Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Graphic design specialist salary
Average graphic design specialist salary
$55,925
Understanding Graphic Design Specialist Salaries
The current average salary for a Graphic Design Specialist is about $55,925 annually, or around $27 per hour. This figure can fluctuate based on various factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and specific industry sectors. For instance, specialists in high-demand areas or those with advanced skills often command higher salaries.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level positions typically start lower, around $40,000, while seasoned professionals with several years of experience can earn upwards of $80,000 annually. This growth reflects the increasing demand for skilled designers who can create compelling visual content.
Work Opportunities
Graphic Design Specialists can find roles in various industries, including advertising, marketing, and corporate branding. The ability to adapt to different styles and trends can enhance job prospects and lead to better compensation. Explore job listings in your area to identify specific opportunities and salary ranges.
Let Zippi find your next graphic design specialist job
Let Zippi find your next graphic design specialist job
Where can a Graphic Design Specialist earn more?
Graphic design specialist salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level graphic design specialist | $34,900 | $16.80 |
| Mid-level graphic design specialist | $49,000 | $23.55 |
| Senior-level graphic design specialist | $76,400 | $36.72 |
Graphic design specialist salary estimates from across the web
Average graphic design specialist salary by state
The highest-paying states for graphic design specialists are Washington, Massachusetts, and California. The lowest average graphic design specialist salary states are Kansas, Alabama, and Mississippi.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for graphic design specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $77,067 | $37.05 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $69,326 | $33.33 |
| 3 | New York | $66,660 | $32.05 |
| 4 | California | $67,451 | $32.43 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $70,392 | $33.84 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $60,048 | $28.87 |
| 7 | North Dakota | $60,968 | $29.31 |
| 8 | North Carolina | $57,120 | $27.46 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $59,625 | $28.67 |
| 10 | Utah | $56,205 | $27.02 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $65,902 | $31.68 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $56,119 | $26.98 |
| 13 | Texas | $55,432 | $26.65 |
| 14 | Colorado | $58,379 | $28.07 |
| 15 | Delaware | $56,356 | $27.09 |
| 16 | Maryland | $58,788 | $28.26 |
| 17 | Montana | $55,818 | $26.84 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $55,484 | $26.68 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $55,507 | $26.69 |
| 20 | Alaska | $63,184 | $30.38 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $57,065 | $27.44 |
| 22 | Arizona | $54,504 | $26.20 |
| 23 | Maine | $53,737 | $25.84 |
| 24 | Oregon | $52,856 | $25.41 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $54,739 | $26.32 |
| 26 | Vermont | $53,793 | $25.86 |
| 27 | Michigan | $48,013 | $23.08 |
| 28 | Virginia | $56,219 | $27.03 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $49,246 | $23.68 |
| 30 | Hawaii | $54,349 | $26.13 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $48,923 | $23.52 |
| 32 | Illinois | $51,666 | $24.84 |
| 33 | Iowa | $47,022 | $22.61 |
| 34 | Nevada | $47,793 | $22.98 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $47,456 | $22.82 |
| 36 | Indiana | $48,238 | $23.19 |
| 37 | Idaho | $45,716 | $21.98 |
| 38 | Missouri | $46,900 | $22.55 |
| 39 | Georgia | $45,118 | $21.69 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $45,981 | $22.11 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $46,662 | $22.43 |
| 42 | Ohio | $43,831 | $21.07 |
| 43 | New Mexico | $45,562 | $21.90 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $44,312 | $21.30 |
| 45 | Kansas | $42,485 | $20.43 |
| 46 | Florida | $38,564 | $18.54 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $44,693 | $21.49 |
| 48 | Alabama | $42,484 | $20.43 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $40,309 | $19.38 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $39,604 | $19.04 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $40,359 | $19.40 |
Highest paying cities for graphic design specialists
The highest-paying cities for graphic design specialists are San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, and Marlborough, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $74,114 | $35.63 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $70,404 | $33.85 |
| 3 | Marlborough, MA | $69,387 | $33.36 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $66,717 | $32.08 |
| 5 | Paterson, NJ | $66,012 | $31.74 |
| 6 | Juneau, AK | $64,097 | $30.82 |
| 7 | Baltimore, MD | $59,134 | $28.43 |
| 8 | Alexandria, VA | $59,025 | $28.38 |
| 9 | Arvada, CO | $58,492 | $28.12 |
| 10 | Morrisville, NC | $57,865 | $27.82 |
| 11 | Houston, TX | $55,312 | $26.59 |
| 12 | Scottsdale, AZ | $54,631 | $26.26 |
| 13 | North Chicago, IL | $52,739 | $25.36 |
| 14 | South Bend, IN | $50,675 | $24.36 |
| 15 | Omaha, NE | $48,908 | $23.51 |
| 16 | Livonia, MI | $47,979 | $23.07 |
| 17 | Henderson, NV | $46,956 | $22.57 |
| 18 | Des Moines, IA | $46,775 | $22.49 |
| 19 | Fayetteville, AR | $46,530 | $22.37 |
| 20 | Gainesville, GA | $45,471 | $21.86 |
Graphic design specialist salary details
A graphic design specialist's salary ranges from $38,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $80,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a graphic design specialist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $80,000 | $6,667 | $38 |
| 75th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
| Average | $55,925 | $4,660 | $27 |
| 25th Percentile | $46,000 | $3,833 | $22 |
| 10th Percentile | $38,000 | $3,167 | $18 |
Highest paying graphic design specialist jobs
The highest paying types of graphic design specialists are interactive designer, visual designer, and lead graphic designer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production Artist | $61,870 | $5,156 | $29.75 | 59,103 |
| Designer | $66,347 | $5,529 | $31.90 | 52,433 |
| Visual Designer | $86,495 | $7,208 | $41.58 | 46,815 |
| Interactive Designer | $97,929 | $8,161 | $47.08 | 48,136 |
| Freelance Designer | $57,260 | $4,772 | $27.53 | 45,914 |
| Graphic Artist | $54,900 | $4,575 | $26.39 | 8,752 |
Top companies hiring graphic design specialists now:
Which companies pay graphic design specialists the most?
