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Designer salary
Average designer salary
$66,347
Average Designer Salary
The average salary for a designer is approximately $66,347 per year, equating to about $32 per hour. This figure can fluctuate significantly based on various factors including experience, location, and industry. For instance, entry-level designers typically earn less than their seasoned counterparts, highlighting the importance of skills and portfolio development.
Factors Influencing Designer Salaries
Experience plays a crucial role in salary variation. Designers with several years under their belt often command higher salaries. Additionally, geographic location impacts earnings; designers in major metropolitan areas like New York and San Francisco tend to earn more due to higher demand and living costs.
Where Can Designers Earn More?
States like California, New York, and Washington consistently offer the highest salaries for designers. Furthermore, sectors such as technology and advertising often provide more lucrative opportunities compared to others. Understanding these dynamics can help designers align their career paths with the best financial outcomes.
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Where can a Designer earn more?
Designer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level designer | $41,500 | $19.93 |
| Mid-level designer | $58,100 | $27.94 |
| Senior-level designer | $90,600 | $43.56 |
Designer salary estimates from across the web
Average designer salary by state
The highest-paying states for designers are Washington, Hawaii, and Oregon. The lowest average designer salary states are Mississippi, Florida, and New Mexico.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for designers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $99,369 | $47.77 |
| 2 | Oregon | $78,743 | $37.86 |
| 3 | Michigan | $72,577 | $34.89 |
| 4 | California | $78,588 | $37.78 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $72,503 | $34.86 |
| 6 | Hawaii | $91,918 | $44.19 |
| 7 | New York | $71,938 | $34.59 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $76,268 | $36.67 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $69,048 | $33.20 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $73,316 | $35.25 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $65,749 | $31.61 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $65,770 | $31.62 |
| 13 | Virginia | $68,696 | $33.03 |
| 14 | Illinois | $67,158 | $32.29 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $64,756 | $31.13 |
| 16 | Ohio | $66,438 | $31.94 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $69,982 | $33.65 |
| 18 | Colorado | $66,047 | $31.75 |
| 19 | Iowa | $63,136 | $30.35 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $62,679 | $30.13 |
| 21 | Connecticut | $64,816 | $31.16 |
| 22 | Georgia | $61,142 | $29.40 |
| 23 | Indiana | $63,474 | $30.52 |
| 24 | Utah | $60,426 | $29.05 |
| 25 | Maryland | $65,838 | $31.65 |
| 26 | Delaware | $64,250 | $30.89 |
| 27 | Texas | $61,594 | $29.61 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $62,553 | $30.07 |
| 29 | Alaska | $65,827 | $31.65 |
| 30 | Idaho | $61,600 | $29.62 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $58,326 | $28.04 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $59,511 | $28.61 |
| 33 | Arizona | $60,131 | $28.91 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $60,447 | $29.06 |
| 35 | Nevada | $60,410 | $29.04 |
| 36 | Vermont | $58,861 | $28.30 |
| 37 | Arkansas | $59,520 | $28.62 |
| 38 | Alabama | $58,516 | $28.13 |
| 39 | Maine | $55,050 | $26.47 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $58,652 | $28.20 |
| 41 | Missouri | $56,905 | $27.36 |
| 42 | Kansas | $55,979 | $26.91 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $56,062 | $26.95 |
| 44 | Florida | $53,951 | $25.94 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $54,839 | $26.36 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $56,175 | $27.01 |
| 47 | Montana | $47,772 | $22.97 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $54,564 | $26.23 |
| 49 | New Mexico | $50,993 | $24.52 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $48,017 | $23.09 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $43,912 | $21.11 |
Highest paying cities for designers
The highest-paying cities for designers are Seattle, WA, San Francisco, CA, and Beaverton, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle, WA | $100,293 | $48.22 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $87,012 | $41.83 |
| 3 | Beaverton, OR | $78,360 | $37.67 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $76,275 | $36.67 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $72,469 | $34.84 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $71,993 | $34.61 |
| 7 | Philadelphia, PA | $69,186 | $33.26 |
| 8 | Chicago, IL | $67,341 | $32.38 |
| 9 | Columbus, OH | $66,275 | $31.86 |
| 10 | Baltimore, MD | $66,000 | $31.73 |
| 11 | Denver, CO | $65,994 | $31.73 |
| 12 | New Haven, CT | $64,916 | $31.21 |
| 13 | Greenville, NC | $63,542 | $30.55 |
| 14 | Indianapolis, IN | $63,396 | $30.48 |
| 15 | Minneapolis, MN | $62,538 | $30.07 |
| 16 | San Antonio, TX | $62,137 | $29.87 |
| 17 | Alpharetta, GA | $61,744 | $29.68 |
| 18 | Salt Lake City, UT | $60,281 | $28.98 |
| 19 | Phoenix, AZ | $60,218 | $28.95 |
| 20 | Bentonville, AR | $59,763 | $28.73 |
Designers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Designer salary details
A designer's salary ranges from $45,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $97,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a designer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $97,000 | $8,083 | $47 |
| 75th Percentile | $81,000 | $6,750 | $39 |
| Average | $66,347 | $5,529 | $32 |
| 25th Percentile | $54,000 | $4,500 | $26 |
| 10th Percentile | $45,000 | $3,750 | $22 |
Highest paying designer jobs
The highest paying types of designers are lead designer, senior designer, and product designer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Motion Graphics Designer | $62,558 | $5,213 | $30.08 | 44,960 |
| User Experience Designer | $91,159 | $7,597 | $43.83 | 52,582 |
| Interactive Designer | $97,929 | $8,161 | $47.08 | 48,136 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for designers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Abby Guido
Assistant Professor, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University
Top companies hiring designers now:
Which companies pay designers the most?
