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Design manager/senior designer salary
Average design manager/senior designer salary
$133,180
Understanding Design Manager/Senior Designer Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Design Manager/Senior Designer is approximately $133,180 per year. This figure can vary based on several factors, including geographic location and years of experience. In states with higher living costs, such as California and New York, salaries may exceed this average.
Salary Influencers
Experience level significantly impacts earnings. Junior designers can expect lower starting salaries, while seasoned professionals with strong portfolios may command higher wages. Design managers often oversee projects and teams, which adds to their value in the job market.
Job Opportunities
Design managers and senior designers find roles across various sectors, including tech, advertising, and manufacturing. Major cities like San Francisco, New York, and Seattle offer numerous opportunities, often with enhanced compensation packages. As industries evolve, the demand for skilled design professionals remains high, presenting a favorable outlook for job seekers in this field.
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Where can a Design Manager/Senior Designer earn more?
Design manager/senior designer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level design manager/senior designer | $83,200 | $40.01 |
| Mid-level design manager/senior designer | $117,000 | $56.08 |
| Senior-level design manager/senior designer | $182,000 | $87.44 |
Average design manager/senior designer salary by state
The average design manager/senior designer salary in Washington, California, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average design manager/senior designer salary states are Georgia, Mississippi, and Oklahoma.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for design managers/senior designer
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $173,149 | $83.24 |
| 2 | California | $168,277 | $80.90 |
| 3 | Oregon | $138,203 | $66.44 |
| 4 | Arizona | $134,471 | $64.65 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $141,340 | $67.95 |
| 6 | Utah | $126,249 | $60.70 |
| 7 | New York | $127,906 | $61.49 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $123,286 | $59.27 |
| 9 | Virginia | $124,015 | $59.62 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $120,847 | $58.10 |
| 11 | Idaho | $125,792 | $60.48 |
| 12 | Nevada | $129,931 | $62.47 |
| 13 | Alaska | $123,038 | $59.15 |
| 14 | Texas | $113,873 | $54.75 |
| 15 | Michigan | $110,735 | $53.24 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $116,358 | $55.94 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $117,525 | $56.50 |
| 18 | Colorado | $118,888 | $57.16 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $112,975 | $54.31 |
| 20 | Illinois | $116,133 | $55.83 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $118,385 | $56.92 |
| 22 | Maryland | $117,549 | $56.51 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $107,423 | $51.65 |
| 24 | New Hampshire | $110,029 | $52.90 |
| 25 | New Mexico | $112,409 | $54.04 |
| 26 | Montana | $112,123 | $53.91 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $106,504 | $51.20 |
| 28 | Vermont | $105,048 | $50.50 |
| 29 | New Jersey | $113,805 | $54.71 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $103,426 | $49.72 |
| 31 | Ohio | $102,892 | $49.47 |
| 32 | Missouri | $106,635 | $51.27 |
| 33 | Delaware | $105,897 | $50.91 |
| 34 | Iowa | $104,535 | $50.26 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $102,636 | $49.34 |
| 36 | Kansas | $97,693 | $46.97 |
| 37 | Arkansas | $102,101 | $49.09 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $100,737 | $48.43 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $98,818 | $47.51 |
| 40 | Maine | $98,330 | $47.27 |
| 41 | Georgia | $94,808 | $45.58 |
| 42 | Florida | $96,912 | $46.59 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $97,926 | $47.08 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $101,156 | $48.63 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $99,030 | $47.61 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $94,937 | $45.64 |
| 47 | Indiana | $93,314 | $44.86 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $93,515 | $44.96 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $94,400 | $45.38 |
| 50 | Alabama | $86,049 | $41.37 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $77,954 | $37.48 |
Highest paying cities for design managers/senior designer
The highest-paying cities for design managers/senior designer are Olympia, WA, San Francisco, CA, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olympia, WA | $177,695 | $85.43 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $177,488 | $85.33 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $141,371 | $67.97 |
| 4 | Portland, OR | $137,818 | $66.26 |
| 5 | Phoenix, AZ | $134,799 | $64.81 |
| 6 | Carson City, NV | $133,593 | $64.23 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $128,143 | $61.61 |
| 8 | Richmond, VA | $123,564 | $59.41 |
| 9 | Boston, MA | $123,383 | $59.32 |
| 10 | Denver, CO | $118,757 | $57.09 |
| 11 | Annapolis, MD | $117,766 | $56.62 |
| 12 | Hartford, CT | $117,512 | $56.50 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $116,271 | $55.90 |
| 14 | Harrisburg, PA | $115,719 | $55.63 |
| 15 | Austin, TX | $114,998 | $55.29 |
| 16 | Helena, MT | $113,309 | $54.48 |
| 17 | Cheyenne, WY | $111,680 | $53.69 |
| 18 | Lansing, MI | $110,448 | $53.10 |
| 19 | Concord, NH | $109,883 | $52.83 |
| 20 | Saint Paul, MN | $106,604 | $51.25 |
Design manager/senior designer salary details
A design manager/senior designer's salary ranges from $96,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $183,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a design manager/senior designer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $183,000 | $15,250 | $88 |
| 75th Percentile | $157,000 | $13,083 | $75 |
| Average | $133,180 | $11,098 | $64 |
| 25th Percentile | $112,000 | $9,333 | $54 |
| 10th Percentile | $96,000 | $8,000 | $46 |
Highest paying design manager/senior designer jobs
The highest paying types of design managers/senior designer are engineering director, senior engineering manager, and vice president of engineering.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Director | $162,252 | $13,521 | $78.01 | 63,868 |
| Research And Development Director | $137,944 | $11,495 | $66.32 | 102,901 |
| Vice President Of Engineering | $150,651 | $12,554 | $72.43 | 92,133 |
| Engineering Supervisor | $97,535 | $8,128 | $46.89 | 57,046 |
| Engineering Operations Manager | $122,682 | $10,223 | $58.98 | 125,798 |
| Manufacturing Engineering Manager | $112,535 | $9,378 | $54.10 | 83,671 |
Top companies hiring design managers/senior designer now:
Which companies pay design managers/senior designer the most?
