Best states for an associate designer

Q: What is the best state for associate designers?

The best state to be an associate designer is Washington based on associate designer salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for associate designers?

The highest paying state for associate designers is South Dakota based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for associate designers?

The worst state for associate designers is Mississippi, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for associate designers? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for associate designer jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for associate designer jobs.

The median salary for associate designers in Washington is $71,477. Compare that to the median salary in Mississippi of $41,872, which ranked worst for associate designers, and you can see how your location is important for your career.Washington is the best state, and Bremerton is the city with the highest pay for associate designers.

10 best states for associate designers in 2026

1. Washington
Total associate designer jobs: 932
Average annual salary: $71,477
Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $111,000
Location Quotient:
1.75
Associate designer jobs in Washington
2. Massachusetts
Total associate designer jobs: 787
Average annual salary: $63,609
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000
Location Quotient:
1.17
Associate designer jobs in Massachusetts
3. California
Total associate designer jobs: 3,383
Average annual salary: $68,415
Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000
Location Quotient:
1.58
Associate designer jobs in California
4. Rhode Island
Total associate designer jobs: 98
Average annual salary: $61,317
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000
Location Quotient:
1.1
Associate designer jobs in Rhode Island
5. New York
Total associate designer jobs: 1,412
Average annual salary: $62,356
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000
Location Quotient:
1.51
Associate designer jobs in New York
6. Oregon
Total associate designer jobs: 483
Average annual salary: $59,203
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000
Location Quotient:
1.6
Associate designer jobs in Oregon
7. Michigan
Total associate designer jobs: 562
Average annual salary: $56,781
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000
Location Quotient:
0.99
Associate designer jobs in Michigan
8. District of Columbia
Total associate designer jobs: 218
Average annual salary: $62,059
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000
Location Quotient:
1.78
Associate designer jobs in District of Columbia
9. Virginia
Total associate designer jobs: 792
Average annual salary: $57,906
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
Associate designer jobs in Virginia
10. Alaska
Total associate designer jobs: 37
Average annual salary: $65,246
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000
Location Quotient:
0.61
Associate designer jobs in Alaska

Associate designer jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an associate designer

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for an associate designer

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Washington	$71,477	$45,000	7,405,743	932
2	Massachusetts	$63,609	$44,000	6,859,819	787
3	California	$68,415	$43,000	39,536,653	3,383
4	Rhode Island	$61,317	$42,000	1,059,639	98
5	New York	$62,356	$42,000	19,849,399	1,412
6	Oregon	$59,203	$38,000	4,142,776	483
7	Michigan	$56,781	$39,000	9,962,311	562
8	District of Columbia	$62,059	$42,000	693,972	218
9	Virginia	$57,906	$39,000	8,470,020	792
10	Alaska	$65,246	$50,000	739,795	37
11	North Carolina	$54,610	$37,000	10,273,419	642
12	New Jersey	$59,326	$40,000	9,005,644	427
13	Wyoming	$54,515	$36,000	579,315	36
14	New Hampshire	$53,475	$37,000	1,342,795	135
15	Utah	$52,500	$34,000	3,101,833	268
16	North Dakota	$56,079	$39,000	755,393	43
17	West Virginia	$56,734	$39,000	1,815,857	60
18	Arizona	$55,344	$36,000	7,016,270	317
19	Pennsylvania	$53,698	$36,000	12,805,537	704
20	Indiana	$54,703	$38,000	6,666,818	319
21	Colorado	$55,210	$37,000	5,607,154	395
22	Illinois	$54,029	$37,000	12,802,023	811
23	Texas	$52,416	$35,000	28,304,596	1,435
24	Ohio	$53,298	$36,000	11,658,609	544
25	Nevada	$53,465	$34,000	2,998,039	102
26	Maine	$51,314	$35,000	1,335,907	96
27	Maryland	$54,737	$37,000	6,052,177	427
28	Vermont	$51,113	$35,000	623,657	56
29	Delaware	$52,947	$36,000	961,939	74
30	Montana	$52,495	$34,000	1,050,493	58
31	Missouri	$50,944	$35,000	6,113,532	335
32	Minnesota	$49,321	$34,000	5,576,606	462
33	Wisconsin	$48,408	$33,000	5,795,483	375
34	Connecticut	$49,885	$34,000	3,588,184	226
35	Idaho	$49,475	$32,000	1,716,943	93
36	Hawaii	$55,071	$40,000	1,427,538	39
37	Kentucky	$48,299	$33,000	4,454,189	169
38	Nebraska	$47,931	$33,000	1,920,076	118
39	Iowa	$46,108	$32,000	3,145,711	211
40	Arkansas	$47,213	$32,000	3,004,279	124
41	Georgia	$45,139	$30,000	10,429,379	825
42	Tennessee	$46,866	$32,000	6,715,984	267
43	New Mexico	$46,562	$31,000	2,088,070	101
44	Kansas	$44,992	$31,000	2,913,123	168
45	Florida	$45,715	$30,000	20,984,400	845
46	Oklahoma	$45,114	$31,000	3,930,864	150
47	Louisiana	$45,901	$31,000	4,684,333	136
48	Alabama	$44,367	$30,000	4,874,747	203
49	South Carolina	$40,973	$28,000	5,024,369	221
50	South Dakota	$38,361	$26,000	869,666	50
51	Mississippi	$41,872	$28,000	2,984,100	88

Highest paying states for associate designers

Rank	State	Avg. Associate Designer Salary
1	Washington	$71,477
2	Massachusetts	$63,609
3	California	$68,415
4	Rhode Island	$61,317
5	New York	$62,356
6	Oregon	$59,203
7	Michigan	$56,781
8	District of Columbia	$62,059
9	Virginia	$57,906
10	Alaska	$65,246
11	North Carolina	$54,610
12	New Jersey	$59,326
13	Wyoming	$54,515
14	New Hampshire	$53,475
15	Utah	$52,500
16	North Dakota	$56,079
17	West Virginia	$56,734
18	Arizona	$55,344
19	Pennsylvania	$53,698
20	Indiana	$54,703
21	Colorado	$55,210
22	Illinois	$54,029
23	Texas	$52,416
24	Ohio	$53,298
25	Nevada	$53,465
26	Maine	$51,314
27	Maryland	$54,737
28	Vermont	$51,113
29	Delaware	$52,947
30	Montana	$52,495
31	Missouri	$50,944
32	Minnesota	$49,321
33	Wisconsin	$48,408
34	Connecticut	$49,885
35	Idaho	$49,475
36	Hawaii	$55,071
37	Kentucky	$48,299
38	Nebraska	$47,931
39	Iowa	$46,108
40	Arkansas	$47,213
41	Georgia	$45,139
42	Tennessee	$46,866
43	New Mexico	$46,562
44	Kansas	$44,992
45	Florida	$45,715
46	Oklahoma	$45,114
47	Louisiana	$45,901
48	Alabama	$44,367
49	South Carolina	$40,973
50	South Dakota	$38,361
51	Mississippi	$41,872

Associate designer best states FAQs

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What is the worst state for associate designers?

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Best states for Associate Designers

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total associate designer jobs:	932
Average annual salary:	$71,477
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$45,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$111,000
Location Quotient:	1.75

Best states for an associate designer

10 best states for associate designers in 2026

1. Washington

2. Massachusetts

3. California

4. Rhode Island

5. New York

6. Oregon

7. Michigan

8. District of Columbia

9. Virginia

10. Alaska