Designer salaries at Meta and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average designer salary at companies like Microsoft and PayPal are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $133,918 | $64.38 |
| 2 | $131,910 | $63.42 | |
| 3 | Microsoft | $130,454 | $62.72 |
| 4 | PayPal | $123,862 | $59.55 |
| 5 | Airbnb | $121,657 | $58.49 |
| 6 | Varian Medical Systems | $120,429 | $57.90 |
| 7 | Practice Fusion | $120,303 | $57.84 |
| 8 | Apple | $117,807 | $56.64 |
| 9 | eBay | $117,648 | $56.56 |
| 10 | Dropbox | $117,460 | $56.47 |
| 11 | $115,656 | $55.60 | |
| 12 | American Tower | $115,300 | $55.43 |
| 13 | Thumbtack | $114,741 | $55.16 |
| 14 | MUFG EMEA | $114,455 | $55.03 |
| 15 | Yahoo | $114,285 | $54.94 |
| 16 | Edelman Financial Engines | $113,391 | $54.51 |
| 17 | Squarespace | $112,831 | $54.25 |
| 18 | SAP | $112,276 | $53.98 |
| 19 | Circle Internet Financial | $111,907 | $53.80 |
| 20 | Parsons | $110,957 | $53.34 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Designer salary by industry
The average designer salary varies across industries:
- The average designer salary in the technology industry is $87,754, the highest of any industry.
- The average designer salary in the finance industry is $77,606.
- Designers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $65,070, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for designers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $87,754 | $42.19 |
| 2 | Finance | $77,606 | $37.31 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $72,109 | $34.67 |
| 4 | Retail | $70,584 | $33.93 |
| 5 | Media | $66,290 | $31.87 |
| 6 | Professional | $65,070 | $31.28 |
High paying designer jobs
Designer salary trends
The average designer salary has risen by $11,646 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average designer earned $54,701 annually, but today, they earn $66,347 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for designers over the last decade.
Compare designer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average designer salary over time
Compare designer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $66,300 | $31.90 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $64,800 | $31.14 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | $62,600 | $30.10 | +3.3% |
| 2022 | $60,500 | $29.10 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $59,200 | $28.47 | +1.6% |
Recently added designer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philips Healthcare | Communication Designer | Bothell, WA | 06/30/2025 | $110,000 |
| State of Florida | Drainage Designer II | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 06/30/2025 | $56,011 |
| Gensler | Designer-Workplace | Morristown, NJ | 06/30/2025 | $70,000 |
| Gensler | Experiential Brand Designer | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2025 | $80,000 |
| The University of Chicago | Campaign Designer | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2025 | $62,050 |
| Target | Designer, Denim-Wild Fable | Minneapolis, MN | 06/30/2025 | $71,000 |
| Marsh McLennan Agency-Michigan | Oliver Wyman-Presentation Designer | New York, NY | 06/30/2025 | $68,000 |
| American Electric Power | Designer Spec-Designer Prin (Site Civil Land Development) | New Albany, OH | 06/29/2025 | $72,628 |
| UNC Health Care Systems | Solutions Designer I | Morrisville, NC | 06/29/2025 | $68,954 |
| Miniluxe Inc. | Nail Designer Trainee | Boston, MA | 06/29/2025 | $31,305 |
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