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Best states for a media designer
Quoted expert
Kristy Pennino
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Media designer opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for media designers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for media designers.In order to help you decide which state is the best for media designers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for media designer jobs.
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 media designers.If you are currently seeking employment as a media designer, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for media designers in 2025
1. Washington
Total media designer jobs: 1,034 Average annual salary: $64,808 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Location Quotient: 1.62
2. Massachusetts
Total media designer jobs: 938 Average annual salary: $67,058 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Location Quotient: 1.17
3. District of Columbia
Total media designer jobs: 268 Average annual salary: $67,106 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Location Quotient: 1.82
4. New York
Total media designer jobs: 1,919 Average annual salary: $63,671 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 1.71
5. Rhode Island
Total media designer jobs: 130 Average annual salary: $58,113 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Location Quotient: 1.22
6. California
Total media designer jobs: 3,898 Average annual salary: $59,948 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Location Quotient: 1.52
7. Pennsylvania
Total media designer jobs: 857 Average annual salary: $56,396 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Location Quotient: 0.84
8. Oregon
Total media designer jobs: 550 Average annual salary: $54,824 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Location Quotient: 1.52
9. Connecticut
Total media designer jobs: 282 Average annual salary: $56,944 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
10. New Jersey
Total media designer jobs: 528 Average annual salary: $61,386 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 0.76
Media designer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a media designer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a media designer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $64,808 | $48,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,034 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $67,058 | $48,000 | 6,859,819 | 938 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $67,106 | $48,000 | 693,972 | 268 |
| 4 | New York | $63,671 | $45,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,919 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $58,113 | $42,000 | 1,059,639 | 130 |
| 6 | California | $59,948 | $43,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,898 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $56,396 | $40,000 | 12,805,537 | 857 |
| 8 | Oregon | $54,824 | $40,000 | 4,142,776 | 550 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $56,944 | $41,000 | 3,588,184 | 282 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $61,386 | $44,000 | 9,005,644 | 528 |
| 11 | Alaska | $59,388 | $51,000 | 739,795 | 56 |
| 12 | Maryland | $56,566 | $40,000 | 6,052,177 | 548 |
| 13 | Texas | $52,358 | $38,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,646 |
| 14 | Colorado | $55,192 | $40,000 | 5,607,154 | 466 |
| 15 | Arizona | $53,950 | $39,000 | 7,016,270 | 394 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $52,221 | $38,000 | 1,342,795 | 148 |
| 17 | Illinois | $52,392 | $38,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,050 |
| 18 | Virginia | $52,902 | $38,000 | 8,470,020 | 886 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $49,547 | $36,000 | 579,315 | 55 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $54,276 | $39,000 | 1,815,857 | 83 |
| 21 | Michigan | $49,401 | $35,000 | 9,962,311 | 633 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $50,074 | $36,000 | 5,795,483 | 432 |
| 23 | Delaware | $50,809 | $36,000 | 961,939 | 106 |
| 24 | Nevada | $52,115 | $37,000 | 2,998,039 | 130 |
| 25 | Vermont | $48,992 | $35,000 | 623,657 | 79 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $49,465 | $36,000 | 5,576,606 | 534 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $49,206 | $35,000 | 10,273,419 | 764 |
| 28 | Montana | $48,850 | $36,000 | 1,050,493 | 83 |
| 29 | Iowa | $46,922 | $34,000 | 3,145,711 | 253 |
| 30 | Ohio | $47,986 | $34,000 | 11,658,609 | 625 |
| 31 | Maine | $45,080 | $33,000 | 1,335,907 | 120 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $50,003 | $40,000 | 1,427,538 | 58 |
| 33 | Missouri | $48,226 | $35,000 | 6,113,532 | 376 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $45,461 | $34,000 | 755,393 | 64 |
| 35 | Utah | $41,858 | $30,000 | 3,101,833 | 361 |
| 36 | Georgia | $41,989 | $30,000 | 10,429,379 | 960 |
| 37 | New Mexico | $46,132 | $33,000 | 2,088,070 | 123 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $43,310 | $32,000 | 1,920,076 | 153 |
| 39 | Florida | $44,585 | $32,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,016 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $42,554 | $31,000 | 3,004,279 | 162 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $42,366 | $31,000 | 6,715,984 | 343 |
| 42 | Kansas | $41,983 | $31,000 | 2,913,123 | 202 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $43,559 | $31,000 | 5,024,369 | 250 |
| 44 | Idaho | $40,675 | $29,000 | 1,716,943 | 134 |
| 45 | Indiana | $41,976 | $30,000 | 6,666,818 | 365 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $41,370 | $30,000 | 4,454,189 | 207 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $41,073 | $29,000 | 4,684,333 | 162 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $39,079 | $28,000 | 3,930,864 | 173 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $34,746 | $26,000 | 869,666 | 69 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $39,245 | $28,000 | 2,984,100 | 113 |
| 51 | Alabama | $35,827 | $26,000 | 4,874,747 | 236 |
Highest paying states for media designers
| Rank | State | Avg. Media Designer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $64,808 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $67,058 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $67,106 |
| 4 | New York | $63,671 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $58,113 |
| 6 | California | $59,948 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $56,396 |
| 8 | Oregon | $54,824 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $56,944 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $61,386 |
| 11 | Alaska | $59,388 |
| 12 | Maryland | $56,566 |
| 13 | Texas | $52,358 |
| 14 | Colorado | $55,192 |
| 15 | Arizona | $53,950 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $52,221 |
| 17 | Illinois | $52,392 |
| 18 | Virginia | $52,902 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $49,547 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $54,276 |
| 21 | Michigan | $49,401 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $50,074 |
| 23 | Delaware | $50,809 |
| 24 | Nevada | $52,115 |
| 25 | Vermont | $48,992 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $49,465 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $49,206 |
| 28 | Montana | $48,850 |
| 29 | Iowa | $46,922 |
| 30 | Ohio | $47,986 |
| 31 | Maine | $45,080 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $50,003 |
| 33 | Missouri | $48,226 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $45,461 |
| 35 | Utah | $41,858 |
| 36 | Georgia | $41,989 |
| 37 | New Mexico | $46,132 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $43,310 |
| 39 | Florida | $44,585 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $42,554 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $42,366 |
| 42 | Kansas | $41,983 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $43,559 |
| 44 | Idaho | $40,675 |
| 45 | Indiana | $41,976 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $41,370 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $41,073 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $39,079 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $34,746 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $39,245 |
| 51 | Alabama | $35,827 |
Expert opinions on the best states for media designers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for media designers 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