Graphic Designer Salary
Average Graphic Designer Salary
$48,792 yearlyTo create our salary estimates, Zippia starts with data published in publicly available sources such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Foreign Labor Certification Data Center (FLC) Show More
How much does a Graphic Designer make?
Graphic designers make $48,792 per year on average, or $23.46 per hour, in the United States. Graphic designers on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $34,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $68,000.
Location impacts how much a graphic designer can expect to make. Graphic designers make the most in Washington, Alaska, Massachusetts, Maine, and New York.
Highest Paying States For Graphic Designers
The darker areas on the map show where graphic designers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
- State View
- County View
Graphic Designer average salary by State
| Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $68,304 | $32.84 | 930 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $61,718 | $29.67 | 775 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $63,101 | $30.34 | 228 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $56,683 | $27.25 | 92 |
| 5 | New York | $57,837 | $27.81 | 1,402 |
| 6 | Virginia | $57,156 | $27.48 | 753 |
| 7 | Oregon | $55,529 | $26.70 | 490 |
| 8 | Maine | $58,757 | $28.25 | 83 |
| 9 | Michigan | $51,470 | $24.75 | 540 |
| 10 | California | $53,466 | $25.70 | 3,451 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $51,754 | $24.88 | 693 |
| 12 | Maryland | $54,148 | $26.03 | 423 |
| 13 | Alaska | $62,580 | $30.09 | 34 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $54,718 | $26.31 | 416 |
| 15 | North Carolina | $49,775 | $23.93 | 633 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $48,493 | $23.31 | 131 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $48,108 | $23.13 | 443 |
| 18 | West Virginia | $52,712 | $25.34 | 53 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $49,581 | $23.84 | 219 |
| 20 | Illinois | $48,329 | $23.24 | 795 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $49,594 | $23.84 | 39 |
| 22 | Colorado | $47,949 | $23.05 | 395 |
| 23 | Ohio | $45,525 | $21.89 | 545 |
| 24 | Delaware | $47,935 | $23.05 | 64 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $44,433 | $21.36 | 354 |
| 26 | Nevada | $45,697 | $21.97 | 102 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $46,749 | $22.48 | 155 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $52,151 | $25.07 | 36 |
| 29 | Texas | $42,457 | $20.41 | 1,410 |
| 30 | Arizona | $44,158 | $21.23 | 315 |
| 31 | Vermont | $44,545 | $21.42 | 45 |
| 32 | Kansas | $42,098 | $20.24 | 164 |
| 33 | Missouri | $43,874 | $21.09 | 284 |
| 34 | Indiana | $43,930 | $21.12 | 276 |
| 35 | Utah | $38,701 | $18.61 | 269 |
| 36 | Georgia | $39,531 | $19.01 | 806 |
| 37 | Idaho | $42,437 | $20.40 | 78 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $42,336 | $20.35 | 212 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $41,623 | $20.01 | 261 |
| 40 | Alabama | $41,310 | $19.86 | 201 |
| 41 | Florida | $40,697 | $19.57 | 838 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $39,917 | $19.19 | 112 |
| 43 | Iowa | $37,257 | $17.91 | 181 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $36,577 | $17.59 | 97 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $36,958 | $17.77 | 113 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $34,841 | $16.75 | 145 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $30,970 | $14.89 | 30 |
| 48 | Montana | $34,295 | $16.49 | 52 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $36,121 | $17.37 | 132 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $35,764 | $17.19 | 77 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $33,884 | $16.29 | 46 |
Highest Paying Cities For Graphic Designers
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle, WA | $70,160 | $33.73 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $63,101 | $30.34 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $61,762 | $29.69 |
| 4 | San Francisco, CA | $59,507 | $28.61 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $57,885 | $27.83 |
| 6 | Fort Lee, NJ | $54,862 | $26.38 |
| 7 | Baltimore, MD | $54,361 | $26.14 |
| 8 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $52,251 | $25.12 |
| 9 | Philadelphia, PA | $51,935 | $24.97 |
| 10 | Duluth, MN | $49,585 | $23.84 |
| 11 | Charlotte, NC | $49,175 | $23.64 |
| 12 | Chicago, IL | $48,604 | $23.37 |
| 13 | Denver, CO | $47,871 | $23.01 |
| 14 | Columbus, OH | $45,184 | $21.72 |
| 15 | Las Vegas, NV | $44,760 | $21.52 |
Here Are The Five Most In Demand Cities Right Now:
Graphic Designer Salary Details
What is a Graphic Designer's Salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
| 75th Percentile | $58,000 | $4,833 | $28 |
| Average | $48,792 | $4,066 | $23 |
| 25th Percentile | $40,000 | $3,333 | $19 |
| 10th Percentile | $34,000 | $2,833 | $16 |
Average Salary By Related Titles
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic Artist | $62,736 | $5,228 | $30.16 | 8,752 |
| Web Designer | $59,353 | $4,946 | $28.53 | 50,899 |
| Visual Designer | $86,902 | $7,242 | $41.78 | 46,815 |
| User Experience Designer | $90,890 | $7,574 | $43.70 | 52,582 |
| Designer | $70,703 | $5,892 | $33.99 | 52,433 |
| Interactive Designer | $99,638 | $8,303 | $47.90 | 48,136 |
Here are the five companies hiring the most now:
Which Companies Pay Graphic Designers The Most?
