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Best states for a senior graphic designer
Quoted expert
Kristy Pennino
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you thinking of becoming a senior graphic designer and really want to work at CBRE Group? Turns out, your chances to become a senior graphic designer are better in some states than others.Our research found that Washington is the best state for senior graphic designers, while Washington and California are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Washington has a median salary of $93,978 and Washington has the highest median salary among all 50 states for senior graphic designers.
In order to get you the best states for senior graphic designers, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.If you are currently seeking employment as a senior graphic designer, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for senior graphic designers in 2026
1. Washington
Total senior graphic designer jobs: 875 Average annual salary: $93,978 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 1.87
2. Massachusetts
Total senior graphic designer jobs: 677 Average annual salary: $87,958 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Location Quotient: 1.15
3. California
Total senior graphic designer jobs: 3,184 Average annual salary: $91,339 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 1.7
4. New York
Total senior graphic designer jobs: 1,477 Average annual salary: $84,171 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Location Quotient: 1.8
5. Utah
Total senior graphic designer jobs: 220 Average annual salary: $77,288 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $110,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
6. Oregon
Total senior graphic designer jobs: 471 Average annual salary: $78,624 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $111,000 Location Quotient: 1.78
7. District of Columbia
Total senior graphic designer jobs: 225 Average annual salary: $85,215 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000 Location Quotient: 2.1
8. Virginia
Total senior graphic designer jobs: 702 Average annual salary: $78,939 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000 Location Quotient: 1.16
9. Nevada
Total senior graphic designer jobs: 85 Average annual salary: $87,079 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 0.64
10. Pennsylvania
Total senior graphic designer jobs: 632 Average annual salary: $74,129 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
Senior graphic designer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a senior graphic designer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a senior graphic designer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $93,978 | $66,000 | 7,405,743 | 875 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $87,958 | $65,000 | 6,859,819 | 677 |
| 3 | California | $91,339 | $62,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,184 |
| 4 | New York | $84,171 | $61,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,477 |
| 5 | Utah | $77,288 | $54,000 | 3,101,833 | 220 |
| 6 | Oregon | $78,624 | $55,000 | 4,142,776 | 471 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $85,215 | $62,000 | 693,972 | 225 |
| 8 | Virginia | $78,939 | $57,000 | 8,470,020 | 702 |
| 9 | Nevada | $87,079 | $59,000 | 2,998,039 | 85 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $74,129 | $54,000 | 12,805,537 | 632 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $72,306 | $53,000 | 1,059,639 | 75 |
| 12 | Michigan | $71,049 | $52,000 | 9,962,311 | 468 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $71,833 | $53,000 | 5,795,483 | 317 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $79,191 | $58,000 | 9,005,644 | 375 |
| 15 | Illinois | $71,517 | $53,000 | 12,802,023 | 749 |
| 16 | Alaska | $80,172 | $65,000 | 739,795 | 28 |
| 17 | Maryland | $74,772 | $54,000 | 6,052,177 | 374 |
| 18 | North Carolina | $69,363 | $50,000 | 10,273,419 | 555 |
| 19 | Idaho | $72,760 | $50,000 | 1,716,943 | 65 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $74,620 | $54,000 | 1,815,857 | 41 |
| 21 | Ohio | $69,142 | $50,000 | 11,658,609 | 484 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $84,835 | $63,000 | 1,427,538 | 25 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $68,345 | $50,000 | 5,576,606 | 396 |
| 24 | Arizona | $68,156 | $46,000 | 7,016,270 | 280 |
| 25 | Missouri | $68,517 | $50,000 | 6,113,532 | 238 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $67,143 | $49,000 | 1,342,795 | 94 |
| 27 | Kansas | $66,855 | $49,000 | 2,913,123 | 137 |
| 28 | Delaware | $69,416 | $50,000 | 961,939 | 50 |
| 29 | Colorado | $67,640 | $48,000 | 5,607,154 | 347 |
