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Lead designer salary
Average lead designer salary
$110,001
Average Lead Designer Salary
The salary for a Lead Designer in the United States averages around $110,001 annually. This figure can vary based on several factors, including geographical location, industry, and years of experience.
Experience Level Impact
Entry-level Lead Designers may start at significantly lower salaries, while those with extensive experience and specialized skills can earn well above the average.
State-Specific Insights
Some states offer higher salaries due to demand and cost of living adjustments. For example, Lead Designers in states like California and New York often see higher compensation compared to other regions.
Career Advancement
Opportunities for growth in this field are abundant, with many Lead Designers moving into senior roles or specializing in areas such as UX/UI design or product management. Understanding the salary landscape can help aspiring designers make informed career choices.
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Where can a Lead Designer earn more?
Lead designer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level lead designer | $68,700 | $33.04 |
| Mid-level lead designer | $96,300 | $46.32 |
| Senior-level lead designer | $150,000 | $72.22 |
Lead designer salary estimates from across the web
Average lead designer salary by state
The average lead designer salary in California, Nevada, and Washington are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average lead designer salary states are Montana, Maine, and Ohio.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for lead designers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $128,924 | $61.98 |
| 2 | California | $145,015 | $69.72 |
| 3 | Oregon | $117,981 | $56.72 |
| 4 | Michigan | $100,630 | $48.38 |
| 5 | Utah | $108,370 | $52.10 |
| 6 | Alaska | $106,962 | $51.42 |
| 7 | Idaho | $101,721 | $48.90 |
| 8 | Arizona | $124,050 | $59.64 |
| 9 | Maryland | $114,541 | $55.07 |
| 10 | Washington | $125,911 | $60.53 |
| 11 | Virginia | $105,918 | $50.92 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $105,964 | $50.94 |
| 13 | Kansas | $97,182 | $46.72 |
| 14 | Colorado | $107,474 | $51.67 |
| 15 | Texas | $100,638 | $48.38 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $110,194 | $52.98 |
| 17 | Nebraska | $96,845 | $46.56 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $100,339 | $48.24 |
| 19 | New York | $103,040 | $49.54 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $107,858 | $51.85 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $102,508 | $49.28 |
| 22 | New Mexico | $92,988 | $44.71 |
| 23 | Missouri | $97,944 | $47.09 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $95,832 | $46.07 |
| 25 | Illinois | $97,504 | $46.88 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $94,935 | $45.64 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $93,554 | $44.98 |
| 28 | Connecticut | $98,612 | $47.41 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $96,008 | $46.16 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $91,026 | $43.76 |
| 31 | Arkansas | $84,062 | $40.41 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $89,903 | $43.22 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $93,626 | $45.01 |
| 34 | Mississippi | $91,944 | $44.20 |
| 35 | Georgia | $86,304 | $41.49 |
| 36 | Delaware | $92,244 | $44.35 |
| 37 | New Hampshire | $86,997 | $41.83 |
| 38 | Montana | $77,631 | $37.32 |
| 39 | Iowa | $84,901 | $40.82 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $87,303 | $41.97 |
| 41 | Alabama | $84,949 | $40.84 |
| 42 | Hawaii | $93,455 | $44.93 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $73,288 | $35.23 |
| 44 | Vermont | $86,207 | $41.45 |
| 45 | Florida | $84,969 | $40.85 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $67,756 | $32.58 |
| 47 | Indiana | $81,756 | $39.31 |
| 48 | North Dakota | $84,080 | $40.42 |
| 49 | Ohio | $76,219 | $36.64 |
| 50 | Maine | $76,809 | $36.93 |
| 51 | Kentucky | $73,363 | $35.27 |
Highest paying cities for lead designers
The highest-paying cities for lead designers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Phoenix, AZ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $153,913 | $74.00 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $126,688 | $60.91 |
| 3 | Phoenix, AZ | $124,599 | $59.90 |
| 4 | Portland, OR | $116,872 | $56.19 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $110,273 | $53.02 |
| 6 | Trenton, NJ | $108,029 | $51.94 |
| 7 | Salt Lake City, UT | $107,490 | $51.68 |
| 8 | Denver, CO | $107,290 | $51.58 |
| 9 | McLean, VA | $106,145 | $51.03 |
| 10 | Boston, MA | $106,040 | $50.98 |
| 11 | New York, NY | $103,164 | $49.60 |
| 12 | Austin, TX | $100,767 | $48.45 |
| 13 | Warren, MI | $100,713 | $48.42 |
| 14 | Philadelphia, PA | $100,568 | $48.35 |
| 15 | Hartford, CT | $98,582 | $47.40 |
| 16 | Saint Louis, MO | $98,069 | $47.15 |
| 17 | Chicago, IL | $97,668 | $46.96 |
| 18 | Lincoln, NE | $96,768 | $46.52 |
| 19 | Charlotte, NC | $95,539 | $45.93 |
| 20 | Saint Paul, MN | $95,023 | $45.68 |
Lead designer salary details
A lead designer's salary ranges from $78,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $154,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a lead designer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $154,000 | $12,833 | $74 |
| 75th Percentile | $131,000 | $10,917 | $63 |
| Average | $110,001 | $9,167 | $53 |
| 25th Percentile | $92,000 | $7,667 | $44 |
| 10th Percentile | $78,000 | $6,500 | $38 |
Highest paying lead designer jobs
The highest paying types of lead designers are head designer, senior designer, and interactive designer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Designer/Art Director | $97,448 | $8,121 | $46.85 | 53,314 |
| Graphic Designer, Marketing | $48,763 | $4,064 | $23.44 | 115,113 |
| Graphic Designer/Production | $48,619 | $4,052 | $23.37 | 95,831 |
| User Experience Designer | $91,159 | $7,597 | $43.83 | 52,582 |
| Production Designer | $54,760 | $4,563 | $26.33 | 96,682 |
| Industrial Designer | $63,384 | $5,282 | $30.47 | 54,012 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for lead designers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Abby Guido
Assistant Professor, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University
Top companies hiring lead designers now:
Which companies pay lead designers the most?
