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Best states for a user experience designer
Quoted expert
Robert Grizanti
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to user experience designer jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. Our research found that Washington is the best state for user experience designers, while Washington and California are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Washington has a median salary of $116,511 and Washington has the highest median salary among all 50 states for user experience designers.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for user experience designers. Washington is the best state for user experience designers, where the median salary is $116,511.We found that Washington is the best state for user experience designer jobs, whereas South Dakota is the worst.
10 best states for user experience designers in 2025
1. Washington
Total user experience designer jobs: 1,023 Average annual salary: $116,511 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $162,000 Location Quotient: 1.76
2. California
Total user experience designer jobs: 3,677 Average annual salary: $109,571 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 1.58
3. Massachusetts
Total user experience designer jobs: 891 Average annual salary: $95,630 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 1.22
4. Rhode Island
Total user experience designer jobs: 114 Average annual salary: $94,508 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
5. New York
Total user experience designer jobs: 1,538 Average annual salary: $93,529 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 1.5
6. District of Columbia
Total user experience designer jobs: 278 Average annual salary: $98,059 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 2.08
7. Virginia
Total user experience designer jobs: 837 Average annual salary: $90,201 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 1.11
8. Oregon
Total user experience designer jobs: 517 Average annual salary: $85,656 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 1.56
9. Nevada
Total user experience designer jobs: 123 Average annual salary: $92,206 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000 Location Quotient: 0.74
10. New Jersey
Total user experience designer jobs: 500 Average annual salary: $92,805 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 0.79
User experience designer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a user experience designer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a user experience designer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $116,511 | $83,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,023 |
| 2 | California | $109,571 | $76,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,677 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $95,630 | $68,000 | 6,859,819 | 891 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $94,508 | $67,000 | 1,059,639 | 114 |
| 5 | New York | $93,529 | $66,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,538 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $98,059 | $70,000 | 693,972 | 278 |
| 7 | Virginia | $90,201 | $65,000 | 8,470,020 | 837 |
| 8 | Oregon | $85,656 | $61,000 | 4,142,776 | 517 |
| 9 | Nevada | $92,206 | $64,000 | 2,998,039 | 123 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $92,805 | $66,000 | 9,005,644 | 500 |
| 11 | Alaska | $89,658 | $72,000 | 739,795 | 49 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $86,536 | $61,000 | 3,588,184 | 241 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $81,701 | $58,000 | 1,342,795 | 142 |
| 14 | Arizona | $85,250 | $60,000 | 7,016,270 | 353 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $81,629 | $58,000 | 12,805,537 | 831 |
| 16 | Texas | $80,522 | $58,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,511 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $86,826 | $63,000 | 1,815,857 | 62 |
| 18 | Michigan | $77,426 | $56,000 | 9,962,311 | 607 |
| 19 | Maryland | $87,369 | $62,000 | 6,052,177 | 459 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $78,917 | $57,000 | 10,273,419 | 688 |
| 21 | Utah | $76,913 | $54,000 | 3,101,833 | 283 |
| 22 | Delaware | $82,844 | $59,000 | 961,939 | 72 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $81,434 | $60,000 | 755,393 | 47 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $78,388 | $56,000 | 579,315 | 34 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $78,395 | $58,000 | 5,576,606 | 489 |
| 26 | Maine | $77,193 | $55,000 | 1,335,907 | 83 |
| 27 | Colorado | $79,629 | $57,000 | 5,607,154 | 447 |
| 28 | Illinois | $78,145 | $57,000 | 12,802,023 | 951 |
| 29 | Vermont | $77,167 | $54,000 | 623,657 | 57 |
| 30 | Montana | $77,452 | $55,000 | 1,050,493 | 61 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $75,219 | $55,000 | 5,024,369 | 255 |
| 32 | Georgia | $73,189 | $53,000 | 10,429,379 | 933 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $76,976 | $55,000 | 4,684,333 | 151 |
| 34 | Ohio | $71,610 | $52,000 | 11,658,609 | 679 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $72,888 | $53,000 | 3,004,279 | 137 |
| 36 | Missouri | $75,102 | $55,000 | 6,113,532 | 309 |
| 37 | Florida | $75,264 | $54,000 | 20,984,400 | 919 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $74,425 | $53,000 | 2,088,070 | 109 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $71,825 | $53,000 | 6,715,984 | 299 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $72,336 | $53,000 | 4,454,189 | 191 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $78,770 | $61,000 | 1,427,538 | 40 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $69,955 | $51,000 | 5,795,483 | 383 |
| 43 | Alabama | $70,489 | $51,000 | 4,874,747 | 232 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $69,716 | $51,000 | 1,920,076 | 120 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $70,250 | $51,000 | 3,930,864 | 157 |
| 46 | Kansas | $66,597 | $49,000 | 2,913,123 | 186 |
| 47 | Idaho | $71,605 | $50,000 | 1,716,943 | 85 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $70,704 | $51,000 | 2,984,100 | 90 |
| 49 | Iowa | $66,807 | $49,000 | 3,145,711 | 185 |
| 50 | Indiana | $61,094 | $45,000 | 6,666,818 | 310 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $55,567 | $41,000 | 869,666 | 50 |
Highest paying states for user experience designers
| Rank | State | Avg. User Experience Designer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $116,511 |
| 2 | California | $109,571 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $95,630 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $94,508 |
| 5 | New York | $93,529 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $98,059 |
| 7 | Virginia | $90,201 |
| 8 | Oregon | $85,656 |
| 9 | Nevada | $92,206 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $92,805 |
| 11 | Alaska | $89,658 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $86,536 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $81,701 |
| 14 | Arizona | $85,250 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $81,629 |
| 16 | Texas | $80,522 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $86,826 |
| 18 | Michigan | $77,426 |
| 19 | Maryland | $87,369 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $78,917 |
| 21 | Utah | $76,913 |
| 22 | Delaware | $82,844 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $81,434 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $78,388 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $78,395 |
| 26 | Maine | $77,193 |
| 27 | Colorado | $79,629 |
| 28 | Illinois | $78,145 |
| 29 | Vermont | $77,167 |
| 30 | Montana | $77,452 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $75,219 |
| 32 | Georgia | $73,189 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $76,976 |
| 34 | Ohio | $71,610 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $72,888 |
| 36 | Missouri | $75,102 |
| 37 | Florida | $75,264 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $74,425 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $71,825 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $72,336 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $78,770 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $69,955 |
| 43 | Alabama | $70,489 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $69,716 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $70,250 |
| 46 | Kansas | $66,597 |
| 47 | Idaho | $71,605 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $70,704 |
| 49 | Iowa | $66,807 |
| 50 | Indiana | $61,094 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $55,567 |
Expert opinions on the best states for user experience designers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for user experience designers to find work opportunities?
Robert Grizanti
Assistant Professor, Villa Maria College
I have not conducted any research in this area, but consulting with our Advisory Council and as a member of our local American Advertising Federation chapter, I know many ad agencies, design firms, in-house marketing/design departments, and printers are always looking for skilled graphic designers. Of course, larger markets around the country will have more opportunities, but there are many small and mid-sized companies with "hidden" opportunities for many entry-level positions. I would encourage all recent graduates not to overlook these and would add, the growth of a virtual workforce may provide regional, domestic, and worldwide employment opportunities also.
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Updated January 8, 2025