Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Graphic artist salary
Average graphic artist salary
$54,900
Average Graphic Artist Salary
As of October 2025, the average salary for a graphic artist stands at $54,900 annually, translating to about $26 per hour. This figure can fluctuate based on factors such as geographic location, experience level, and the specific industry. For instance, graphic artists in metropolitan areas often earn higher salaries due to increased demand and cost of living adjustments.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level graphic artists typically earn less than their experienced counterparts. With more years in the field, professionals can see significant salary increases. For example, artists with over five years of experience can command salaries upwards of $70,000. This growth illustrates the importance of continuous skill development and portfolio enhancement.
Highest Paying States for Graphic Artists
Graphic artists seeking higher pay should consider relocating to states like California, New York, or Washington. These states consistently report some of the highest salaries in the industry, offering opportunities in vibrant job markets. Researching local salary trends can help graphic artists make informed decisions about their careers and identify where they can thrive.
Let Zippia find your next graphic artist job
Let Zippia find your next graphic artist job
Where can a Graphic Artist earn more?
Graphic artist salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level graphic artist | $34,300 | $16.49 |
| Mid-level graphic artist | $48,100 | $23.12 |
| Senior-level graphic artist | $75,000 | $36.04 |
Graphic artist salary estimates from across the web
Average graphic artist salary by state
The highest-paying states for graphic artists are Washington, California, and Oregon. The lowest average graphic artist salary states are New Mexico, Montana, and Florida.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for graphic artists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $94,267 | $45.32 |
| 2 | Oregon | $72,605 | $34.91 |
| 3 | California | $75,645 | $36.37 |
| 4 | New York | $67,503 | $32.45 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $67,626 | $32.51 |
| 6 | Nevada | $69,324 | $33.33 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $59,335 | $28.53 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $58,636 | $28.19 |
| 9 | Virginia | $62,729 | $30.16 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $67,541 | $32.47 |
| 11 | Colorado | $63,630 | $30.59 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $64,932 | $31.22 |
| 13 | Arizona | $61,199 | $29.42 |
| 14 | Ohio | $55,212 | $26.54 |
| 15 | Wyoming | $55,802 | $26.83 |
| 16 | Connecticut | $57,408 | $27.60 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $54,194 | $26.05 |
| 18 | Idaho | $59,141 | $28.43 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $55,466 | $26.67 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $57,642 | $27.71 |
| 21 | Illinois | $54,898 | $26.39 |
| 22 | Alaska | $62,295 | $29.95 |
| 23 | Texas | $52,861 | $25.41 |
| 24 | Michigan | $51,693 | $24.85 |
| 25 | Delaware | $55,596 | $26.73 |
| 26 | Maryland | $56,417 | $27.12 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $53,064 | $25.51 |
| 28 | Iowa | $53,085 | $25.52 |
| 29 | Indiana | $52,022 | $25.01 |
| 30 | Hawaii | $61,173 | $29.41 |
| 31 | Vermont | $53,521 | $25.73 |
| 32 | Utah | $49,593 | $23.84 |
| 33 | Arkansas | $52,079 | $25.04 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $49,246 | $23.68 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $50,244 | $24.16 |
| 36 | Missouri | $51,146 | $24.59 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $49,317 | $23.71 |
| 38 | Maine | $49,897 | $23.99 |
| 39 | Alabama | $50,515 | $24.29 |
| 40 | Kansas | $49,464 | $23.78 |
| 41 | Georgia | $47,658 | $22.91 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $49,700 | $23.89 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $48,666 | $23.40 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $45,774 | $22.01 |
| 45 | Florida | $46,413 | $22.31 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $47,691 | $22.93 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $47,812 | $22.99 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $46,840 | $22.52 |
| 49 | Montana | $46,574 | $22.39 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $39,774 | $19.12 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $38,433 | $18.48 |
Highest paying cities for graphic artists
The highest-paying cities for graphic artists are Bellevue, WA, San Francisco, CA, and Las Vegas, NV.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bellevue, WA | $94,756 | $45.56 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $81,960 | $39.40 |
| 3 | Las Vegas, NV | $68,906 | $33.13 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $67,682 | $32.54 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $67,501 | $32.45 |
| 6 | Arlington, VA | $64,557 | $31.04 |
| 7 | Glendale, AZ | $61,511 | $29.57 |
| 8 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $61,227 | $29.44 |
| 9 | Annapolis, MD | $56,410 | $27.12 |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | $55,026 | $26.45 |
| 11 | Appleton, WI | $54,777 | $26.34 |
| 12 | Pittsburgh, PA | $53,533 | $25.74 |
| 13 | Pflugerville, TX | $53,224 | $25.59 |
| 14 | Little Rock, AR | $51,916 | $24.96 |
| 15 | Battle Creek, MI | $50,957 | $24.50 |
| 16 | Springfield, MO | $50,585 | $24.32 |
| 17 | New Orleans, LA | $49,470 | $23.78 |
| 18 | Greer, SC | $49,269 | $23.69 |
| 19 | Atlanta, GA | $47,842 | $23.00 |
| 20 | Tampa, FL | $46,732 | $22.47 |
Graphic Artists are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Graphic artist salary details
A graphic artist's salary ranges from $35,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $84,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a graphic artist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $84,000 | $7,000 | $40 |
| 75th Percentile | $69,000 | $5,750 | $33 |
| Average | $54,900 | $4,575 | $26 |
| 25th Percentile | $43,000 | $3,583 | $21 |
| 10th Percentile | $35,000 | $2,917 | $17 |
Highest paying graphic artist jobs
The highest paying types of graphic artists are visual designer, lead graphic designer, and senior graphic designer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Merchandiser | $38,037 | $3,170 | $18.29 | 74,351 |
| Visual Designer | $86,495 | $7,208 | $41.58 | 46,815 |
| Freelance Designer | $57,260 | $4,772 | $27.53 | 45,914 |
| Student Graphic Designer | $27,337 | $2,278 | $13.14 | 55,508 |
| Graphic Design Manager | $66,975 | $5,581 | $32.20 | 48,269 |
| Lead Graphic Designer | $76,009 | $6,334 | $36.54 | 46,260 |
Top companies hiring graphic artists now:
Which companies pay graphic artists the most?
