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Design internship salary
Average design internship salary
$45,791
Understanding Design Internship Salaries
The average salary for a design internship in the United States is approximately $45,791 per year. This figure can vary based on several factors, including location, industry, and level of experience. States like California and New York typically offer higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for creative talent.
Interns will find opportunities in various industries, including technology, marketing, and fashion, each providing unique experiences and compensation structures. For instance, tech companies often pay higher wages than traditional design firms. Additionally, internships that require specific skills, such as software proficiency or specialized design techniques, can command higher salaries.
When searching for a design internship, consider not only the salary but also the potential for professional development. Networking within the industry and gaining hands-on experience can significantly enhance your employability after graduation. Utilize platforms like Zippia to find internships that align with your career goals and salary expectations.
Let Zippi find your next design internship job
Let Zippi find your next design internship job
Where can a Design Internship earn more?
Design internship salary estimates from across the web
Average design internship salary by state
The highest-paying states for design interns are Washington, California, and Hawaii. The lowest average design internship salary states are Florida, New Mexico, and Utah.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for design interns
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $63,464 | $30.51 |
| 2 | California | $60,504 | $29.09 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $57,578 | $27.68 |
| 4 | Oregon | $53,852 | $25.89 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $57,015 | $27.41 |
| 6 | Alaska | $56,510 | $27.17 |
| 7 | New York | $51,665 | $24.84 |
| 8 | Texas | $48,162 | $23.15 |
| 9 | Arizona | $46,561 | $22.39 |
| 10 | Maryland | $56,858 | $27.34 |
| 11 | Hawaii | $60,389 | $29.03 |
| 12 | Nevada | $50,148 | $24.11 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $53,486 | $25.71 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $45,376 | $21.82 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $44,665 | $21.47 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $42,689 | $20.52 |
| 17 | Iowa | $43,141 | $20.74 |
| 18 | Virginia | $47,213 | $22.70 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $43,821 | $21.07 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $46,955 | $22.57 |
| 21 | Connecticut | $44,946 | $21.61 |
| 22 | Ohio | $44,851 | $21.56 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $44,521 | $21.40 |
| 24 | Illinois | $45,826 | $22.03 |
| 25 | Delaware | $44,701 | $21.49 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $44,666 | $21.47 |
| 27 | Colorado | $44,139 | $21.22 |
| 28 | Idaho | $42,977 | $20.66 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $42,626 | $20.49 |
| 30 | Indiana | $42,497 | $20.43 |
| 31 | Michigan | $39,395 | $18.94 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $41,828 | $20.11 |
| 33 | Vermont | $39,846 | $19.16 |
| 34 | Alabama | $40,447 | $19.45 |
| 35 | Missouri | $41,297 | $19.85 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $40,455 | $19.45 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $39,176 | $18.83 |
| 38 | Kansas | $39,707 | $19.09 |
| 39 | Georgia | $39,455 | $18.97 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $40,179 | $19.32 |
| 41 | Utah | $35,744 | $17.18 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $39,536 | $19.01 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $40,393 | $19.42 |
| 44 | Maine | $36,630 | $17.61 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $38,898 | $18.70 |
| 46 | Montana | $35,283 | $16.96 |
| 47 | Florida | $36,086 | $17.35 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $38,420 | $18.47 |
| 49 | New Mexico | $36,050 | $17.33 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $31,080 | $14.94 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $31,914 | $15.34 |
Highest paying cities for design interns
The highest-paying cities for design interns are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $64,253 | $30.89 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $63,846 | $30.70 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $57,490 | $27.64 |
| 4 | Baltimore, MD | $57,124 | $27.46 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $57,035 | $27.42 |
| 6 | Fairbanks, AK | $56,380 | $27.11 |
| 7 | Salem, OR | $53,985 | $25.95 |
| 8 | New York, NY | $51,743 | $24.88 |
| 9 | Austin, TX | $48,588 | $23.36 |
| 10 | Richmond, VA | $47,067 | $22.63 |
| 11 | Phoenix, AZ | $46,667 | $22.44 |
| 12 | Chicago, IL | $45,942 | $22.09 |
| 13 | Minneapolis, MN | $44,554 | $21.42 |
| 14 | Harrisburg, PA | $44,507 | $21.40 |
| 15 | Fort Collins, CO | $44,326 | $21.31 |
| 16 | Charlotte, NC | $41,976 | $20.18 |
| 17 | Saint Louis, MO | $41,276 | $19.84 |
| 18 | Alpharetta, GA | $39,694 | $19.08 |
| 19 | Detroit, MI | $39,540 | $19.01 |
| 20 | Portland, ME | $37,084 | $17.83 |
Design Interns are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Design internship salary details
A design internship's salary ranges from $32,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $64,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a design internship's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $64,000 | $5,333 | $31 |
| 75th Percentile | $54,000 | $4,500 | $26 |
| Average | $45,791 | $3,816 | $22 |
| 25th Percentile | $38,000 | $3,167 | $18 |
| 10th Percentile | $32,000 | $2,667 | $15 |
Highest paying design internship jobs
The highest paying types of design interns are senior designer, interactive designer, and design consultant.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic Artist | $54,900 | $4,575 | $26.39 | 8,752 |
| Visual Merchandiser | $38,037 | $3,170 | $18.29 | 74,351 |
| Interactive Designer | $97,929 | $8,161 | $47.08 | 48,136 |
| Freelance Designer | $57,260 | $4,772 | $27.53 | 45,914 |
| Interior Designer | $52,482 | $4,373 | $25.23 | 48,020 |
| Graphic Designer | $49,450 | $4,121 | $23.77 | 45,625 |
Top companies hiring design interns now:
Which companies pay design interns the most?
