Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Media designer salary
Average media designer salary
$54,018
Average Media Designer Salary
As of October 2025, the average media designer salary is approximately $54,018 annually. This figure reflects the median earnings across various industries where media designers are employed, including advertising, gaming, and digital content creation. Factors such as location, experience, and the specific sector of employment significantly influence salary levels.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level media designers typically start with competitive salaries, with potential growth as they gain experience. For instance, designers with 1-3 years of experience may earn around $45,000, while those with over 5 years can expect salaries exceeding $65,000.
Highest Paying States for Media Designers
Geographic location plays a crucial role in determining salary. States like California, New York, and Washington often offer higher salaries due to their vibrant media markets. For example, in California, media designers can earn an average of $60,000, reflecting the demand for creative talent in tech hubs like San Francisco.
Career Opportunities
With the rise of digital media, opportunities for media designers continue to expand. Exploring job boards and networking can unveil roles that not only match your skills but also offer competitive compensation.
Let Zippia find your next media designer job
Let Zippia find your next media designer job
Where can a Media Designer earn more?
Media designer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level media designer | $33,800 | $16.23 |
| Mid-level media designer | $47,300 | $22.75 |
| Senior-level media designer | $73,800 | $35.47 |
Media designer salary estimates from across the web
Average media designer salary by state
The highest-paying states for media designers are Massachusetts, Washington, and New York. The lowest average media designer salary states are Louisiana, Idaho, and Mississippi.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for media designers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $64,808 | $31.16 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $67,058 | $32.24 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $67,106 | $32.26 |
| 4 | New York | $63,671 | $30.61 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $58,113 | $27.94 |
| 6 | California | $59,948 | $28.82 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $56,396 | $27.11 |
| 8 | Oregon | $54,824 | $26.36 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $56,944 | $27.38 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $61,386 | $29.51 |
| 11 | Alaska | $59,388 | $28.55 |
| 12 | Maryland | $56,566 | $27.20 |
| 13 | Texas | $52,358 | $25.17 |
| 14 | Colorado | $55,192 | $26.53 |
| 15 | Arizona | $53,950 | $25.94 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $52,221 | $25.11 |
| 17 | Illinois | $52,392 | $25.19 |
| 18 | Virginia | $52,902 | $25.43 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $49,547 | $23.82 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $54,276 | $26.09 |
| 21 | Michigan | $49,401 | $23.75 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $50,074 | $24.07 |
| 23 | Delaware | $50,809 | $24.43 |
| 24 | Nevada | $52,115 | $25.06 |
| 25 | Vermont | $48,992 | $23.55 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $49,465 | $23.78 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $49,206 | $23.66 |
| 28 | Montana | $48,850 | $23.49 |
| 29 | Iowa | $46,922 | $22.56 |
| 30 | Ohio | $47,986 | $23.07 |
| 31 | Maine | $45,080 | $21.67 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $50,003 | $24.04 |
| 33 | Missouri | $48,226 | $23.19 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $45,461 | $21.86 |
| 35 | Utah | $41,858 | $20.12 |
| 36 | Georgia | $41,989 | $20.19 |
| 37 | New Mexico | $46,132 | $22.18 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $43,310 | $20.82 |
| 39 | Florida | $44,585 | $21.44 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $42,554 | $20.46 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $42,366 | $20.37 |
| 42 | Kansas | $41,983 | $20.18 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $43,559 | $20.94 |
| 44 | Idaho | $40,675 | $19.56 |
| 45 | Indiana | $41,976 | $20.18 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $41,370 | $19.89 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $41,073 | $19.75 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $39,079 | $18.79 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $34,746 | $16.70 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $39,245 | $18.87 |
| 51 | Alabama | $35,827 | $17.22 |
Highest paying cities for media designers
The highest-paying cities for media designers are Brookline, MA, Bellevue, WA, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brookline, MA | $67,082 | $32.25 |
