How much do graphic designers make?

Graphic Designer salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Graphic Designers (SOC 27-1024) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Graphic designers in the US earned a median of $62,960 a year ($30.27 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $49,040 to $81,830.

Median annual pay: $62,960; Mean $70,560
Median hourly pay: $30.27; Mean $33.92
Typical range (10th–90th): $39.5K–$105K; $39,520 to $104,910
US jobs: 197,830; −1.7% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a graphic designer: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: District of Columbia

Graphic Designer pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$39,520
25th percentile$49,040
Median$62,960
75th percentile$81,830
90th percentile$104,910

Half of all graphic designers earned more than $62,960 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $39,520; the top 10% made over $104,910. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $49,040 to $81,830.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$39,520	$19.00	$3,293
25th	$49,040	$23.58	$4,087
Median (50th)	$62,960	$30.27	$5,247
75th	$81,830	$39.34	$6,819
90th	$104,910	$50.44	$8,743
Mean (average)	$70,560	$33.92	$5,880

Graphic Designer salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for graphic designers by state. Darker tiles pay more.

Highest-paying states

1. District of Columbia $87,920
2. Rhode Island $78,220
3. New York $77,340
4. Massachusetts $76,710
5. California $75,130

Lowest-paying states

51. West Virginia $40,350
50. Wyoming $45,150
49. Mississippi $45,640
48. Arkansas $46,220
47. South Dakota $48,390

Best after cost of living: District of Columbia. Its median of $87,920 is worth about $79,999 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$51,070	43	$57,496	42	$24.55	1,760	0.83
Alaska	$62,570	16	$61,128	30	$30.08	180	0.57
Arizona	$58,510	28	$58,117	40	$28.13	3,560	1.10
Arkansas	$46,220	48	$53,165	46	$22.22	1,390	1.06
California	$75,130	5	$67,856	9	$36.12	27,390	1.50
Colorado	$66,330	11	$64,366	14	$31.89	4,200	1.46
Connecticut	$72,700	9	$70,167	7	$34.95	1,930	1.14
Delaware	$60,130	24	$60,246	33	$28.91	360	0.73
District of Columbia	$87,920	1	$79,999	1	$42.27	1,150	1.64
Florida	$61,660	19	$59,624	35	$29.65	12,660	1.27
Georgia	$60,250	22	$62,569	22	$28.97	5,920	1.21
Hawaii	$58,070	30	$52,814	47	$27.92	520	0.83
Idaho	$50,350	44	$52,726	48	$24.21	920	1.07
Illinois	$62,560	17	$62,586	21	$30.08	8,960	1.47
Indiana	$55,480	39	$59,446	38	$26.67	3,450	1.08
Iowa	$50,310	45	$57,325	43	$24.19	2,100	1.34
Kansas	$53,630	40	$59,544	37	$25.79	1,730	1.20
Kentucky	$52,960	42	$58,741	39	$25.46	2,060	1.03
Louisiana	$49,910	46	$56,583	44	$23.99	1,750	0.90
Maine	$60,030	26	$61,855	28	$28.86	560	0.88
Maryland	$75,120	6	$71,571	5	$36.12	3,050	1.10
Massachusetts	$76,710	4	$72,534	3	$36.88	4,450	1.22
Michigan	$57,350	31	$59,605	36	$27.57	6,070	1.38
Minnesota	$63,860	14	$64,753	13	$30.70	5,570	1.89
Mississippi	$45,640	49	$52,488	49	$21.94	830	0.71
Missouri	$56,750	35	$62,488	23	$27.28	4,500	1.53
Montana	$56,890	34	$60,109	34	$27.35	610	1.18
Nebraska	$56,700	37	$62,928	19	$27.26	1,670	1.63
Nevada	$62,890	15	$62,903	20	$30.24	1,570	1.01
New Hampshire	$60,490	21	$58,071	41	$29.08	790	1.15
New Jersey	$73,790	7	$67,819	10	$35.48	5,670	1.32
New Mexico	$56,730	36	$61,521	29	$27.27	850	0.97
New York	$77,340	3	$71,664	4	$37.19	14,530	1.50
North Carolina	$58,450	29	$61,966	27	$28.10	5,660	1.15
North Dakota	$56,470	38	$63,479	17	$27.15	460	1.08
Ohio	$60,080	25	$64,760	12	$28.88	7,280	1.31
Oklahoma	$53,630	41	$61,052	31	$25.78	2,040	1.19
Oregon	$66,040	12	$63,893	15	$31.75	4,140	2.11
Pennsylvania	$60,730	20	$62,241	25	$29.20	8,150	1.34
Rhode Island	$78,220	2	$76,476	2	$37.61	750	1.49
South Carolina	$57,170	33	$60,982	32	$27.49	1,930	0.84
South Dakota	$48,390	47	$54,625	45	$23.26	470	1.03
Tennessee	$57,270	32	$62,338	24	$27.54	3,880	1.18
Texas	$60,150	23	$61,974	26	$28.92	13,670	0.97
Utah	$62,310	18	$63,026	18	$29.96	2,720	1.57
Vermont	$65,690	13	$67,059	11	$31.58	410	1.35
Virginia	$72,310	10	$71,520	6	$34.77	4,740	1.15
Washington	$72,710	8	$67,945	8	$34.96	3,960	1.11
West Virginia	$40,350	51	$45,085	51	$19.40	520	0.74
Wisconsin	$59,900	27	$63,659	16	$28.80	4,130	1.40
Wyoming	$45,150	50	$48,710	50	$21.71	240	0.86

