Graphic designer earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level graphic designer earnings begin at:

$40.39 per hour

$84,013 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level graphic designer earnings begin at:

$30.89 per hour

$64,256 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level graphic designer earnings begin at:

$22.93 per hour

$47,703 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level graphic designer earnings begin at:

$17.03 per hour

$35,415 per year

10th percentile

Starting level graphic designer earnings begin at:

$13.02 per hour

$27,086 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Graphic designer salary by state

State Name Average Salary
District of Columbia $67,890
New York $64,840
Massachusetts $60,530
Rhode Island $58,720
Washington $58,450
Illinois $56,890
California $56,810
Alaska $56,300
Virginia $55,560
Maryland $55,230
New Jersey $55,100
Georgia $54,260
Oregon $53,900
Pennsylvania $53,050
Colorado $50,950
Texas $50,700
North Carolina $49,700
Minnesota $49,590
Nevada $49,330
Florida $48,780
Connecticut $48,490
New Hampshire $48,130
Missouri $47,740
Hawaii $47,703
Vermont $46,830
Ohio $46,740
Tennessee $46,500
Delaware $46,410
Wisconsin $46,190
Utah $45,580
Nebraska $45,090
Michigan $44,480
Kansas $42,481
Maine $42,260
Louisiana $41,510
Arizona $41,192
New Mexico $40,090
South Carolina $39,380
Idaho $39,131
Montana $38,770
Kentucky $38,717
North Dakota $38,710
Iowa $38,560
Oklahoma $38,280
West Virginia $36,940
Mississippi $36,680
Wyoming $36,260
South Dakota $35,120
Alabama $34,763
Indiana $34,024
Arkansas $34,012
Guam $27,590
Puerto Rico $23,450

How much does a Graphic Designer earn?

Coming out of college, aspiring graphic designers usually have a bachelor's degree in graphic design, computer design or a closely related subject. These new graphic designers with less than three years of experience reported salaries ranging from $37,250 to $53,000 per year, according to a 2013 starting salary survey published by the Creative Group. Those with between three and five years of experience reported salaries ranging between $48,750 and $68,000, while graphic designers with over five years of experience earned between $61,000 and $83,250 per year.

Having access to the internet has meant that it’s more possible now than ever before to work anywhere in the world, but if you look at the figures it’s still very clear that graphic designers primarily working in major cities like New York and San Fransisco are earning more than designers working in the suburbs. The best-paying states, according to the BLS, were the District of Columbia, New York, Connecticut, California and Maryland in May 2014.

Having experience under your belt and also having done some work with big-name clients is a really good way to justify a higher rate than other designers. Likewise, if the company you are working for deals with high-end brands, then they will want excellent graphic designers. These companies attract and keep their designers by paying them extremely well. The top-paying industries for graphic designers were the Federal Executive Branch and aerospace products and parts manufacturing, according to the BLS.

According to September 2015 data from PayScale.com, the salary ranges corresponding to experience levels were as follows:

0-5 years - $24,652 - $52,205
5-10 years - $29,318 - $61,718
10-19 years - $30,609 - $71,995
20 years or more - $31,093 - $85,024

How do graphic designer salaries compare to similar careers?

Graphic designers earn about the same as related careers in Hawaii. On average, they make less than audio and video equipment technicians but more than audio engineers.

Career Median Salary
Audio and video equipment technician salary $55K
Technical writer salary $58K
Industrial designer salary $59K
Make-Up artist salary $48K
Drafter salary $55K
Graphic designer salary $48K
Computer repair technician salary $48K
Fashion designer salary $41K
Photographer salary $42K
Audio engineer salary $42K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)