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft | $151,954 | $73.05 | 34 |
| 2 | $142,438 | $68.48 | 195 | |
| 3 | Meta | $140,791 | $67.69 | 1161 |
| 4 | Airbnb | $134,255 | $64.55 | 6 |
| 5 | Adobe | $127,918 | $61.50 | 62 |
| 6 | Seattle Rep | $127,740 | $61.41 | |
| 7 | Mapbox | $126,287 | $60.71 | |
| 8 | NVIDIA | $121,190 | $58.26 | 1 |
| 9 | Yelp | $119,647 | $57.52 | 6 |
| 10 | eBay | $115,460 | $55.51 | 9 |
| 11 | Intuit | $112,728 | $54.20 | 27 |
| 12 | Shopkick | $112,277 | $53.98 | |
| 13 | Xilinx | $110,429 | $53.09 | |
| 14 | Autodesk | $109,903 | $52.84 | 59 |
| 15 | WarnerMedia | $109,467 | $52.63 | 29 |
| 16 | $107,940 | $51.89 | ||
| 17 | $106,182 | $51.05 | 1 | |
| 18 | Etsy | $106,100 | $51.01 | 1 |
| 19 | Boston Consulting Group | $106,086 | $51.00 | 14 |
| 20 | Yahoo | $105,531 | $50.74 | 6 |
How Much Do Graphic Designers Make In Different Industries?
Graphic designer salaries can vary depending on the industry. In fact, our data shows that the technology, media, and manufacturing industries tend to offer much higher salaries for graphic designers. For example, graphic designers make a whopping average salary of $61,857 while working in the technology industry. Meanwhile, other people in this field are making $59,238 in the media industry and $57,961 in the manufacturing industry.
Graphic designers may want to avoid working in the retail industry as it offers the lowest average salary of $55,525.
Highest Paying Industries For Graphic Designers
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $61,857 | $29.74 |
| 2 | Media | $59,238 | $28.48 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $57,961 | $27.87 |
| 4 | Finance | $56,693 | $27.26 |
| 5 | Professional | $56,386 | $27.11 |
| 6 | Retail | $55,525 | $26.69 |
High Paying Graphic Designer Jobs
Graphic Designer Salary Trends
Graphic Designer Salary By Experience Level
| Experience Level | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Level | $31,100 | $14.94 |
| Mid Level | $47,000 | $22.61 |
| Senior Level | $68,800 | $33.05 |
Average Graphic Designer Salary Over Time
Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Graphic Designer Salary By Year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $48,800 | $23.46 | +2.4% |
| 2021 | $47,600 | $22.90 | +3.3% |
| 2020 | $46,000 | $22.13 | +3.3% |
| 2019 | $44,500 | $21.40 | +2.2% |
| 2018 | $43,500 | $20.94 | +1.6% |
Recently Added Graphic Designer Salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little League International | Temporary Graphic Designer (Position) | Williamsport, PA | 06/02/2022 | $37,566 |
| Anheuser-Busch | Graphics Designer | Bend, OR | 06/01/2022 | $46,400 |
| Atwork | Graphic Designer | Denver, CO | 06/01/2022 | $52,000 |
| Automation Personnel Services | Graphics Designer | Pelham, AL | 06/01/2022 | $31,305 |
| Peraton Corporation | Journeyman Graphics Designer | Maryland | 05/31/2022 | $53,622 |
| Environmental In New Brunswick, New Jersey | Graphic Designer | New Brunswick, NJ | 05/31/2022 | $40,763 |
| Rs&H | Graphic Designer | Denver, CO | 05/31/2022 | $54,450 |
| Utah State University | Spanish Speaking Graphic Designer | Brigham City, UT | 05/31/2022 | $41,740 |
| Perspecta | Cleared Graphic Designer | Annapolis, MD | 05/31/2022 | $58,100 |
| JBS Usa | Graphic Designer | Lafayette, CO | 05/31/2022 | $51,000 |
Graphic Designer Salaries FAQs
What state pays Graphic Designers the most?
Washington pays Graphic Designers the most in the United States, with an average salary of $68,304 per year, or $32.84 per hour.
How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a Graphic Designer?
You know if you are being paid fairly as a Graphic Designer if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in District of Columbia you should be paid close to $63,101 per year.
What type of Graphic Designer gets paid the most?
Lead Designer gets paid the most. Lead Designer made a median salary of $111,727. The best-paid 10 percent make $134,000, while the lowest-paid 10 percent make $92,000.
What is a good starting salary for a Graphic Designer?
A good starting salary for a graphic designer is $34,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a graphic designer in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for graphic designers is $48,792, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a graphic designer can vary by state.
Do graphic designers get paid well?
Yes, graphic designers get paid well. The average graphic designer makes $50,000 in the United States. Meanwhile, highly skilled and experienced graphic designers can average $80,000 while graphic designers just starting average $30,000.
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