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Best states for a game designer
Quoted expert
Patrick Klarecki
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for game designers? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for game designer jobs.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of game designers in America is $127,000.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for game designers.Washington is the best state, and Reno is the city with the highest pay for game designers.
10 best states for game designers in 2026
1. Washington
Total game designer jobs: 686 Average annual salary: $102,106 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000 Location Quotient: 1.7
2. Rhode Island
Total game designer jobs: 61 Average annual salary: $103,903 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
3. Nevada
Total game designer jobs: 79 Average annual salary: $105,036 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 0.68
4. Maine
Total game designer jobs: 59 Average annual salary: $98,477 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 0.8
5. District of Columbia
Total game designer jobs: 187 Average annual salary: $99,633 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 2.01
6. Massachusetts
Total game designer jobs: 597 Average annual salary: $93,396 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000 Location Quotient: 1.17
7. California
Total game designer jobs: 2,600 Average annual salary: $96,135 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 1.61
8. Wisconsin
Total game designer jobs: 291 Average annual salary: $88,306 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 0.95
9. New Hampshire
Total game designer jobs: 88 Average annual salary: $92,799 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $141,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
10. Delaware
Total game designer jobs: 43 Average annual salary: $100,838 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 0.62
Game designer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a game designer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a game designer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $102,106 | $70,000 | 7,405,743 | 686 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $103,903 | $68,000 | 1,059,639 | 61 |
| 3 | Nevada | $105,036 | $71,000 | 2,998,039 | 79 |
| 4 | Maine | $98,477 | $64,000 | 1,335,907 | 59 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $99,633 | $66,000 | 693,972 | 187 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $93,396 | $61,000 | 6,859,819 | 597 |
| 7 | California | $96,135 | $65,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,600 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | $88,306 | $62,000 | 5,795,483 | 291 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $92,799 | $60,000 | 1,342,795 | 88 |
| 10 | Delaware | $100,838 | $67,000 | 961,939 | 43 |
| 11 | Utah | $85,590 | $59,000 | 3,101,833 | 199 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $92,694 | $60,000 | 3,588,184 | 153 |
| 13 | Idaho | $92,571 | $64,000 | 1,716,943 | 57 |
| 14 | Ohio | $85,285 | $58,000 | 11,658,609 | 445 |
| 15 | Vermont | $90,094 | $58,000 | 623,657 | 28 |
| 16 | Indiana | $87,777 | $62,000 | 6,666,818 | 221 |
| 17 | Maryland | $89,940 | $60,000 | 6,052,177 | 331 |
| 18 | New York | $87,153 | $57,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,130 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $85,977 | $58,000 | 1,815,857 | 37 |
| 20 | South Carolina | $81,888 | $58,000 | 5,024,369 | 171 |
| 21 | Michigan | $78,110 | $52,000 | 9,962,311 | 430 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $85,507 | $58,000 | 4,684,333 | 94 |
| 23 | Oregon | $78,880 | $54,000 | 4,142,776 | 383 |
| 24 | Alaska | $88,065 | $63,000 | 739,795 | 22 |
| 25 | Texas | $77,766 | $53,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,040 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $76,411 | $50,000 | 12,805,537 | 565 |
| 27 | Mississippi | $82,594 | $57,000 | 2,984,100 | 55 |
| 28 | Colorado | $77,525 | $55,000 | 5,607,154 | 319 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $79,472 | $56,000 | 4,454,189 | 123 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $78,554 | $54,000 | 2,088,070 | 73 |
| 31 | Missouri | $76,820 | $55,000 | 6,113,532 | 221 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $77,001 | $56,000 | 755,393 | 31 |
| 33 | Virginia | $74,475 | $50,000 | 8,470,020 | 600 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $75,603 | $55,000 | 1,920,076 | 79 |
| 35 | New Jersey | $77,393 | $51,000 | 9,005,644 | 330 |
| 36 | Georgia | $71,107 | $50,000 | 10,429,379 | 687 |
| 37 | Arizona | $73,860 | $51,000 | 7,016,270 | 255 |
| 38 | Montana | $76,917 | $55,000 | 1,050,493 | 40 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $70,722 | $49,000 | 10,273,419 | 490 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $75,218 | $54,000 | 869,666 | 34 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $71,227 | $51,000 | 6,715,984 | 204 |
| 42 | Florida | $71,453 | $48,000 | 20,984,400 | 611 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $71,493 | $51,000 | 3,004,279 | 84 |
| 44 | Illinois | $67,566 | $47,000 | 12,802,023 | 642 |
| 45 | Minnesota | $65,956 | $47,000 | 5,576,606 | 364 |
| 46 | Alabama | $67,848 | $48,000 | 4,874,747 | 156 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $67,232 | $48,000 | 3,930,864 | 113 |
| 48 | Kansas | $64,480 | $46,000 | 2,913,123 | 133 |
| 49 | Iowa | $64,497 | $46,000 | 3,145,711 | 128 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $64,159 | $46,000 | 579,315 | 17 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $65,285 | $48,000 | 1,427,538 | 20 |
Highest paying states for game designers
| Rank | State | Avg. Game Designer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $102,106 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $103,903 |
| 3 | Nevada | $105,036 |
| 4 | Maine | $98,477 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $99,633 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $93,396 |
| 7 | California | $96,135 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | $88,306 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $92,799 |
| 10 | Delaware | $100,838 |
| 11 | Utah | $85,590 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $92,694 |
| 13 | Idaho | $92,571 |
| 14 | Ohio | $85,285 |
| 15 | Vermont | $90,094 |
| 16 | Indiana | $87,777 |
| 17 | Maryland | $89,940 |
| 18 | New York | $87,153 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $85,977 |
| 20 | South Carolina | $81,888 |
| 21 | Michigan | $78,110 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $85,507 |
| 23 | Oregon | $78,880 |
| 24 | Alaska | $88,065 |
| 25 | Texas | $77,766 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $76,411 |
| 27 | Mississippi | $82,594 |
| 28 | Colorado | $77,525 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $79,472 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $78,554 |
| 31 | Missouri | $76,820 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $77,001 |
| 33 | Virginia | $74,475 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $75,603 |
| 35 | New Jersey | $77,393 |
| 36 | Georgia | $71,107 |
| 37 | Arizona | $73,860 |
| 38 | Montana | $76,917 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $70,722 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $75,218 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $71,227 |
| 42 | Florida | $71,453 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $71,493 |
| 44 | Illinois | $67,566 |
| 45 | Minnesota | $65,956 |
| 46 | Alabama | $67,848 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $67,232 |
| 48 | Kansas | $64,480 |
| 49 | Iowa | $64,497 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $64,159 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $65,285 |
Expert opinions on the best states for game designers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for game designers to find work opportunities?
Patrick Klarecki
Professor, Ferris State University
Graduates in May 2020 and December 2020 did not see the opportunities their previous alumni did. We were able to place only about 25% of our graduates. There are a couple that have offers of employment "When things get better."
Game designer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025