Web Designer Salary Statistics

Becoming a web designer is a good career move with excellent prospects, because there is increasing demand for talented designers, and the pay rate is fairly high, even for beginners. Industry statistics indicate that Web Designers enjoy a good salary, averaging $50,555 annually. In the United States, compensation runs from entry level starting pay of about $35,000 to $47,000 to $71,500 for experienced web designers.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, this compares well to the median annual earnings that other computer specialists can expect, which was $68,570 (May 2006). Salary for a web designer depends upon the degree of skill one has, and experience in design. Actual classroom training may or may not be required, depending on the knowledge and talent of the designer. Well known, proven designers can draw in much higher pay scales than others.

The income levels for web designers is not related to geographic area, but since it is static across the country but the cost of living is higher in some areas of the country than in others, it is relevant to overall job satisfaction. If you are making the average of $50K annually, and you live in an area with a high cost of living, the ability to use that salary is reduced compared to those who live in an area with a lower cost of living. Compensation at certain employers will differ also. The highest average pay is currently put forth by hospitals, and the U.S. federal government. Other agencies and educational institutions will pay less. Those web designers who freelance, and work for themselves, tend to earn less income but have more freedom.

Anyone with artistic talent and computer skills can enter this career field. It is necessary to understand basic web design, and have familiarity with HTML, SQL, and PHP. They also need to understand and know how to use design programs such as PhotoShop, Flash, Macromedia, Dreamweaver and others. Some web designers can enter the field just with their own knowledge of computers and the internet. They may be experts in different computer areas, such as animation, or computer graphic design. Others will attend formal classes to learn all the electronic techniques and software they can use in their design work.

Formal classroom training includes learning computer languages, design programs, image manipulation, how to design attractive and easy to navigate web pages, interface user friendliness, how to build interactive websites, graphic design and logos, and overall appearance of the website designs.*** As the importance of electronic communication grows, so will the importance of having a well designed website. This will also affect the amount of compensation the designer can expect to receive. The web designer salary is a measure of the amount a company is willing to pay to attract a talented web artist to create and produce their all important website.