Lead designer salaries at Airbnb and Meta are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average lead designer salary at companies like Waymo and DoorDash are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Airbnb | $178,429 | $85.78 |
| 2 | Meta | $175,915 | $84.57 |
| 3 | Waymo | $165,015 | $79.33 |
| 4 | DoorDash | $162,908 | $78.32 |
| 5 | $161,321 | $77.56 | |
| 6 | eBay | $159,701 | $76.78 |
| 7 | Grubhub | $159,654 | $76.76 |
| 8 | Aspiration | $155,830 | $74.92 |
| 9 | Atlassian | $155,827 | $74.92 |
| 10 | The Walt Disney Company | $155,767 | $74.89 |
| 11 | Apple | $155,433 | $74.73 |
| 12 | Microsoft | $152,074 | $73.11 |
| 13 | Square | $150,570 | $72.39 |
| 14 | Walmart | $149,967 | $72.10 |
| 15 | Duolingo | $146,890 | $70.62 |
| 16 | CHANEL | $145,488 | $69.95 |
| 17 | Nike | $145,109 | $69.76 |
| 18 | Ziff Davis | $142,268 | $68.40 |
| 19 | Warner Bros. | $141,507 | $68.03 |
| 20 | Roblox | $141,193 | $67.88 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Lead Designer salary by industry
The average lead designer salary varies across industries:
- The average lead designer salary in the start-up industry is $118,563, the highest of any industry.
- The average lead designer salary in the finance industry is $117,105.
- Lead designers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $101,295, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for lead designers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start-up | $118,563 | $57.00 |
| 2 | Retail | $117,105 | $56.30 |
| 3 | Insurance | $114,693 | $55.14 |
| 4 | Automotive | $111,861 | $53.78 |
| 5 | Technology | $111,071 | $53.40 |
| 6 | Manufacturing | $104,692 | $50.33 |
| 7 | Professional | $101,295 | $48.70 |
High paying lead designer jobs
Lead designer salary trends
The average lead designer salary has risen by $19,309 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average lead designer earned $90,692 annually, but today, they earn $110,001 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for lead designers over the last decade.
Compare lead designer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average lead designer salary over time
Compare lead designer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Lead designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $110,000 | $52.89 | +2.4% |
| 2025 | $107,000 | $51.63 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $104,000 | $49.90 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | $100,000 | $48.25 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $98,200 | $47.20 | +1.6% |
Recently added lead designer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ninjatrader | Design Systems Lead | Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $180,000 |
| Angellist | Brand Design Lead | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $230,000 |
| xAI | Interior Design Lead (Workplace) | Palo Alto, CA | 06/29/2025 | $130,000 |
| NBBJ Design | Design Leader | New York, NY | 06/27/2025 | $130,000 |
| Open | Design Lead | Dallas, TX | 06/27/2025 | $120,000 |
| GE Vernova | Technical Lead-Electrical Systems Design (Remote Eligible, U.S.) | Cambridge, MA | 06/27/2025 | $112,000 |
| Circa-IPG Dxtra | Design Lead | Dallas, TX | 06/27/2025 | $120,000 |
| GE Vernova | Technical Lead-Electrical Systems Design (Remote Eligible, U.S.) | Wilmington, NC | 06/27/2025 | $112,000 |
| Selectek, Inc. | Wireless Telecom CAD Lead | Remote | Houston, TX | 06/25/2025 | $64,697 |
| Ethan Allen | Design Center Leader | Coralville, IA | 06/24/2025 | $60,000 |
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