Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Associate designer salary
Average associate designer salary
$56,770
Average Associate Designer Salary
The average salary for an Associate Designer is approximately $56,770 per year. This figure reflects a range of factors including location, industry, and level of experience. For instance, entry-level positions typically start at lower rates, around $45,000, while seasoned professionals can earn significantly more.
Salary Variability by State
Geographic location plays a crucial role in salary variations. California and New York often offer higher salaries, with some positions reaching up to $70,000 annually. In contrast, states with lower living costs may offer salaries closer to the national average.
Opportunities for Advancement
With experience, Associate Designers can progress to higher roles such as Senior Designer or Creative Director, which can result in salaries surpassing $80,000 annually. Understanding the pathways to these positions is essential for career growth.
Let Zippia find your next associate designer job
Let Zippia find your next associate designer job
Where can an Associate Designer earn more?
Associate designer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level associate designer | $35,500 | $17.05 |
| Mid-level associate designer | $49,700 | $23.91 |
| Senior-level associate designer | $77,500 | $37.27 |
Associate designer salary estimates from across the web
Average associate designer salary by state
The highest-paying states for associate designers are Washington, California, and Alaska. The lowest average associate designer salary states are Oklahoma, Kansas, and Alabama.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for associate designers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $71,477 | $34.36 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $63,609 | $30.58 |
| 3 | California | $68,415 | $32.89 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $61,317 | $29.48 |
| 5 | New York | $62,356 | $29.98 |
| 6 | Oregon | $59,203 | $28.46 |
| 7 | Michigan | $56,781 | $27.30 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $62,059 | $29.84 |
| 9 | Virginia | $57,906 | $27.84 |
| 10 | Alaska | $65,246 | $31.37 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $54,610 | $26.25 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $59,326 | $28.52 |
| 13 | Wyoming | $54,515 | $26.21 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $53,475 | $25.71 |
| 15 | Utah | $52,500 | $25.24 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $56,079 | $26.96 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $56,734 | $27.28 |
| 18 | Arizona | $55,344 | $26.61 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $53,698 | $25.82 |
| 20 | Indiana | $54,703 | $26.30 |
| 21 | Colorado | $55,210 | $26.54 |
| 22 | Illinois | $54,029 | $25.98 |
| 23 | Texas | $52,416 | $25.20 |
| 24 | Ohio | $53,298 | $25.62 |
| 25 | Nevada | $53,465 | $25.70 |
| 26 | Maine | $51,314 | $24.67 |
| 27 | Maryland | $54,737 | $26.32 |
| 28 | Vermont | $51,113 | $24.57 |
| 29 | Delaware | $52,947 | $25.46 |
| 30 | Montana | $52,495 | $25.24 |
| 31 | Missouri | $50,944 | $24.49 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $49,321 | $23.71 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $48,408 | $23.27 |
| 34 | Connecticut | $49,885 | $23.98 |
| 35 | Idaho | $49,475 | $23.79 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $55,071 | $26.48 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $48,299 | $23.22 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $47,931 | $23.04 |
| 39 | Iowa | $46,108 | $22.17 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $47,213 | $22.70 |
| 41 | Georgia | $45,139 | $21.70 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $46,866 | $22.53 |
| 43 | New Mexico | $46,562 | $22.39 |
| 44 | Kansas | $44,992 | $21.63 |
| 45 | Florida | $45,715 | $21.98 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $45,114 | $21.69 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $45,901 | $22.07 |
| 48 | Alabama | $44,367 | $21.33 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $40,973 | $19.70 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $38,361 | $18.44 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $41,872 | $20.13 |
Highest paying cities for associate designers
The highest-paying cities for associate designers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $74,671 | $35.90 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $71,912 | $34.57 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $63,626 | $30.59 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $62,383 | $29.99 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $61,999 | $29.81 |
| 6 | Fort Lee, NJ | $59,484 | $28.60 |
| 7 | Arlington, VA | $59,272 | $28.50 |
| 8 | Portland, OR | $59,073 | $28.40 |
| 9 | Detroit, MI | $56,818 | $27.32 |
| 10 | Phoenix, AZ | $55,471 | $26.67 |
| 11 | Denver, CO | $55,216 | $26.55 |
| 12 | Durham, NC | $55,085 | $26.48 |
| 13 | Baltimore, MD | $54,949 | $26.42 |
| 14 | Columbus, IN | $54,192 | $26.05 |
| 15 | Chicago, IL | $54,177 | $26.05 |
| 16 | Philadelphia, PA | $53,913 | $25.92 |
| 17 | Columbus, OH | $52,891 | $25.43 |
| 18 | Austin, TX | $52,588 | $25.28 |
| 19 | Minneapolis, MN | $49,342 | $23.72 |
| 20 | Jacksonville, FL | $46,459 | $22.34 |
Associate Designers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Associate designer salary details
An associate designer's salary ranges from $40,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $80,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an associate designer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $80,000 | $6,667 | $38 |
| 75th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
| Average | $56,770 | $4,731 | $27 |
| 25th Percentile | $47,000 | $3,917 | $23 |
| 10th Percentile | $40,000 | $3,333 | $19 |
Highest paying associate designer jobs
The highest paying types of associate designers are lead designer, senior designer, and interactive designer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Merchandiser | $38,037 | $3,170 | $18.29 | 74,351 |
| Graphic Designer/Production | $48,619 | $4,052 | $23.37 | 95,831 |
| Graphic Designer, Marketing | $48,763 | $4,064 | $23.44 | 115,113 |
| Graphic Designer Internship | $35,800 | $2,983 | $17.21 | 93,292 |
| Design Internship | $45,791 | $3,816 | $22.01 | 97,018 |
| Motion Graphics Designer | $62,558 | $5,213 | $30.08 | 44,960 |
Top companies hiring associate designers now:
Which companies pay associate designers the most?
