Best cities for a design technician
The best cities for design technicians are Oakland, CA, San Francisco, CA, and Jersey City, NJ, based on factors like average salary and job availability per capita. Jobs and pay for design technicians vary across the country, but we've determined the ten best cities for design technicians in the U.S.
Whether you're starting your career as a design technician or considering a move, this list of the best cities for design technicians to live in will help you decide. These aren't just the best-paying cities for design technicians. We also consider how easy it is to find work as a design technician. While the absolute best city for design technicians is Oakland, CA, there are plenty of other great places to consider.
Keep reading to learn more about the best cities for design technicians in 2024.
If you're looking for a design technician job, here are five companies hiring now:
10 best cities for design technicians in 2025
1. Oakland, CA
Total design technician jobs: 21 Average annual salary: $91,332 Lowest 10 percent warn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $173,000 Location quotient: 4.85 2. San Francisco, CA
Total design technician jobs: 130 Average annual salary: $91,582 Lowest 10 percent warn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $173,000 Location quotient: 2.87 3. Jersey City, NJ
Total design technician jobs: 29 Average annual salary: $88,330 Lowest 10 percent warn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $157,000 Location quotient: 1.95 4. Seattle, WA
Total design technician jobs: 80 Average annual salary: $80,860 Lowest 10 percent warn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location quotient: 2.09 5. Los Angeles, CA
Total design technician jobs: 85 Average annual salary: $75,903 Lowest 10 percent warn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location quotient: 2.19 6. Reno, NV
Total design technician jobs: 8 Average annual salary: $60,945 Lowest 10 percent warn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $115,000 Location quotient: 2.35 7. Cincinnati, OH
Total design technician jobs: 16 Average annual salary: $58,113 Lowest 10 percent warn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $102,000 Location quotient: 1.64 8. Greensboro, NC
Total design technician jobs: 13 Average annual salary: $59,394 Lowest 10 percent warn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location quotient: 3.77 9. Portland, OR
Total design technician jobs: 23 Average annual salary: $71,064 Lowest 10 percent warn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000 Location quotient: 1.49 10. Oklahoma City, OK
Total design technician jobs: 15 Average annual salary: $57,816 Lowest 10 percent warn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Location quotient: 1.62
Choose from 10+ customizable design technician resume templates
Choose from a variety of easy-to-use design technician resume templates and get expert advice from Zippia’s AI resume writer along the way. Using pre-approved templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your design technician resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Best cities for design technicians
- Oakland, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- Jersey City, NJ
- Seattle, WA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Reno, NV
- Cincinnati, OH
- Greensboro, NC
- Portland, OR
- Oklahoma City, OK
- (21 design technician jobs)
- (130 design technician jobs)
- (29 design technician jobs)
- (80 design technician jobs)
- (85 design technician jobs)
- (8 design technician jobs)
- (16 design technician jobs)
- (13 design technician jobs)
- (23 design technician jobs)
- (15 design technician jobs)
Detailed list of the best cities for a design technician