| 2 | Bellevue, WA | $65,123 | $31.31 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $63,677 | $30.61 |
| 4 | San Francisco, CA | $63,512 | $30.53 |
| 5 | Anchorage, AK | $59,307 | $28.51 |
| 6 | Fairfield, CT | $56,977 | $27.39 |
| 7 | Baltimore, MD | $56,890 | $27.35 |
| 8 | Philadelphia, PA | $56,610 | $27.22 |
| 9 | Broomfield, CO | $55,263 | $26.57 |
| 10 | McLean, VA | $54,941 | $26.41 |
| 11 | Portland, OR | $54,758 | $26.33 |
| 12 | Phoenix, AZ | $54,051 | $25.99 |
| 13 | Charleston, WV | $52,815 | $25.39 |
| 14 | Chicago, IL | $52,696 | $25.33 |
| 15 | Houston, TX | $52,326 | $25.16 |
| 16 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $50,079 | $24.08 |
| 17 | Fayetteville, NC | $49,177 | $23.64 |
| 18 | Cheyenne, WY | $48,951 | $23.53 |
| 19 | Billings, MT | $47,909 | $23.03 |
| 20 | Columbus, OH | $46,951 | $22.57 |
Media designer salary details
A media designer's salary ranges from $39,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $73,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a media designer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $73,000 | $6,083 | $35 |
| 75th Percentile | $63,000 | $5,250 | $30 |
| Average | $54,018 | $4,502 | $26 |
| 25th Percentile | $46,000 | $3,833 | $22 |
| 10th Percentile | $39,000 | $3,250 | $19 |
Highest paying media designer jobs
The highest paying types of media designers are lead designer, interactive designer, and user experience designer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Media Internship | $32,033 | $2,669 | $15.40 | 72,449 |
| Graphic Designer, Marketing | $48,763 | $4,064 | $23.44 | 115,113 |
| Graphic Designer/Production | $48,619 | $4,052 | $23.37 | 95,831 |
| Graphic Designer Internship | $35,800 | $2,983 | $17.21 | 93,292 |
| Student Graphic Designer | $27,337 | $2,278 | $13.14 | 55,508 |
| User Experience Designer | $91,159 | $7,597 | $43.83 | 52,582 |
Top companies hiring media designers now:
Which companies pay media designers the most?
Media designer salaries at McKinsey & Company Inc and Cengage Learning are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average media designer salary at companies like Qualys and Ford Motor are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $76,107 | $36.59 |
| 2 | Cengage Learning | $71,684 | $34.46 |
| 3 | Qualys | $69,181 | $33.26 |
| 4 | Ford Motor | $67,536 | $32.47 |
| 5 | Boston Public Schools | $66,208 | $31.83 |
| 6 | Allegheny College | $66,103 | $31.78 |
| 7 | New York University | $64,105 | $30.82 |
| 8 | TownNews | $63,515 | $30.54 |
| 9 | University of Hawaii Foundation | $63,039 | $30.31 |
| 10 | Lockheed Martin | $61,966 | $29.79 |
| 11 | Davis Elen Advertising | $61,917 | $29.77 |
| 12 | BRMi | $61,441 | $29.54 |
| 13 | PepsiCo | $60,745 | $29.20 |
| 14 | Pacific Architects and Engineers | $60,422 | $29.05 |
| 15 | Peraton | $58,522 | $28.14 |
| 16 | Kore1 | $58,358 | $28.06 |
| 17 | Kelly Services | $57,365 | $27.58 |
| 18 | Just Energy | $57,016 | $27.41 |
| 19 | System One | $56,878 | $27.35 |
| 20 | Logistics Management Institute | $56,832 | $27.32 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Media designer salary trends
The average media designer salary has risen by $9,482 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average media designer earned $44,536 annually, but today, they earn $54,018 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for media designers over the last decade.
Compare media designer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average media designer salary over time
Compare media designer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Media designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $54,000 | $25.97 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $52,700 | $25.35 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | $51,000 | $24.51 | +3.3% |
| 2022 | $49,300 | $23.69 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $48,200 | $23.18 | +1.6% |
Recently added media designer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fanatics | Designer, Social Media | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $63,000 |
| City of Burbank (Ca | Graphics Media Designer | Burbank, CA | 06/13/2025 | $85,950 |
| Aa270 | Creative Media Designer | Austin, TX | 06/09/2025 | $54,153 |
| Fiverr | Social Media Designer | New York, NY | 05/29/2025 | $95,000 |
| Geico Insurance | Designer, Social Media | Chevy Chase, MD | 05/17/2025 | $73,800 |
| The Shipyard | Social Media Designer | Columbus, OH | 05/17/2025 | $64,500 |
| Aa270 | Creative Media Designer | Austin, TX | 05/10/2025 | $54,153 |
| Solugenix | Social Media Content Designer | Los Angeles, CA | 05/08/2025 | $114,785 |
| All | Sportico: Social Media Designer & Producer | New York, NY | 04/28/2025 | $71,000 |
| Aa270 | Creative Media Designer | Austin, TX | 04/28/2025 | $54,153 |
Media designer salary FAQs
Search for media designer jobs