| 30 | Texas | $64,036 | $43,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,188 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $67,099 | $49,000 | 1,920,076 | 90 |
| 32 | Vermont | $66,219 | $49,000 | 623,657 | 38 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $65,305 | $47,000 | 579,315 | 23 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $64,762 | $47,000 | 6,715,984 | 222 |
| 35 | Connecticut | $65,951 | $48,000 | 3,588,184 | 178 |
| 36 | Georgia | $60,916 | $43,000 | 10,429,379 | 719 |
| 37 | Maine | $59,955 | $44,000 | 1,335,907 | 64 |
| 38 | Iowa | $60,101 | $44,000 | 3,145,711 | 137 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $60,072 | $44,000 | 755,393 | 34 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $60,017 | $41,000 | 2,088,070 | 78 |
| 41 | Florida | $58,751 | $39,000 | 20,984,400 | 699 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $59,449 | $42,000 | 5,024,369 | 176 |
| 43 | Indiana | $58,637 | $43,000 | 6,666,818 | 235 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $58,860 | $41,000 | 2,984,100 | 59 |
| 45 | Montana | $55,533 | $39,000 | 1,050,493 | 47 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $59,451 | $40,000 | 4,684,333 | 95 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $56,112 | $40,000 | 3,004,279 | 91 |
| 48 | Alabama | $55,781 | $39,000 | 4,874,747 | 168 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $48,100 | $34,000 | 3,930,864 | 119 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $51,690 | $38,000 | 4,454,189 | 125 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $47,452 | $35,000 | 869,666 | 36 |
Highest paying states for senior graphic designers
| Rank | State | Avg. Senior Graphic Designer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $93,978 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $87,958 |
| 3 | California | $91,339 |
| 4 | New York | $84,171 |
| 5 | Utah | $77,288 |
| 6 | Oregon | $78,624 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $85,215 |
| 8 | Virginia | $78,939 |
| 9 | Nevada | $87,079 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $74,129 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $72,306 |
| 12 | Michigan | $71,049 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $71,833 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $79,191 |
| 15 | Illinois | $71,517 |
| 16 | Alaska | $80,172 |
| 17 | Maryland | $74,772 |
| 18 | North Carolina | $69,363 |
| 19 | Idaho | $72,760 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $74,620 |
| 21 | Ohio | $69,142 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $84,835 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $68,345 |
| 24 | Arizona | $68,156 |
| 25 | Missouri | $68,517 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $67,143 |
| 27 | Kansas | $66,855 |
| 28 | Delaware | $69,416 |
| 29 | Colorado | $67,640 |
| 30 | Texas | $64,036 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $67,099 |
| 32 | Vermont | $66,219 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $65,305 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $64,762 |
| 35 | Connecticut | $65,951 |
| 36 | Georgia | $60,916 |
| 37 | Maine | $59,955 |
| 38 | Iowa | $60,101 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $60,072 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $60,017 |
| 41 | Florida | $58,751 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $59,449 |
| 43 | Indiana | $58,637 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $58,860 |
| 45 | Montana | $55,533 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $59,451 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $56,112 |
| 48 | Alabama | $55,781 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $48,100 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $51,690 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $47,452 |
Expert opinions on the best states for senior graphic designers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for senior graphic designers to find work opportunities?
Kristy Pennino
Professor of Graphic & Interactive Design, Valencia College
All major cities in the U.S. have been known to offer the most employment opportunities for graphic designers, simply because that is where there's a greater concentration of paying clients. I guess the silver lining - as a result of the pandemic - is that people will be less likely to select their employers, clients, or residences based solely on their location. With our program internship requirement, I have already witnessed students being hired to work remotely for employers who are not local and who are not even located in the same state or country. I helped three graduates get employed in the past 48 hours for companies who are not local and eager to hire our graduates to work remotely.
Senior graphic designer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025