Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Design director salary
Average design director salary
$132,823
How much does a design director make?
The average design director salary in the United States is $132,823. Design director salaries typically range between $82,000 and $212,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for design directors is $63.86 per hour.
Design director salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Design directors earn the highest average salary in Washington.
Let Zippia find your next design director job
Let Zippia find your next design director job
Where can a Design Director earn more?
Design director salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level design director | $83,000 | $39.90 |
| Mid-level design director | $116,000 | $55.93 |
| Senior-level design director | $181,000 | $87.21 |
Design director salary estimates from across the web
Average design director salary by state
The highest-paying states for design directors are Washington, California, and Massachusetts. The lowest average design director salary states are Oklahoma, Nebraska, and South Carolina.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for design directors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $158,354 | $76.13 |
| 2 | California | $148,635 | $71.46 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $141,338 | $67.95 |
| 4 | Arizona | $131,310 | $63.13 |
| 5 | Oregon | $127,105 | $61.11 |
| 6 | Alaska | $134,259 | $64.55 |
| 7 | New York | $127,951 | $61.51 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $129,837 | $62.42 |
| 9 | Texas | $119,540 | $57.47 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $128,885 | $61.96 |
| 11 | Michigan | $112,585 | $54.13 |
| 12 | Louisiana | $107,255 | $51.56 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $119,589 | $57.49 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $114,310 | $54.96 |
| 15 | Nevada | $120,887 | $58.12 |
| 16 | New Jersey | $122,363 | $58.83 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $111,234 | $53.48 |
| 18 | Illinois | $112,882 | $54.27 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $116,639 | $56.08 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $111,233 | $53.48 |
| 21 | Virginia | $112,533 | $54.10 |
| 22 | Vermont | $108,275 | $52.06 |
| 23 | Colorado | $109,361 | $52.58 |
| 24 | Maine | $109,782 | $52.78 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $106,718 | $51.31 |
| 26 | Delaware | $110,735 | $53.24 |
| 27 | Arkansas | $94,442 | $45.40 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $122,502 | $58.90 |
| 29 | Alabama | $94,304 | $45.34 |
| 30 | Ohio | $102,409 | $49.24 |
| 31 | Georgia | $100,531 | $48.33 |
| 32 | Wyoming | $97,639 | $46.94 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $100,676 | $48.40 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $105,194 | $50.57 |
| 35 | Utah | $98,024 | $47.13 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $94,318 | $45.35 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $90,412 | $43.47 |
| 38 | Maryland | $107,083 | $51.48 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $89,913 | $43.23 |
| 40 | Iowa | $86,898 | $41.78 |
| 41 | Montana | $96,470 | $46.38 |
| 42 | Florida | $98,241 | $47.23 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $96,823 | $46.55 |
| 44 | Missouri | $96,823 | $46.55 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $95,438 | $45.88 |
| 46 | Idaho | $93,151 | $44.78 |
| 47 | Indiana | $90,610 | $43.56 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $87,902 | $42.26 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $87,602 | $42.12 |
| 50 | Kansas | $84,681 | $40.71 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $70,644 | $33.96 |
Highest paying cities for design directors
The highest-paying cities for design directors are Seattle, WA, Redwood City, CA, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle, WA | $167,444 | $80.50 |
| 2 | Redwood City, CA | $159,310 | $76.59 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $143,443 | $68.96 |
| 4 | Phoenix, AZ | $134,441 | $64.64 |
| 5 | Providence, RI | $130,712 | $62.84 |
| 6 | Albany, NY | $129,926 | $62.46 |
| 7 | Washington, DC | $129,868 | $62.44 |
| 8 | Beaverton, OR | $128,488 | $61.77 |
| 9 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $126,008 | $60.58 |
| 10 | San Antonio, TX | $125,694 | $60.43 |
| 11 | Philadelphia, PA | $120,687 | $58.02 |
| 12 | Arlington, VA | $114,246 | $54.93 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $113,786 | $54.70 |
| 14 | Detroit, MI | $113,178 | $54.41 |
| 15 | Raleigh, NC | $112,765 | $54.21 |
| 16 | Hartford, CT | $111,880 | $53.79 |
| 17 | Denver, CO | $109,339 | $52.57 |
| 18 | Baltimore, MD | $107,520 | $51.69 |
| 19 | Columbus, OH | $101,496 | $48.80 |
| 20 | Minneapolis, MN | $100,694 | $48.41 |
Design director salary details
A design director's salary ranges from $82,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $212,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a design director's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $212,000 | $17,667 | $102 |
| 75th Percentile | $170,000 | $14,167 | $82 |
| Average | $132,823 | $11,069 | $64 |
| 25th Percentile | $103,000 | $8,583 | $50 |
| 10th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
Highest paying design director jobs
The highest paying types of design directors are head designer, director, and lead designer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic Artist | $54,900 | $4,575 | $26.39 | 8,752 |
| Production Artist | $61,870 | $5,156 | $29.75 | 59,103 |
| Freelancer | $59,367 | $4,947 | $28.54 | 2,088 |
| Graphic Designer Internship | $35,800 | $2,983 | $17.21 | 93,292 |
| Interactive Designer | $97,929 | $8,161 | $47.08 | 48,136 |
| Web Graphic Designer | $52,574 | $4,381 | $25.28 | 51,462 |
Top companies hiring design directors now:
Which companies pay design directors the most?
