Graphic designer earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level graphic designer earnings begin at:

$46.61 per hour

$96,960 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level graphic designer earnings begin at:

$37.68 per hour

$78,380 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level graphic designer earnings begin at:

$30.70 per hour

$63,860 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level graphic designer earnings begin at:

$24.79 per hour

$51,570 per year

10th percentile

Starting level graphic designer earnings begin at:

$20.52 per hour

$42,690 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Graphic designer salary by state

State Name Average Salary
District of Columbia $87,920
Rhode Island $78,220
New York $77,340
Massachusetts $76,710
California $75,130
Maryland $75,120
New Jersey $73,790
Washington $72,710
Connecticut $72,700
Virginia $72,310
Colorado $66,330
Oregon $66,040
Vermont $65,690
Minnesota $63,860
Nevada $62,890
Alaska $62,570
Illinois $62,560
Utah $62,310
Florida $61,660
Pennsylvania $60,730
New Hampshire $60,490
Georgia $60,250
Texas $60,150
Delaware $60,130
Ohio $60,080
Maine $60,030
Wisconsin $59,900
Arizona $58,510
North Carolina $58,450
Hawaii $58,070
Michigan $57,350
Tennessee $57,270
South Carolina $57,170
Montana $56,890
Missouri $56,750
New Mexico $56,730
Nebraska $56,700
North Dakota $56,470
Indiana $55,480
Kansas $53,630
Oklahoma $53,630
Kentucky $52,960
Alabama $51,070
Idaho $50,350
Iowa $50,310
Louisiana $49,910
South Dakota $48,390
Arkansas $46,220
Mississippi $45,640
Wyoming $45,150
West Virginia $40,350
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 Minnesota. On average, they make less than bioinformatics scientists but more than camera operators.

Career Median Salary
Bioinformatics scientist salary $76K
Interior designer salary $73K
Drafter salary $71K
Illustrator salary $62K
Multimedia animator salary $65K
Graphic designer salary $64K
Computer repair technician salary $64K
Technical support specialist salary $64K
Exhibit designer salary $66K
Camera operator salary $51K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)