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Best states for a design internship
Quoted expert
Kristy Pennino
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Do you want to become a design internship at Michael Kors, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for design interns that you can check out, before you begin your journey. Although there are abundant design internship jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the South. Washington is the best state in the country for design internship jobs.
In order to get you the best states for design interns, 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 design internship jobs, whereas Oklahoma is the worst.
10 best states for design interns in 2025
1. Washington
Total design internship jobs: 692 Average annual salary: $63,464 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Location Quotient: 1.55
2. California
Total design internship jobs: 3,449 Average annual salary: $60,504 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 1.93
3. Massachusetts
Total design internship jobs: 635 Average annual salary: $57,578 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
4. Oregon
Total design internship jobs: 464 Average annual salary: $53,852 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Location Quotient: 1.83
5. District of Columbia
Total design internship jobs: 130 Average annual salary: $57,015 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 1.27
6. Alaska
Total design internship jobs: 49 Average annual salary: $56,510 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
7. New York
Total design internship jobs: 978 Average annual salary: $51,665 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
8. Texas
Total design internship jobs: 1,243 Average annual salary: $48,162 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Location Quotient: 1
9. Arizona
Total design internship jobs: 410 Average annual salary: $46,561 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
10. Maryland
Total design internship jobs: 298 Average annual salary: $56,858 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 0.77
Design internship jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a design internship
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a design internship
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $63,464 | $46,000 | 7,405,743 | 692 |
| 2 | California | $60,504 | $41,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,449 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $57,578 | $39,000 | 6,859,819 | 635 |
| 4 | Oregon | $53,852 | $38,000 | 4,142,776 | 464 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $57,015 | $39,000 | 693,972 | 130 |
| 6 | Alaska | $56,510 | $48,000 | 739,795 | 49 |
| 7 | New York | $51,665 | $35,000 | 19,849,399 | 978 |
| 8 | Texas | $48,162 | $33,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,243 |
| 9 | Arizona | $46,561 | $33,000 | 7,016,270 | 410 |
| 10 | Maryland | $56,858 | $38,000 | 6,052,177 | 298 |
| 11 | Hawaii | $60,389 | $44,000 | 1,427,538 | 38 |
| 12 | Nevada | $50,148 | $35,000 | 2,998,039 | 83 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $53,486 | $36,000 | 9,005,644 | 317 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $45,376 | $31,000 | 1,059,639 | 73 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $44,665 | $31,000 | 1,342,795 | 112 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $42,689 | $31,000 | 579,315 | 42 |
| 17 | Iowa | $43,141 | $31,000 | 3,145,711 | 218 |
| 18 | Virginia | $47,213 | $32,000 | 8,470,020 | 495 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $43,821 | $31,000 | 5,795,483 | 303 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $46,955 | $32,000 | 1,815,857 | 44 |
| 21 | Connecticut | $44,946 | $30,000 | 3,588,184 | 265 |
| 22 | Ohio | $44,851 | $31,000 | 11,658,609 | 439 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $44,521 | $32,000 | 5,576,606 | 384 |
| 24 | Illinois | $45,826 | $32,000 | 12,802,023 | 609 |
| 25 | Delaware | $44,701 | $30,000 | 961,939 | 77 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $44,666 | $30,000 | 12,805,537 | 480 |
| 27 | Colorado | $44,139 | $32,000 | 5,607,154 | 368 |
| 28 | Idaho | $42,977 | $31,000 | 1,716,943 | 90 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $42,626 | $30,000 | 10,273,419 | 471 |
| 30 | Indiana | $42,497 | $30,000 | 6,666,818 | 239 |
| 31 | Michigan | $39,395 | $27,000 | 9,962,311 | 516 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $41,828 | $30,000 | 3,004,279 | 95 |
| 33 | Vermont | $39,846 | $28,000 | 623,657 | 56 |
| 34 | Alabama | $40,447 | $28,000 | 4,874,747 | 209 |
| 35 | Missouri | $41,297 | $30,000 | 6,113,532 | 242 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $40,455 | $29,000 | 6,715,984 | 202 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $39,176 | $29,000 | 755,393 | 46 |
| 38 | Kansas | $39,707 | $29,000 | 2,913,123 | 139 |
| 39 | Georgia | $39,455 | $28,000 | 10,429,379 | 590 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $40,179 | $28,000 | 4,454,189 | 132 |
| 41 | Utah | $35,744 | $26,000 | 3,101,833 | 199 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $39,536 | $29,000 | 1,920,076 | 89 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $40,393 | $28,000 | 4,684,333 | 86 |
| 44 | Maine | $36,630 | $26,000 | 1,335,907 | 78 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $38,898 | $27,000 | 5,024,369 | 184 |
| 46 | Montana | $35,283 | $26,000 | 1,050,493 | 59 |
| 47 | Florida | $36,086 | $24,000 | 20,984,400 | 769 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $38,420 | $27,000 | 2,984,100 | 65 |
| 49 | New Mexico | $36,050 | $26,000 | 2,088,070 | 72 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $31,080 | $22,000 | 869,666 | 49 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $31,914 | $23,000 | 3,930,864 | 110 |
Highest paying states for design interns
| Rank | State | Avg. Design Internship Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $63,464 |
| 2 | California | $60,504 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $57,578 |
| 4 | Oregon | $53,852 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $57,015 |
| 6 | Alaska | $56,510 |
| 7 | New York | $51,665 |
| 8 | Texas | $48,162 |
| 9 | Arizona | $46,561 |
| 10 | Maryland | $56,858 |
| 11 | Hawaii | $60,389 |
| 12 | Nevada | $50,148 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $53,486 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $45,376 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $44,665 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $42,689 |
| 17 | Iowa | $43,141 |
| 18 | Virginia | $47,213 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $43,821 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $46,955 |
| 21 | Connecticut | $44,946 |
| 22 | Ohio | $44,851 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $44,521 |
| 24 | Illinois | $45,826 |
| 25 | Delaware | $44,701 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $44,666 |
| 27 | Colorado | $44,139 |
| 28 | Idaho | $42,977 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $42,626 |
| 30 | Indiana | $42,497 |
| 31 | Michigan | $39,395 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $41,828 |
| 33 | Vermont | $39,846 |
| 34 | Alabama | $40,447 |
| 35 | Missouri | $41,297 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $40,455 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $39,176 |
| 38 | Kansas | $39,707 |
| 39 | Georgia | $39,455 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $40,179 |
| 41 | Utah | $35,744 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $39,536 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $40,393 |
| 44 | Maine | $36,630 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $38,898 |
| 46 | Montana | $35,283 |
| 47 | Florida | $36,086 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $38,420 |
| 49 | New Mexico | $36,050 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $31,080 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $31,914 |
Expert opinions on the best states for design interns
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for design internships 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