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for graphic designers

341 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$97,360	$88,170	1,280
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$92,050	$79,619	3,870
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$85,420	$78,450	4,420
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT	$81,800	$76,546	650
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$79,280	$70,432	15,160
Napa, CA	$79,090	$70,268	60
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$78,500	$72,152	210
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$78,270	$72,294	3,560
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$76,720	$69,034	2,710
Barnstable Town, MA	$76,140	$77,417	60

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	15,160	$79,280	$70,432
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	13,810	$72,400	$63,751
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	6,590	$66,490	$64,183
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	4,790	$63,780	$61,868
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	4,420	$85,420	$78,450
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	4,060	$62,680	$62,644
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	3,950	$61,870	$54,198
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	3,870	$92,050	$79,619
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	3,690	$65,610	$62,592
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	3,560	$78,270	$72,294

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves graphic designer pay: employers and settings

Where a designer works shapes pay more than the job title does. Management, scientific and technical consulting firms pay a median of $74,340 and sit above specialized design studios at $63,780 and ad and PR agencies at $61,200. Printing companies ($47,120), miscellaneous manufacturers ($50,190) and publishers ($51,080) pay less. The federal government employs only 1,520 graphic designers, but its median is $101,400.

Location matters too. The state list is topped by the District of Columbia at $87,920, Rhode Island at $78,220, and then New York and Massachusetts. West Virginia ($40,350) is lowest. California, with 27,390 jobs, has by far the most positions.

The spread from the 10th percentile, $39,520, to the 90th percentile, $104,910, reflects differences in employer, specialty and responsibility, not just experience. Designers who move into brand strategy, packaging systems, motion graphics or user interface work, or who supervise others as senior designers and art directors, tend to sit higher in the range. Freelancers' income depends on how many clients they keep and what they charge, and those earnings are not fully captured in these employee figures.

Where graphic designers work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Specialized Design Services	11.9%	$63,780
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services	9.9%	$61,200
Printing and Related Support Activities	7.6%	$47,120
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	6%	$74,340
Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing	4.8%	$50,190
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers	4.5%	$51,080

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	188,810	$62,640
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	1,520	$101,400
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	3,870	$62,760
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	3,630	$67,060

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Graphic Designer pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$63.0K $46.9K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $46,900 in 2015 to $62,960 in 2025, up 34% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $63,399 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay was about flat over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What graphic designers do

A graphic designer turns a message into something people see: a logo, a package, a magazine spread, a social media ad, a trade show banner or the layout of a report. The work combines picking typefaces, colors, images and spacing with the technical job of preparing files that print correctly or display well on screens.