Design internship salaries at Meta and Snowflake Computing are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average design internship salary at companies like Itron and HP are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $76,497 | $36.78 |
| 2 | Snowflake Computing | $66,748 | $32.09 |
| 3 | Itron | $64,538 | $31.03 |
| 4 | HP | $63,874 | $30.71 |
| 5 | Pegasystems | $63,776 | $30.66 |
| 6 | Maxim Integrated | $63,122 | $30.35 |
| 7 | Eversource Energy | $61,924 | $29.77 |
| 8 | Renesas Electronics | $61,805 | $29.71 |
| 9 | STMicroelectronics | $61,049 | $29.35 |
| 10 | Electronic Arts | $61,019 | $29.34 |
| 11 | STV Group | $60,817 | $29.24 |
| 12 | $60,504 | $29.09 | |
| 13 | SAP | $60,432 | $29.05 |
| 14 | AECOM | $60,247 | $28.96 |
| 15 | APCO Worldwide | $60,013 | $28.85 |
| 16 | Skyworks Solutions | $59,751 | $28.73 |
| 17 | SWA Group | $59,100 | $28.41 |
| 18 | Wpp Us Holdings Inc | $58,980 | $28.36 |
| 19 | AKQA | $58,921 | $28.33 |
| 20 | Lattice Semiconductor | $58,914 | $28.32 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Design Internship salary by industry
The average design internship salary varies across industries:
- The average design internship salary in the technology industry is $54,174, the highest of any industry.
- The average design internship salary in the finance industry is $50,046.
- Design interns in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $44,972, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for design interns
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $54,174 | $26.05 |
| 2 | Professional | $50,046 | $24.06 |
| 3 | Media | $47,087 | $22.64 |
| 4 | Retail | $46,239 | $22.23 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $44,972 | $21.62 |
High paying design internship jobs
Design internship salary trends
The average design internship salary has risen by $8,038 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average design internship earned $37,753 annually, but today, they earn $45,791 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for design interns over the last decade.
Compare design internship salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average design internship salary over time
Compare design internship salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Design internship salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $45,800 | $22.01 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $44,700 | $21.49 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | $43,200 | $20.77 | +3.3% |
| 2022 | $41,800 | $20.08 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $40,900 | $19.65 | +1.6% |
Recently added design internship salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woolpert | Expression of Interest-Aviation Design Intern | Salt Lake City, UT | 06/29/2025 | $41,740 |
| The Private Suite LLC | Construction & Design Intern-PS HQ | El Segundo, CA | 06/26/2025 | $45,914 |
| Pearson | UX Designer Intern | Los Angeles, CA | 06/25/2025 | $73,045 |
| BCI Brands | Sweater Design (Intern) | New York, NY | 06/25/2025 | $35,479 |
| BMW Group | Intern, Interaction Design-Summer/Fall 2025 | Santa Monica, CA | 06/24/2025 | $52,801 |
| Neheadstart | Design Intern-Right of WAY Division | Lincoln, NE | 06/24/2025 | $38,004 |
| Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories | Designer/Drafter Intern | Fairview Heights, IL | 06/22/2025 | $40,697 |
| Intereum | Design Intern | Chicago, IL | 06/20/2025 | $31,305 |
| Lifung Trinity Group | Womenswear Design Intern | New York, NY | 06/20/2025 | $41,740 |
| Michael Baker | Bridge/Cad Intern | Midvale, UT | 06/14/2025 | $31,305 |
Design internship salary FAQs
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