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Best states for a creative designer
Quoted expert
Kristy Pennino
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Creative designer opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for creative designers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for creative designers.We wanted to look at the best states for creative designers -- where there are plenty of creative designer jobs to go around and creative designers get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
In order to get you the best states for creative designers, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that Washington is the best state for creative designer jobs, whereas South Dakota is the worst.
10 best states for creative designers in 2026
1. Washington
Total creative designer jobs: 830 Average annual salary: $84,634 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000 Location Quotient: 1.85
2. California
Total creative designer jobs: 3,018 Average annual salary: $87,467 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000 Location Quotient: 1.68
3. Rhode Island
Total creative designer jobs: 69 Average annual salary: $78,044 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
4. District of Columbia
Total creative designer jobs: 207 Average annual salary: $83,411 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000 Location Quotient: 2.01
5. Illinois
Total creative designer jobs: 736 Average annual salary: $76,351 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
6. Virginia
Total creative designer jobs: 683 Average annual salary: $75,047 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
7. Michigan
Total creative designer jobs: 446 Average annual salary: $74,355 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
8. Massachusetts
Total creative designer jobs: 650 Average annual salary: $74,575 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Location Quotient: 1.15
9. New York
Total creative designer jobs: 1,391 Average annual salary: $74,065 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $115,000 Location Quotient: 1.77
10. Oregon
Total creative designer jobs: 431 Average annual salary: $71,593 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Location Quotient: 1.7
Creative designer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a creative designer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a creative designer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $84,634 | $54,000 | 7,405,743 | 830 |
| 2 | California | $87,467 | $58,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,018 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $78,044 | $50,000 | 1,059,639 | 69 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $83,411 | $52,000 | 693,972 | 207 |
| 5 | Illinois | $76,351 | $48,000 | 12,802,023 | 736 |
| 6 | Virginia | $75,047 | $47,000 | 8,470,020 | 683 |
| 7 | Michigan | $74,355 | $46,000 | 9,962,311 | 446 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $74,575 | $48,000 | 6,859,819 | 650 |
| 9 | New York | $74,065 | $47,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,391 |
| 10 | Oregon | $71,593 | $46,000 | 4,142,776 | 431 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $72,456 | $46,000 | 12,805,537 | 621 |
| 12 | Nevada | $72,244 | $48,000 | 2,998,039 | 76 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $72,179 | $46,000 | 3,588,184 | 154 |
| 14 | West Virginia | $75,147 | $47,000 | 1,815,857 | 36 |
| 15 | Utah | $65,315 | $43,000 | 3,101,833 | 215 |
| 16 | Arizona | $68,096 | $45,000 | 7,016,270 | 262 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $67,149 | $43,000 | 1,342,795 | 91 |
| 18 | Maryland | $72,309 | $45,000 | 6,052,177 | 350 |
| 19 | North Carolina | $64,672 | $41,000 | 10,273,419 | 519 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $64,939 | $41,000 | 5,576,606 | 402 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $62,806 | $39,000 | 5,795,483 | 315 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $69,460 | $44,000 | 9,005,644 | 371 |
| 23 | Texas | $63,428 | $41,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,140 |
| 24 | Colorado | $66,556 | $44,000 | 5,607,154 | 324 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $65,160 | $43,000 | 579,315 | 18 |
| 26 | Delaware | $67,580 | $43,000 | 961,939 | 43 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $63,167 | $42,000 | 2,088,070 | 72 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $62,076 | $39,000 | 755,393 | 29 |
| 29 | Vermont | $62,869 | $40,000 | 623,657 | 32 |
| 30 | Iowa | $59,227 | $38,000 | 3,145,711 | 154 |
| 31 | Missouri | $59,351 | $39,000 | 6,113,532 | 265 |
| 32 | Ohio | $57,515 | $36,000 | 11,658,609 | 459 |
| 33 | Indiana | $58,125 | $37,000 | 6,666,818 | 265 |
| 34 | Alaska | $64,530 | $46,000 | 739,795 | 25 |
| 35 | Montana | $59,922 | $39,000 | 1,050,493 | 44 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $57,935 | $37,000 | 6,715,984 | 213 |
| 37 | Maine | $58,194 | $38,000 | 1,335,907 | 59 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $57,756 | $38,000 | 1,920,076 | 83 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $63,622 | $47,000 | 1,427,538 | 25 |
| 40 | Kansas | $56,435 | $37,000 | 2,913,123 | 122 |
| 41 | Georgia | $53,310 | $34,000 | 10,429,379 | 717 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $57,183 | $36,000 | 5,024,369 | 166 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $56,467 | $36,000 | 3,004,279 | 85 |
| 44 | Florida | $55,612 | $35,000 | 20,984,400 | 668 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $56,265 | $35,000 | 4,454,189 | 116 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $55,903 | $37,000 | 3,930,864 | 110 |
| 47 | Idaho | $53,663 | $35,000 | 1,716,943 | 62 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $55,078 | $35,000 | 4,684,333 | 91 |
| 49 | Alabama | $47,525 | $30,000 | 4,874,747 | 158 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $52,003 | $33,000 | 2,984,100 | 56 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $46,913 | $30,000 | 869,666 | 29 |
Highest paying states for creative designers
| Rank | State | Avg. Creative Designer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $84,634 |
| 2 | California | $87,467 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $78,044 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $83,411 |
| 5 | Illinois | $76,351 |
| 6 | Virginia | $75,047 |
| 7 | Michigan | $74,355 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $74,575 |
| 9 | New York | $74,065 |
| 10 | Oregon | $71,593 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $72,456 |
| 12 | Nevada | $72,244 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $72,179 |
| 14 | West Virginia | $75,147 |
| 15 | Utah | $65,315 |
| 16 | Arizona | $68,096 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $67,149 |
| 18 | Maryland | $72,309 |
| 19 | North Carolina | $64,672 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $64,939 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $62,806 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $69,460 |
| 23 | Texas | $63,428 |
| 24 | Colorado | $66,556 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $65,160 |
| 26 | Delaware | $67,580 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $63,167 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $62,076 |
| 29 | Vermont | $62,869 |
| 30 | Iowa | $59,227 |
| 31 | Missouri | $59,351 |
| 32 | Ohio | $57,515 |
| 33 | Indiana | $58,125 |
| 34 | Alaska | $64,530 |
| 35 | Montana | $59,922 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $57,935 |
| 37 | Maine | $58,194 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $57,756 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $63,622 |
| 40 | Kansas | $56,435 |
| 41 | Georgia | $53,310 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $57,183 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $56,467 |
| 44 | Florida | $55,612 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $56,265 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $55,903 |
| 47 | Idaho | $53,663 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $55,078 |
| 49 | Alabama | $47,525 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $52,003 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $46,913 |
Expert opinions on the best states for creative designers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for creative designers to find work opportunities?
Kristy Pennino
Professor of Graphic & Interactive Design, Valencia College
All major cities in the U.S. have been known to offer the most employment opportunities for graphic designers, simply because that is where there's a greater concentration of paying clients. I guess the silver lining - as a result of the pandemic - is that people will be less likely to select their employers, clients, or residences based solely on their location. With our program internship requirement, I have already witnessed students being hired to work remotely for employers who are not local and who are not even located in the same state or country. I helped three graduates get employed in the past 48 hours for companies who are not local and eager to hire our graduates to work remotely.
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Updated January 8, 2025