Graphic design specialist salaries at Berkshire Hathaway and Activision Blizzard are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average graphic design specialist salary at companies like Tufts Health Plan and Neustar are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berkshire Hathaway | $89,687 | $43.12 |
| 2 | Activision Blizzard | $81,509 | $39.19 |
| 3 | Tufts Health Plan | $76,675 | $36.86 |
| 4 | Neustar | $76,073 | $36.57 |
| 5 | Sandy Spring Bank | $75,684 | $36.39 |
| 6 | University of California-Berkeley | $74,359 | $35.75 |
| 7 | Fishbowl | $72,566 | $34.89 |
| 8 | HOK | $72,033 | $34.63 |
| 9 | The Bonadio Group | $71,325 | $34.29 |
| 10 | Insurance Incorporated | $70,313 | $33.80 |
| 11 | AECOM | $69,735 | $33.53 |
| 12 | Open Systems Technologies | $69,361 | $33.35 |
| 13 | Lenovo | $68,476 | $32.92 |
| 14 | Planned Parenthood | $67,853 | $32.62 |
| 15 | Canon | $67,447 | $32.43 |
| 16 | Kbc | $67,133 | $32.28 |
| 17 | Georgetown University | $66,767 | $32.10 |
| 18 | Grace Church | $65,923 | $31.69 |
| 19 | Sedgwick LLP | $65,622 | $31.55 |
| 20 | Perfection | $65,028 | $31.26 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Graphic Design Specialist salary by industry
The average graphic design specialist salary varies across industries:
- The average graphic design specialist salary in the technology industry is $67,457, the highest of any industry.
- The average graphic design specialist salary in the finance industry is $62,104.
- Graphic design specialists in the government industry earn an average salary of $57,273, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for graphic design specialists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $67,457 | $32.43 |
| 2 | Construction | $62,104 | $29.86 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $61,632 | $29.63 |
| 4 | Professional | $61,018 | $29.34 |
| 5 | Health Care | $60,208 | $28.95 |
| 6 | Media | $59,542 | $28.63 |
| 7 | Insurance | $58,573 | $28.16 |
| 8 | Government | $57,273 | $27.54 |
High paying graphic design specialist jobs
Graphic design specialist salary trends
The average graphic design specialist salary has risen by $9,817 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average graphic design specialist earned $46,108 annually, but today, they earn $55,925 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for graphic design specialists over the last decade.
Compare graphic design specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average graphic design specialist salary over time
Compare graphic design specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Graphic design specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $55,900 | $26.89 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $54,600 | $26.25 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | $52,800 | $25.37 | +3.3% |
| 2022 | $51,000 | $24.53 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $49,900 | $24.00 | +1.6% |
Recently added graphic design specialist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swinerton | Graphic Design Specialist | Charlotte, NC | 06/28/2025 | $80,000 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Specialist, Exhibition Graphic Design | Los Angeles, CA | 06/18/2025 | $57,184 |
| Community Impact | Graphic Designer-Infographic Specialist | San Antonio, TX | 06/17/2025 | $46,500 |
| Penn State University | Graphic Design Specialist, Center for The Performing Arts | Parkesburg, PA | 06/16/2025 | $56,200 |
| Corpus Christi Independent School District | Graphic Design Specialist | Nome, TX | 06/06/2025 | $48,898 |
| Laramie County Library System | Graphic Design Specialist (Closes/2025) | Cheyenne, WY | 06/05/2025 | $48,210 |
| Pima County | Graphic Design Specialist-Recorders Office | Tucson, AZ | 05/25/2025 | $47,393 |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Il | Graphic Design Specialist-Applied Health Sciences | Urbana, IL | 05/25/2025 | $50,000 |
| Cella Inc. | Graphic Designer, Color and Shape Specialist (Remote) | Atlanta, GA | 05/23/2025 | $83,480 |
| Team Carney | Graphics Design Specialist | Fredericksburg, VA | 05/23/2025 | $60,000 |
Graphic design specialist salary FAQs
Search for graphic design specialist jobs