Find a Job You Really Want In
Graphic Designers are one of the most common jobs in America. Additionally, a significant number of people work as graphic designers in every state in the union — it’s not like they are all just concentrated in California or the South.
Since graphic designers are such a prominent occupation, we at Zippia wanted to look at where graphic designers have it the best: where there are plenty of jobs to go around and people get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into the numbers from the BLS to figure out which states have the best opportunities for graphic designers.
After all the numbers had been crunched, we were left with this list of the best of best for America’s graphic designers:
So there you have it — Graphic Designers is the best of the best when it comes to being a graphic designer.
How did Graphic Designers end up here and does it really deserve this ranking? Read on to see how we completed our research on the best states for graphic designers and for more on the top ten states.
If youĂÂre interested, you can read more about the job scene here:
- These Are The 10 Best Cities For Graphic Designers
- Best Companies to Work For in Chicago, IL
- These Are The 20 Best Small Companies In Chicago To Work For
How we determined the best states to be a graphic designer
Here at Zippia, we talk to a lot of people of all different backgrounds looking for jobs. Our research has concluded that there are two common things people want in a job:
- Availability of jobs
- Higher Pay
So in order to find out the best states for graphic designers in America we needed to figure out where the jobs are and how well graphic designers get paid. This led to the following criteria taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Employment Statistics for 2018:
- Location quotient. A measure of how common a job is a given state.
- Average annual salary.
- Average annual salary for entry level work.
- Average annual salary for experienced professionals.
To make all the salary numbers more apples to apples across states, we compared the salary data relative to the state’s cost of living.
Applying this standardization allows us to account for that fact that it costs more to live in certain in states. For example, the average salary for graphic designers in California is $61,100 and the average salary in Illinois is $56,890, but the Illinois salary actually goes further in paying for life’s essentials.
In order to develop and overall ranking, we ranked each state for each criteria from 1 to 50 where 1 was the best.
We then averaged all the rankings for a state into a Job Score with the state having the lowest overall Job Score earning the distinction of being the best state for graphic designers in America.
So without further ado, let’s get into just what made each state so great for graphic designers.
1. Illinois
Total Jobs: 11,700
Average Annual Salary: $56,890
Average Entry Level Salary: $31,680
Average Experienced Salary: $88,260
Location Quotient: 1.3
2. Washington
Total Jobs: 5,060
Average Annual Salary: $60,530
Average Entry Level Salary: $34,630
Average Experienced Salary: $90,400
Location Quotient: 1.03
3. Georgia
Total Jobs: 6,400
Average Annual Salary: $54,260
Average Entry Level Salary: $29,310
Average Experienced Salary: $84,370
Location Quotient: 0.97
4. Minnesota
Total Jobs: 6,190
Average Annual Salary: $53,500
Average Entry Level Salary: $32,900
Average Experienced Salary: $80,200
Location Quotient: 1.44
5. Virginia
Total Jobs: 5,000
Average Annual Salary: $60,540
Average Entry Level Salary: $30,200
Average Experienced Salary: $98,140
Location Quotient: 0.87
6. Colorado
Total Jobs: 4,730
Average Annual Salary: $56,670
Average Entry Level Salary: $31,820
Average Experienced Salary: $81,020
Location Quotient: 1.2
7. Nebraska
Total Jobs: 1,880
Average Annual Salary: $47,980
Average Entry Level Salary: $28,000
Average Experienced Salary: $72,660
Location Quotient: 1.27
8. Texas
Total Jobs: 13,480
Average Annual Salary: $50,700
Average Entry Level Salary: $27,970
Average Experienced Salary: $79,510
Location Quotient: 0.74
9. Utah
Total Jobs: 3,370
Average Annual Salary: $48,130
Average Entry Level Salary: $27,150
Average Experienced Salary: $74,210
Location Quotient: 1.54
10. Missouri
Total Jobs: 3,740
Average Annual Salary: $50,350
Average Entry Level Salary: $26,470
Average Experienced Salary: $78,160
Location Quotient: 0.89
There You Have It – The Best States To Be A Graphic Designer
If you’re looking to start out your career as a graphic designer these are the states that should be at the top of your list. You’ll find high pay, available jobs, and chances for career advancement.
If you’re curious, here are the worst states to be a graphic designer in America:
For more reading, check out:
- These Are The 100 Highest Paying Jobs In Chicago
- These Are The 100 Highest Paying Jobs In Illinois
- These Are The 100 Largest Companies In Illinois
- These Are The 10 Highest Graphic Designer Salaries By State
Detailed List Of The Best States For graphic designers
| Rank | State | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | $56,890 |
| 2 | Washington | $60,530 |
| 3 | Georgia | $54,260 |
| 4 | Minnesota | $53,500 |
| 5 | Virginia | $60,540 |
| 6 | Colorado | $56,670 |
| 7 | Nebraska | $47,980 |
| 8 | Texas | $50,700 |
| 9 | Utah | $48,130 |
| 10 | Missouri | $50,350 |
| 11 | Ohio | $50,130 |
| 12 | Michigan | $47,700 |
| 13 | Tennessee | $48,760 |
| 14 | Kansas | $46,270 |
| 15 | Arizona | $54,030 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $47,980 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $49,700 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $53,050 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $58,720 |
| 20 | New York | $64,840 |
| 21 | Delaware | $50,920 |
| 22 | Oregon | $56,690 |
| 23 | Florida | $48,780 |
| 24 | Alabama | $46,960 |
| 25 | Mississippi | $42,640 |
| 26 | Indiana | $45,030 |
| 27 | Idaho | $45,620 |
| 28 | Massachusetts | $64,010 |
| 29 | Arkansas | $42,250 |
| 30 | Iowa | $43,920 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $44,550 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $45,360 |
| 33 | New Jersey | $59,140 |
| 34 | Connecticut | $60,700 |
| 35 | Louisiana | $45,660 |
| 36 | Nevada | $49,330 |
| 37 | California | $61,100 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $45,790 |
| 39 | Vermont | $50,000 |
| 40 | New Hampshire | $51,710 |
| 41 | Maryland | $58,610 |
| 42 | Montana | $42,220 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $36,300 |
| 44 | North Dakota | $41,800 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $44,040 |
| 46 | Alaska | $59,640 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $38,490 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $40,710 |
| 49 | Maine | $45,800 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $51,690 |
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
