Best Web Developer programs in California, ranked by enrollment
Develop and implement websites, web applications, application databases, and interactive web interfaces.
164 schools in California run programs that feed this job, graduating 19,062 people a year. The job pays a median of $119,570 in California across about 7,320 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in California that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
4 programs in California that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in California (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own California page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 11.0701In California → | 16,990 | 89.1% | 136 | $70,374 | $23,250 |
| 2 | CIP 11.0201In California → | 1,546 | 8.1% | 70 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 3 | CIP 11.0801In California → | 440 | 2.3% | 40 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 4 | CIP 11.1004In California → | 86 | 0.5% | 15 | $48,185 | $25,250 |
Top 25 schools in California
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 40 of the 164 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1,551 | Computer Science | $137,284 | 92% | $26,873 | 10% |
| 2 | Stanford University Stanford, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1,018 | Computer Science | $138,613 | 92% | $12,032 | 4% |
| 3 | University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 995 | Computer Science | $149,866 | 93% | — | 11% |
| 4 | University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 844 | Computer Science | $82,161 | 87% | — | 29% |
| 5 | University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 834 | Computer Science | $112,006 | 86% | — | 27% |
| 6 | University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 764 | Computer Science | $75,150 | 75% | — | 66% |
| 7 | California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 676 | Computer Science | $57,307 | 70% | — | 91% |
| 8 | University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 596 | Computer Science | — | 93% | — | 9% |
| 9 | California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 594 | Computer Science | $60,378 | 69% | — | 46% |
| 10 | University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 477 | Computer Science | $81,034 | 76% | — | 76% |
| 11 | University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 434 | Computer Science | — | 86% | — | 42% |
| 12 | California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 412 | Computer Science | $60,028 | 56% | — | 94% |
| 13 | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 405 | Computer Science | $60,740 | 68% | — | 75% |
| 14 | California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 372 | Computer Science | $62,821 | 57% | — | 93% |
| 15 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 368 | Computer Science | $74,523 | 76% | — | 36% |
| 16 | San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 342 | Computer Science | $50,553 | 50% | — | 96% |
| 17 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 323 | Computer Science | — | 69% | — | 85% |
| 18 | California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 321 | Computer Science | $111,141 | 86% | — | 31% |
| 19 | California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 310 | Computer Science | $60,371 | 48% | — | 97% |
| 20 | University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 295 | Computer Science | $107,776 | 83% | — | 33% |
| 21 | Santa Monica College Santa Monica, CA Public · 4 feeder programs | 269 | Computer Programming/Programmer, General | — | 36% | — | — |
| 22 | Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 263 | Computer Programming/Programmer, General | — | 49% | — | — |
| 23 | California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 249 | Computer Science | $45,846 | 55% | — | 94% |
| 24 | California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 217 | Computer Science | $44,530 | 53% | — | 91% |
| 25 | California State University - Monterey Bay Seaside, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 216 | Computer Science | $71,458 | 59% | — | 97% |
All 164 schools in California
Every school in California with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles | Private not-for-profit | 1,551 | 1 |
| Stanford University | Stanford | Private not-for-profit | 1,018 | 1 |
| University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley | Public | 995 | 1 |
| University of California - Irvine | Irvine | Public | 844 | 1 |
| University of California - San Diego | La Jolla | Public | 834 | 1 |
| University of California - Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | Public | 764 | 1 |
| California State University - Fullerton | Fullerton | Public | 676 | 1 |
| University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public | 596 | 1 |
| California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach | Public | 594 | 1 |
| University of California - Riverside | Riverside | Public | 477 | 1 |
| University of California - Davis | Davis | Public | 434 | 1 |
| California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento | Public | 412 | 1 |
| California State Polytechnic University - Pomona | Pomona | Public | 405 | 1 |
| California State University - Northridge | Northridge | Public | 372 | 1 |
| San Diego State University | San Diego | Public | 368 | 1 |
What web developers earn in California
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $92,650. California pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in California
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Web Developers page.
How to become a Web Developer
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in California
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 4 majors mapped to Web Developers4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 11.0201Computer Programming/Programmer, General
- 11.0701Computer Science
- 11.0801Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design
- 11.1004Web/Multimedia Management and Webmaster
Common questions
Answers for people weighing web developers programs in California.
What degree do you need to become a Web Developer?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Computer Science, which awarded 16,990 degrees in California in 2024-25, 89.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Web Developer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer Science, Computer Programming, Computer Software and Media Applications, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. Together they graduate about 19,062 people a year in California.
How much do web developers earn in California?+
The median is $119,570 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 29.1% above the U.S. median of $92,650. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for web developers growing?+
BLS projects a +7.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 5,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in California?+
164 institutions in California reported graduates from at least one of the 4 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do web developers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Webmaster, Web Architect, Web Developer, Web Design Specialist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 15-1254.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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