Design manager/senior designer salaries at Apple and Reddit are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average design manager/senior designer salary at companies like Microsoft and The Walt Disney Company are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $169,645 | $81.56 |
| 2 | $162,554 | $78.15 | |
| 3 | Microsoft | $159,603 | $76.73 |
| 4 | The Walt Disney Company | $155,786 | $74.90 |
| 5 | Chime | $154,742 | $74.40 |
| 6 | Course Hero | $153,917 | $74.00 |
| 7 | Slack | $150,985 | $72.59 |
| 8 | Credit Sesame | $148,208 | $71.25 |
| 9 | Zillow Group | $145,904 | $70.15 |
| 10 | Essex Property Trust | $145,847 | $70.12 |
| 11 | Hanesbrands | $144,822 | $69.63 |
| 12 | Rivian | $144,728 | $69.58 |
| 13 | Harry's Seafood | $143,942 | $69.20 |
| 14 | Infinera | $143,839 | $69.15 |
| 15 | 1871 | $143,193 | $68.84 |
| 16 | Eagle Family Foods Inc | $143,191 | $68.84 |
| 17 | ams | $143,191 | $68.84 |
| 18 | Mercedes-Benz of Sarasota | $143,191 | $68.84 |
| 19 | PC House Call | $143,114 | $68.80 |
| 20 | SHREDZ Supplements | $142,929 | $68.72 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Design Manager/Senior Designer salary by industry
The average design manager/senior designer salary varies across industries:
- The average design manager/senior designer salary in the retail industry is $138,722, the highest of any industry.
- The average design manager/senior designer salary in the finance industry is $131,638.
- Design managers/senior designer in the professional industry earn an average salary of $114,563, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for design managers/senior designer
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail | $138,722 | $66.69 |
| 2 | Hospitality | $131,638 | $63.29 |
| 3 | Technology | $126,861 | $60.99 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $117,400 | $56.44 |
| 5 | Professional | $114,563 | $55.08 |
High paying design manager/senior designer jobs
Design manager/senior designer salary trends
The average design manager/senior designer salary has risen by $23,378 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average design manager/senior designer earned $109,802 annually, but today, they earn $133,180 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for design managers/senior designer over the last decade.
Compare design manager/senior designer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average design manager/senior designer salary over time
Compare design manager/senior designer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Design manager/senior designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $133,000 | $64.03 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $130,000 | $62.51 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | $126,000 | $60.42 | +3.3% |
| 2022 | $122,000 | $58.42 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $119,000 | $57.14 | +1.6% |
Recently added design manager/senior designer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parsons | Senior Design-Build Design Manager | Pasadena, CA | 06/30/2025 | $167,400 |
| Parsons | Senior Design-Build Design Manager | New York, NY | 06/30/2025 | $167,400 |
| Gensler | Design Manager-Senior | San Francisco, CA | 06/30/2025 | $135,000 |
| New World Medical Inc. | Senior Manager, Design Assurance | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | 06/30/2025 | $172,000 |
| Cumminggroup | Senior Design Manager | Los Angeles, CA | 06/29/2025 | $132,800 |
| Cumming Management Group | Senior Design Manager | Los Angeles, CA | 06/28/2025 | $132,800 |
| Nissan | SR. Manager Digital Design & Visualization | San Diego, CA | 06/28/2025 | $152,057 |
| Spin Master Corp | Senior Manager, Brand Design | Islandia, NY | 06/28/2025 | $145,000 |
| Element Consulting | Senior Design Manager-A/E Services | Los Angeles, CA | 06/28/2025 | $145,000 |
| Hill International | Senior Design Manager-A/E Services | Irvine, CA | 06/27/2025 | $125,000 |
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