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Job outlook for advertising designers in the United States
Are advertising designer jobs in demand?
Advertising designer job and salary trends over time
Advertising designer jobs over time
Advertising designer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 611 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 603 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 646 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 652 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 650 | 0.00% |
Average advertising designer salary over time
Advertising designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $46,079 | $22.15 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $44,983 | $21.63 | +3.5% |
| 2023 | $43,481 | $20.90 | +3.4% |
| 2022 | $42,039 | $20.21 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $41,124 | $19.77 | +1.6% |
Advertising designer jobs by state
Most common states for advertising designers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 179 | 26% |
| 2 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 711 | 10% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 598 | 9% |
| 4 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 377 | 9% |
| 5 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 652 | 8% |
| 6 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 692 | 7% |
| 7 | California | 39,536,653 | 2,569 | 6% |
| 8 | New York | 19,849,399 | 1,173 | 6% |
| 9 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 356 | 6% |
| 10 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 309 | 6% |
| 11 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 192 | 6% |
| 12 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 78 | 6% |
| 13 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 59 | 6% |
| 14 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 662 | 5% |
| 15 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 494 | 5% |
| 16 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 327 | 5% |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 305 | 5% |
| 18 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 150 | 5% |
| 19 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 87 | 5% |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 574 | 4% |
Most common cities for advertising designers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raleigh | 1 | 0% | $37,304 |
Advertising Designer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of advertising designer experts
Arcadia University
Kean University
Louisiana State University at Shreveport
What Advertising Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Christian Patchell: A Graphic Designer will do a number of things every day. Often, there may be a beginning of the week meeting, this could be a team meeting or a one-on-one with the Art Director, Art Manager, or Senior Designer. So many of my students are finding remote employment, that makes these meetings (via Zoom or Skype) even more important. Also, there is now an added importance to Designers being good communicators, not just to other creative individuals but to additional areas outside of Design, such as Marketing, Sales, etc. Designers need to be able to speak to and/or hear input from various areas as they move through designing for a brief. Usually these meetings will sum up the week behind and the week ahead. A good Director will also be able to see where a team member might need assistance to finish something or is awaiting approval. When I worked in the Greeting Card industry these meetings not only mapped out the weeks’ worth of card design but also determined the larger picture such as planning a line of cards or an ad campaign. As a Designer, it was useful to see the smaller picture and the bigger picture as we moved forward as a team. A day to day an entry level Designer may be asked to assist in many areas with different skill sets for each. They could be proofing copy, laying out text, correcting bad links on a site or app. as well as designing an entire project from the ground up. It all depends on their area of expertise or the market in which they find themselves. My advice to those starting in Graphic Design is to “have many legs under the table of their career,” meaning: it’s a good idea to know a lot about multiple aspects of the Design Market. This is especially helpful for someone starting out, as it keeps many avenues open on the journey ahead as well as allowing for changes in the market or technology that may redirect one’s trajectory.
What Advertising Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Denise Anderson: The skills graphic designers will need is learn artificial intelligence software AND how to masterfully use it. The masses will tinker with the new technology but designers need to harness the power of it and use their learned skills of ideation, art direction, and image manipulation skills (Photoshop). What they also need to develop is their storytelling skills which will help them with art directing and creating AI images.
What will help Advertising Designers increase their earning potential?
Allen Garcie MFA: On the technical side, software is always evolving so skills related to this are always important. However, I think keeping up with advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) is going to be most important for designers over the next 3 to 5 years. This is an area that's already changing the design field as companies like Adobe and others continue to integrate AI into their software. On the other hand, being a designer isn't all about developing technology-related skills though. I also think developing non-technical skills like creativity, collaboration, and adaptability are extremely important for any designer.