Graphic design jobs are spread across design studios, advertising and PR agencies, printers, consulting firms, manufacturers and publishers, and many companies keep in-house designers on their marketing teams. About one in five graphic designers is self-employed, taking projects from several clients at once. Designers work closely with art directors, copywriters, marketing managers and printers, and they present drafts to clients and revise them, often several rounds per project. Most of the work happens at a computer in Adobe Creative Cloud or similar software, though sketching ideas by hand is still common. Schedules follow deadlines, and freelancers often meet clients outside normal office hours.

A typical day

Meet with a client or art director to pin down the audience, message and deadline
Sketch rough ideas, then build layouts in Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop or Figma
Choose type, colors and images, and set how text and pictures share the space
Design logos, icons, charts and illustrations from scratch
Present concepts, take feedback and revise until the design is approved
Check proofs for errors and prepare print-ready or web-ready files
Keep a brand consistent across ads, packaging, websites and signage

Also called: graphic design, artist, brand designer, designer, graphic artist, graphic design coordinator, online producer, production artist.

How to become a graphic designer

Full guide

Most graphic designers earn a bachelor's degree in graphic design or a related art field and build a portfolio of their work, which takes about 4 years. No license is required; employers hire mainly on the strength of the portfolio.

Typical time: About 4 years (bachelor's degree with internships); Fastest: About 2 years (associate degree or certificate plus a solid portfolio)
Minimum education: Bachelor's degree in graphic design or a related art and design field (associate degrees and certificates can lead to entry-level production work)
License: Not licensed (certification optional)
Typical training cost: $8.8K–$43.3K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a graphic designer: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: About 4 years (bachelor's degree with internships); Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $8.8K–$43.3K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $62,960; $11,980 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 14–69%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($11,980 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year to 3.6 years after training ends (about 4 years (bachelor's degree with internships) in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for graphic designers

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: −1.7%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 253,100; 248,800 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 16,000; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 20.5%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects a small decline for graphic designers: employment is expected to fall 1.7% from 2025 to 2035, from 253,100 to 248,800 jobs, while all occupations grow 3.5%. BLS points to AI and other automated design tools, which let fewer designers produce more work. Even so, about 16,000 openings a year are expected as designers retire or switch fields, and companies' growing digital presence keeps demand for layout and branding work. Expect competition for jobs, with a strong portfolio and skills in digital and motion work giving candidates an edge.

Related careers and their pay

UX Designer$104,000
Interior Designer$67,190
Software Engineer$135,980
Web Developer$92,650
Special Effects Artists and Animators$102,030

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Graphic Designer salary FAQ

How much do graphic designers make an hour?

The median hourly wage for graphic designers was $30.27 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $19.00 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $50.44. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays graphic designers the most?

District of Columbia has the highest median pay for graphic designers, $87,920 a year, followed by Rhode Island ($78,220) and New York ($77,340). After adjusting for each state's price level, District of Columbia comes out ahead at about $79,999 in national-average dollars.

Do graphic designers make six figures?

Some do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 10% and 25% of graphic designers earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $62,960, and the top 10% earn more than $104,910. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Will AI replace graphic designers?

BLS expects AI and other automated tools to reduce the number of graphic designers slightly, with employment projected to fall 1.7% over 2025-35, because each designer can produce more. It does not expect the job to disappear: about 16,000 openings a year are still projected. Routine resizing and simple layouts are the tasks most exposed, while concept work, brand systems and client-facing design remain with people.

Is graphic design a good career?

It depends on what you need from it. The median pay is $62,960, but the field is projected to shrink slightly and competition for jobs is real. Designers with strong portfolios, digital and motion skills, and the ability to work with marketing teams fare best. About 20.5% are self-employed, which offers flexibility but means finding your own clients and covering your own benefits.

Which employers pay graphic designers the most?

The federal government has the highest median in our data at $101,400. But it employs only about 1,520 graphic designers. Among the big employers, management, scientific and technical consulting firms pay a median of $74,340 and lead specialized design studios at $63,780 and ad and PR agencies at $61,200. Printing companies are at the low end, with a median of $47,120.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 27-1024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (27-1024.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Graphic Designers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
Graphic Designers (27-1024.00), O*NET OnLine · checked October 28, 2026
Adobe Certified Professional: How it works, Adobe · checked October 28, 2026
Institutional Accrediting Agencies, U.S. Department of Education · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026

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