The San Francisco area is the top paying metropolitan area for web designers. With a mean annual salary of $73,140, the San Francisco area outdistances the next-in-line Bridgeport, Connecticut area ($62,810). The metropolitan area of San Jose, California comes next at $61,240; followed by Dalton, Georgia ($59,740); and Vallejo-Fairfield, California.

To earn the top salaries web designers need good people skills, creativity, imagination, and technical skills. Web designers need to be artists and perfectionists, hard working and not afraid of criticism. Web design is a dynamic field; to stay competitive designers need to continually update their skills.

Web designers typically work on a website from start to finish. However, they may specialize in any number of areas, including: digital media, accessibility, flash animation, writing, or e-commerce. On-the-job training, certificate programs, and short courses provide instruction in specialty areas.

An outstanding portfolio is key to getting an entry-level position in web design, especially if you have never worked as a commercial web designer before. The portfolio is the applicant’s opportunity to show off what he or she has done. It may showcase work you have done for yourself, for friends or family members, or as a volunteer for non-profit organizations. It’s important that the portfolio include the applicant’s best work, whether it was done for a fee or for free. Employers will judge what an individual can do for their companies based on what that person has done in the past.

The bar graph above shows the cities with the highest Web Design salaries. The data is shown in table format below:

City	Annual Mean Wage
San Francisco Area, CA	73,140
Bridgeport Area, CT	62,810
San Jose Area, CA	61,240
Dalton, GA	59,740
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA	59,170