Graphic artist salaries at Parsons and Marcus & Millichap are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average graphic artist salary at companies like Bloomberg and Gaia Online are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parsons | $105,656 | $50.80 |
| 2 | Marcus & Millichap | $104,774 | $50.37 |
| 3 | Bloomberg | $95,649 | $45.99 |
| 4 | Gaia Online | $89,297 | $42.93 |
| 5 | Gap Inc. | $83,937 | $40.35 |
| 6 | Fox News | $83,242 | $40.02 |
| 7 | Cohen & Company | $81,443 | $39.16 |
| 8 | Warner Bros. | $77,870 | $37.44 |
| 9 | Industrial Light & Magic | $77,202 | $37.12 |
| 10 | Magic Leap | $77,098 | $37.07 |
| 11 | NTT Data International L.L.C. | $75,423 | $36.26 |
| 12 | Elizabeth River Ferry | $72,920 | $35.06 |
| 13 | Cenergy International Services | $72,862 | $35.03 |
| 14 | SPIE | $72,843 | $35.02 |
| 15 | Psyop | $71,688 | $34.47 |
| 16 | Intergraph | $71,501 | $34.38 |
| 17 | Crunchyroll | $71,432 | $34.34 |
| 18 | Technicolor | $71,024 | $34.15 |
| 19 | 495 Productions | $70,411 | $33.85 |
| 20 | Intertek | $70,354 | $33.82 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Graphic Artist salary by industry
The average graphic artist salary varies across industries:
- The average graphic artist salary in the non profits industry is $68,382, the highest of any industry.
- The average graphic artist salary in the finance industry is $65,208.
- Graphic artists in the retail industry earn an average salary of $45,779, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for graphic artists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Non Profits | $68,382 | $32.88 |
| 2 | Technology | $65,208 | $31.35 |
| 3 | Professional | $58,981 | $28.36 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $53,775 | $25.85 |
| 5 | Media | $51,181 | $24.61 |
| 6 | Retail | $45,779 | $22.01 |
High paying graphic artist jobs
Graphic artist salary trends
The average graphic artist salary has risen by $9,637 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average graphic artist earned $45,263 annually, but today, they earn $54,900 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for graphic artists over the last decade.
Compare graphic artist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average graphic artist salary over time
Compare graphic artist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Graphic artist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $54,900 | $26.39 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $53,600 | $25.77 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | $51,800 | $24.91 | +3.3% |
| 2022 | $50,100 | $24.08 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $49,000 | $23.56 | +1.6% |
Recently added graphic artist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beyondsoft Consulting | Graphic Artist-Information Developer-Desktop Publisher 4 | Boise, ID | 06/29/2025 | $58,436 |
| Texas State University | Graphic Artist II | Nome, TX | 06/28/2025 | $52,430 |
| Nv5 Global, Inc. | Graphic Artist/Cartographer | Washington, DC | 06/28/2025 | $80,000 |
| Centric Brands Inc. | Associate, Graphic Artist (Production ART) | New York, NY | 06/27/2025 | $60,000 |
| Comtech Telecommunications Corp | Graphic Artist Multimedia Specialist | Columbia, MD | 06/26/2025 | $75,000 |
| State of Arkansas | Graphic Artist | Little Rock, AR | 06/19/2025 | $36,155 |
| The Segerdahl Corporation | Product Design Graphic Artist | Wheeling, IL | 06/13/2025 | $45,000 |
| NES Associates | Graphics Artist (DOD Strategic Communications) | Maryland | 06/11/2025 | $72,509 |
| Precision Signs.com | Graphic Artist-Engineering Department | Amityville, NY | 06/11/2025 | $50,088 |
| 280 Sports | Graphic Artist | Southlake, TX | 06/10/2025 | $20,870 |
Graphic artist salary FAQs
Search for graphic artist jobs