Associate designer salaries at Apple and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average associate designer salary at companies like Bed Bath & Beyond and Amazon are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $106,250 | $51.08 |
| 2 | $105,642 | $50.79 | |
| 3 | Bed Bath & Beyond | $93,166 | $44.79 |
| 4 | Amazon | $90,635 | $43.57 |
| 5 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $88,062 | $42.34 |
| 6 | Uber Technologies | $86,038 | $41.36 |
| 7 | American Eagle Outfitters | $83,820 | $40.30 |
| 8 | Yahoo | $83,779 | $40.28 |
| 9 | PVH | $81,727 | $39.29 |
| 10 | RH | $81,649 | $39.25 |
| 11 | IBM | $81,454 | $39.16 |
| 12 | Stitch Fix | $80,723 | $38.81 |
| 13 | The Children's Place | $79,626 | $38.28 |
| 14 | Macy's | $79,306 | $38.13 |
| 15 | Maxim Integrated | $78,842 | $37.90 |
| 16 | Hanesbrands | $78,691 | $37.83 |
| 17 | Deckers Brands | $77,832 | $37.42 |
| 18 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $76,197 | $36.63 |
| 19 | Gap Inc. | $75,792 | $36.44 |
| 20 | Pacifi | $74,615 | $35.87 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Associate Designer salary by industry
The average associate designer salary varies across industries:
- The average associate designer salary in the retail industry is $61,366, the highest of any industry.
- The average associate designer salary in the finance industry is $60,758.
- Associate designers in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $56,206, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for associate designers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail | $61,366 | $29.50 |
| 2 | Technology | $60,758 | $29.21 |
| 3 | Professional | $60,334 | $29.01 |
| 4 | Media | $58,666 | $28.20 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $56,206 | $27.02 |
High paying associate designer jobs
Associate designer salary trends
The average associate designer salary has risen by $9,965 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average associate designer earned $46,805 annually, but today, they earn $56,770 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for associate designers over the last decade.
Compare associate designer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average associate designer salary over time
Compare associate designer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Associate designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $56,800 | $27.29 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $55,400 | $26.64 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | $53,600 | $25.75 | +3.3% |
| 2022 | $51,800 | $24.90 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $50,700 | $24.36 | +1.6% |
Recently added associate designer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | Associate Designer, Denim-Universal Thread (Hybrid, Mpls) | Minneapolis, MN | 06/30/2025 | $56,400 |
| Knitwellgroup | Associate Designer | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $65,000 |
| AEP Service Corporation | Designer Associate To Designer Senior and Specialist | Tulsa, OK | 06/28/2025 | $84,443 |
| Stvinc | Design Associate-Education (Architecture) | Los Angeles, CA | 06/28/2025 | $87,509 |
| Marriott International | Flex Full-Stack Developer, Marriott Associate Design System-Mads | Bethesda, MD | 06/27/2025 | $98,819 |
| Hoedemaker Pfeiffer | Associate-Interior Design | Seattle, WA | 06/27/2025 | $70,000 |
| Coach | Associate, Technical Designer | Fine, NY | 06/26/2025 | $70,000 |
| Vince LLC | Temp Associate Technical Designer-Women's Development | Los Angeles, CA | 06/26/2025 | $75,000 |
| National Grid | Associate Engineer, Electrical Planning and Design Job Details | National Grid | North Syracuse, NY | 06/26/2025 | $87,000 |
| Phillip Jeffries | Associate Designer, Customs | Fairfield, NJ | 06/26/2025 | $55,000 |
Associate designer salary FAQs
Search for associate designer jobs