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Best states for a visual designer
Quoted expert
Kristy Pennino
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Visual designer opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for visual designers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for visual designers.In fact, our research shows that California is the best state for visual designers in America. The best city in America for visual designers with the highest pay is San Bruno, CA.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for visual designers. California is the best state for visual designers, where the median salary is $108,222.We found that the Midwest is best for visual designers, and the Northeast is the worst. San Bruno, CA is the best city in the country for visual designer jobs, where as California is the best state in the country.
10 best states for visual designers in 2026
1. California
Total visual designer jobs: 3,341 Average annual salary: $108,222 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location Quotient: 1.69
2. Washington
Total visual designer jobs: 874 Average annual salary: $91,126 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 1.77
3. Massachusetts
Total visual designer jobs: 749 Average annual salary: $93,243 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $157,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
4. Oregon
Total visual designer jobs: 446 Average annual salary: $80,204 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 1.59
5. Rhode Island
Total visual designer jobs: 78 Average annual salary: $82,384 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 0.95
6. Pennsylvania
Total visual designer jobs: 629 Average annual salary: $80,647 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000 Location Quotient: 0.8
7. District of Columbia
Total visual designer jobs: 234 Average annual salary: $84,039 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 2.06
8. Arizona
Total visual designer jobs: 313 Average annual salary: $83,366 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 0.79
9. New Hampshire
Total visual designer jobs: 124 Average annual salary: $77,100 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
10. Connecticut
Total visual designer jobs: 214 Average annual salary: $80,553 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
Visual designer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a visual designer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a visual designer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $108,222 | $69,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,341 |
| 2 | Washington | $91,126 | $59,000 | 7,405,743 | 874 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $93,243 | $55,000 | 6,859,819 | 749 |
| 4 | Oregon | $80,204 | $52,000 | 4,142,776 | 446 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $82,384 | $48,000 | 1,059,639 | 78 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $80,647 | $48,000 | 12,805,537 | 629 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $84,039 | $50,000 | 693,972 | 234 |
| 8 | Arizona | $83,366 | $53,000 | 7,016,270 | 313 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $77,100 | $45,000 | 1,342,795 | 124 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $80,553 | $47,000 | 3,588,184 | 214 |
| 11 | New York | $79,312 | $47,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,315 |
| 12 | Virginia | $75,564 | $45,000 | 8,470,020 | 695 |
| 13 | Texas | $71,224 | $44,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,253 |
| 14 | Maine | $73,079 | $42,000 | 1,335,907 | 73 |
| 15 | Nevada | $72,156 | $46,000 | 2,998,039 | 95 |
| 16 | Utah | $67,446 | $43,000 | 3,101,833 | 258 |
| 17 | Colorado | $72,176 | $47,000 | 5,607,154 | 386 |
| 18 | Maryland | $74,451 | $44,000 | 6,052,177 | 413 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $74,764 | $44,000 | 9,005,644 | 410 |
| 20 | Hawaii | $88,541 | $61,000 | 1,427,538 | 31 |
| 21 | Vermont | $71,883 | $42,000 | 623,657 | 39 |
| 22 | New Mexico | $69,312 | $43,000 | 2,088,070 | 91 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $72,284 | $45,000 | 1,815,857 | 46 |
| 24 | Delaware | $73,192 | $43,000 | 961,939 | 56 |
| 25 | Indiana | $67,263 | $43,000 | 6,666,818 | 267 |
| 26 | North Dakota | $67,786 | $46,000 | 755,393 | 35 |
| 27 | Wyoming | $67,112 | $44,000 | 579,315 | 24 |
| 28 | Louisiana | $68,493 | $42,000 | 4,684,333 | 125 |
| 29 | Alaska | $70,985 | $51,000 | 739,795 | 28 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $63,217 | $41,000 | 5,795,483 | 335 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $61,680 | $38,000 | 10,273,419 | 606 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $63,537 | $40,000 | 6,715,984 | 229 |
| 33 | Florida | $63,594 | $39,000 | 20,984,400 | 811 |
| 34 | Illinois | $61,903 | $40,000 | 12,802,023 | 780 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $62,678 | $39,000 | 3,004,279 | 104 |
| 36 | Idaho | $62,818 | $40,000 | 1,716,943 | 73 |
| 37 | Montana | $62,935 | $43,000 | 1,050,493 | 47 |
| 38 | Georgia | $58,163 | $36,000 | 10,429,379 | 792 |
| 39 | Michigan | $56,979 | $36,000 | 9,962,311 | 513 |
| 40 | Alabama | $60,129 | $37,000 | 4,874,747 | 194 |
| 41 | Minnesota | $58,437 | $39,000 | 5,576,606 | 431 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $61,186 | $38,000 | 3,930,864 | 124 |
| 43 | Missouri | $60,722 | $39,000 | 6,113,532 | 265 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $59,457 | $39,000 | 1,920,076 | 101 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $60,252 | $38,000 | 4,454,189 | 148 |
| 46 | Iowa | $56,448 | $37,000 | 3,145,711 | 177 |
| 47 | Kansas | $54,722 | $35,000 | 2,913,123 | 154 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $58,773 | $36,000 | 2,984,100 | 70 |
| 49 | Ohio | $53,709 | $33,000 | 11,658,609 | 498 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $55,067 | $34,000 | 5,024,369 | 158 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $46,685 | $31,000 | 869,666 | 40 |
Highest paying states for visual designers
| Rank | State | Avg. Visual Designer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $108,222 |
| 2 | Washington | $91,126 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $93,243 |
| 4 | Oregon | $80,204 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $82,384 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $80,647 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $84,039 |
| 8 | Arizona | $83,366 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $77,100 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $80,553 |
| 11 | New York | $79,312 |
| 12 | Virginia | $75,564 |
| 13 | Texas | $71,224 |
| 14 | Maine | $73,079 |
| 15 | Nevada | $72,156 |
| 16 | Utah | $67,446 |
| 17 | Colorado | $72,176 |
| 18 | Maryland | $74,451 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $74,764 |
| 20 | Hawaii | $88,541 |
| 21 | Vermont | $71,883 |
| 22 | New Mexico | $69,312 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $72,284 |
| 24 | Delaware | $73,192 |
| 25 | Indiana | $67,263 |
| 26 | North Dakota | $67,786 |
| 27 | Wyoming | $67,112 |
| 28 | Louisiana | $68,493 |
| 29 | Alaska | $70,985 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $63,217 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $61,680 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $63,537 |
| 33 | Florida | $63,594 |
| 34 | Illinois | $61,903 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $62,678 |
| 36 | Idaho | $62,818 |
| 37 | Montana | $62,935 |
| 38 | Georgia | $58,163 |
| 39 | Michigan | $56,979 |
| 40 | Alabama | $60,129 |
| 41 | Minnesota | $58,437 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $61,186 |
| 43 | Missouri | $60,722 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $59,457 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $60,252 |
| 46 | Iowa | $56,448 |
| 47 | Kansas | $54,722 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $58,773 |
| 49 | Ohio | $53,709 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $55,067 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $46,685 |
Expert opinions on the best states for visual designers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for visual 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.
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Updated January 8, 2025