000

*All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of September 2025. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

What does a web designer do?

Web designers are creative professionals who develop the look and feel of a website. As a designer, you may begin by drawing a website design digitally before converting it to a functioning website through web development. You may collaborate with other designers, copywriters, and marketing specialists to ensure their vision comes to life.

The role can involve pure design work or cover the whole website build, including development. You may also formulate website structure and navigation. Generally, the scope of the role varies based on the client or employer. Job requirements for web designers are likely to include the following:

• Creating sitemaps and structures based on business needs

• Designing mockups using design software like Photoshop or Sketch

• Developing wireframes based on user interface/user experience (UI/UX)

• Optimizing websites for speed and scalability

• Testing websites in different browsers and devices

• Writing code using HTML/CSS/JavaScript or a content management system like WordPress or Drupal

Read more: What Programming Language Should I Learn?

If you're interested in the development side of web development, consider the IBM Front-End Developer Professional Certificate.

Web design specializations

As a web designer, you may focus on creating one specific type of website, such as an e-commerce website. Alternatively, you might create various website types, including blogs, online stores, social media, magazines, and commercial portfolio websites. As you gain more experience, you may become a specialist in a particular area of web design, which can lead to higher-profile projects with greater earning potential. 

Where do web designers work?

Web designers tend to fall into one of two categories:

• Those who work in-house or on a contract basis as part of a web team or agency

• Those who run their own freelance or agency business

Self-employment is a significant part of the field, and freelance web designers often work on a contract basis. Many web designers have a home office and do a lot of their work remotely, sometimes for clients in other areas of the world.

As you build a career as a web designer, you may work in different settings with different types of clients or employers. Here are some of the types of companies that employ web designers:

• Consulting firms

• Corporate businesses with an internal web team

• E-commerce brands

• Freelance and contract work

• Newspapers, magazines, and other media companies

• Universities and colleges

• Web design agencies

How to become a web designer

To start working as a web designer, you should build your web design skills, knowledge, and experience. According to Zippia, 67 percent of web designers have a bachelor's degree, 18 percent have an associate degree, and 4 percent have a high school diploma [8]. Relevant areas of study include graphic design and computer science.

Gain the essential web design skills.

Essential web designer skills include:

• Knowledge of web design best practices and latest trends

• Web programming language skills, such as PHP, Java, HTML, CSS

• Understanding of UX/UI principles

• Understanding of database-driven websites and MySQL

• Awareness of mobile-first concepts and responsive design

• Experience with Google Analytics

• Knowledge of search engine optimization

• Knowledge of WordPress, Magento, Joomla, Shopify, WooCommerce, and other website and e-commerce platforms

Do I need coding for web design?

As a web designer, having basic coding skills can be helpful. Typically, web developers focus on coding, but as a web designer, you may want to build your HTML and JavaScript skills. Basic coding knowledge can make designing your websites easier, and this knowledge may prepare you for future positions in web development.

Enhance your resume.

Professional development is essential to any career path, especially in web design and development, where things change rapidly. Some employers may prefer candidates with relevant web design certifications.

Consider a few online courses, Professional Certificates, and Specializations led by industry leaders like IBM, Meta, and Google. These may help you expand your skills as a web designer and enhance your resume simultaneously:

• Google UX Design Professional Certificate: With this Google Career Certificate program, you'll learn to apply user experience design (UXD) fundamentals like user-centered design and accessibility. By the end, you'll have created a professional UX portfolio with three end-to-end projects: a mobile app, a responsive website, and a cross-platform experience.

• IBM Full-Stack Software Developer Professional Certificate: This Professional Certificate by IBM is designed to prepare you for a career in application development. You'll learn to program using front-end and back-end languages essential to web design and development. By the end, you'll have built a GitHub portfolio with multiple projects.

• Meta Back-End Developer Professional Certificate: This Professional Certificate program was designed by the software engineering experts at Meta to prepare you for a career in back-end development. You'll learn to use programming systems, including Python Syntax and Linux commands, as well as build a portfolio using your new skills and begin interview preparation.

Stay current with web design trends

If you’re curious about a career in web design, join our LinkedIn newsletter Career Chat to keep up with industry trends. You can also prepare for a career as a web designer by exploring these helpful free resources:

• Check out an insider story: How This Self-Taught Web Developer Went Straight to a Master’s Degree

• Build your knowledge: Web Development Terms: A to Z Glossary

• Watch on YouTube: How to Pivot Industries as a Web Developer

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