Design director salaries at Proenza Schouler and Kimco Realty are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average design director salary at companies like Kellwood and Levi Strauss & Co. are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proenza Schouler | $238,724 | $114.77 |
| 2 | Kimco Realty | $226,618 | $108.95 |
| 3 | Kellwood | $223,041 | $107.23 |
| 4 | Levi Strauss & Co. | $213,872 | $102.82 |
| 5 | Meta | $213,806 | $102.79 |
| 6 | $213,011 | $102.41 | |
| 7 | Apple | $209,902 | $100.91 |
| 8 | ChowNow | $204,261 | $98.20 |
| 9 | StubHub | $203,734 | $97.95 |
| 10 | URBN | $198,638 | $95.50 |
| 11 | eBay | $197,788 | $95.09 |
| 12 | DoorDash | $197,592 | $95.00 |
| 13 | PayPal | $195,768 | $94.12 |
| 14 | Mailchimp | $194,718 | $93.61 |
| 15 | The Human Race Theatre Company | $194,302 | $93.41 |
| 16 | Thumbtack | $192,004 | $92.31 |
| 17 | Asana | $190,888 | $91.77 |
| 18 | Calvin Klein | $190,113 | $91.40 |
| 19 | Redfin | $190,029 | $91.36 |
| 20 | 3.1 Phillip Lim | $188,507 | $90.63 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Design Director salary by industry
The average design director salary varies across industries:
- The average design director salary in the manufacturing industry is $155,570, the highest of any industry.
- The average design director salary in the finance industry is $150,818.
- Design directors in the professional industry earn an average salary of $122,572, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for design directors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manufacturing | $155,570 | $74.79 |
| 2 | Retail | $150,818 | $72.51 |
| 3 | Media | $145,187 | $69.80 |
| 4 | Technology | $139,166 | $66.91 |
| 5 | Health Care | $137,007 | $65.87 |
| 6 | Professional | $122,572 | $58.93 |
High paying design director jobs
Design director salary trends
The average design director salary has risen by $23,315 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average design director earned $109,508 annually, but today, they earn $132,823 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for design directors over the last decade.
Compare design director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average design director salary over time
Compare design director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Design director salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $133,000 | $63.86 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $130,000 | $62.34 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | $125,000 | $60.26 | +3.3% |
| 2022 | $121,000 | $58.26 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $119,000 | $56.99 | +1.6% |
Recently added design director salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gensler | Design Director-Architecture | San Francisco, CA | 06/30/2025 | $200,000 |
| Gensler | Design Director-Hospitality & Retail | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2025 | $120,000 |
| Navex Global | Director, Product Design | Lake Oswego, OR | 06/30/2025 | $180,000 |
| Asana | Product Design Director | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $272,000 |
| Bernhard Link Theatrical LLC | IS Design Director | Philadelphia, PA | 06/29/2025 | $134,430 |
| Bernhard Link Theatrical LLC | IS Design Director | Charlotte, NC | 06/29/2025 | $134,430 |
| Jellyfish | Senior Design Director | Los Angeles, CA | 06/29/2025 | $110,000 |
| Anduril Industries | Group Designer Director, Industrial Design | Costa Mesa, CA | 06/29/2025 | $168,000 |
| Whatnot | Product Design Director | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $280,000 |
| ADP | Director, Privacy By Design | New York, NY | 06/28/2025 | $94,700 |
Design director salary FAQs
Search for design director jobs