| Rank | City | Average salary | Lowest 10% Earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oakland, CA | $91,332 | $48,000 | 420,005 | 21 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $91,582 | $48,000 | 870,887 | 130 |
| 3 | Jersey City, NJ | $88,330 | $49,000 | 264,152 | 29 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $80,860 | $42,000 | 704,352 | 80 |
| 5 | Los Angeles, CA | $75,903 | $41,000 | 3,976,322 | 85 |
| 6 | Reno, NV | $60,945 | $32,000 | 245,255 | 8 |
| 7 | Cincinnati, OH | $58,113 | $33,000 | 298,800 | 16 |
| 8 | Greensboro, NC | $59,394 | $33,000 | 287,027 | 13 |
| 9 | Portland, OR | $71,064 | $37,000 | 639,863 | 23 |
| 10 | Oklahoma City, OK | $57,816 | $33,000 | 638,367 | 15 |
| 11 | San Jose, CA | $90,247 | $47,000 | 1,025,350 | 31 |
| 12 | Washington, DC | $81,387 | $45,000 | 681,170 | 34 |
| 13 | New York, NY | $67,591 | $37,000 | 8,537,673 | 47 |
| 14 | Anaheim, CA | $75,152 | $41,000 | 351,043 | 3 |
| 15 | Raleigh, NC | $60,426 | $33,000 | 458,880 | 14 |
| 16 | Fresno, CA | $86,925 | $45,000 | 522,053 | 2 |
| 17 | Newark, NJ | $88,257 | $49,000 | 281,764 | 3 |
| 18 | Charlotte, NC | $56,584 | $32,000 | 842,051 | 56 |
| 19 | Chicago, IL | $63,004 | $35,000 | 2,704,958 | 66 |
| 20 | Mesa, AZ | $53,187 | $29,000 | 484,587 | 17 |
| 21 | Pittsburgh, PA | $63,930 | $35,000 | 303,625 | 10 |
| 22 | Long Beach, CA | $75,279 | $41,000 | 470,130 | 3 |
| 23 | Boston, MA | $83,336 | $46,000 | 673,184 | 17 |
| 24 | Irvine, CA | $74,826 | $41,000 | 266,122 | 12 |
| 25 | Hialeah, FL | $48,866 | $28,000 | 236,387 | 2 |
| 26 | Fremont, CA | $90,699 | $47,000 | 233,136 | 3 |
| 27 | Glendale, AZ | $53,387 | $29,000 | 245,895 | 2 |
| 28 | Columbus, OH | $61,648 | $34,000 | 860,090 | 12 |
| 29 | Toledo, OH | $62,691 | $35,000 | 278,508 | 1 |
| 30 | Durham, NC | $60,516 | $33,000 | 263,016 | 4 |
| 31 | Milwaukee, WI | $51,421 | $29,000 | 595,047 | 11 |
| 32 | Philadelphia, PA | $67,703 | $38,000 | 1,567,872 | 5 |
| 33 | Sacramento, CA | $91,236 | $48,000 | 495,234 | - |
| 34 | Stockton, CA | $90,502 | $47,000 | 307,072 | - |
| 35 | Orlando, FL | $49,509 | $28,000 | 277,173 | 14 |
| 36 | Fort Wayne, IN | $53,200 | $30,000 | 264,488 | 3 |
| 37 | Madison, WI | $50,135 | $28,000 | 252,551 | 10 |
| 38 | Cleveland, OH | $65,035 | $36,000 | 385,809 | 1 |
| 39 | Indianapolis, IN | $50,455 | $28,000 | 855,164 | 13 |
| 40 | Corpus Christi, TX | $44,580 | $25,000 | 325,733 | 6 |
| 41 | Anchorage, AK | $72,226 | $38,000 | 298,192 | - |
| 42 | Detroit, MI | $63,750 | $35,000 | 672,795 | - |
| 43 | Lexington, KY | $49,732 | $28,000 | 318,449 | 2 |
| 44 | Las Vegas, NV | $53,318 | $28,000 | 632,912 | 6 |
| 45 | Albuquerque, NM | $51,733 | $29,000 | 559,277 | 7 |
| 46 | Tucson, AZ | $52,861 | $29,000 | 530,706 | 6 |
| 47 | San Diego, CA | $73,480 | $40,000 | 1,406,630 | 14 |
| 48 | Kansas City, MO | $46,513 | $27,000 | 481,420 | 18 |
| 49 | Bakersfield, CA | $81,266 | $43,000 | 376,380 | - |
| 50 | Minneapolis, MN | $55,179 | $31,000 | 413,651 | 14 |
Highest paying cities for design technicians
| Rank | City | Avg. design technician salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $91,582 |
| 2 | Jersey City, NJ | $88,330 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $83,336 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $81,387 |
| 5 | Seattle, WA | $80,860 |
| 6 | Portland, OR | $71,064 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $67,591 |
| 8 | Chicago, IL | $63,004 |
| 9 | Columbus, OH | $61,648 |
| 10 | Raleigh, NC | $60,426 |
| 11 | Oklahoma City, OK | $57,816 |
| 12 | Minneapolis, MN | $55,179 |
| 13 | Ames, IA | $53,435 |
| 14 | Phoenix, AZ | $53,350 |
| 15 | Indianapolis, IN | $50,455 |
| 16 | Madison, WI | $50,135 |
| 17 | Tampa, FL | $49,592 |
| 18 | Colorado Springs, CO | $48,665 |
| 19 | Saint Louis, MO | $47,546 |
| 20 | Atlanta, GA | $45,091 |
Design technician best cities FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.
Search for design technician jobs
Updated January 8, 2025