Graphic Designer Salary: How to Earn More in 2024?

 Hi and welcome to this exciting Graphic Designer Salary guide!

Our article will explore the average Graphic Designer’s salary by state, city, job title, education level, and the factors that affect their average salaries.

By the end of this comprehensive salary guide, you will be in a position to make intelligent Graphic Designer career decisions.

In particular, we will cover the following key areas:

• What is the average salary for a Graphic Designer by city, state, job title, and education levels
• Factors that affect the Graphic Designer’s salary
• Tips to increase a Graphic Designers Salary

Let’s jump right in!

Introduction

Graphic Designers are among the most in-demand professionals attracting competitive salaries and excellent compensation packages.

The growing marketing landscape coupled with improving technology means that the importance of Graphic Designers is increasing, causing average salaries to rise as well.

Multiple industries now rely on graphic design for their marketing, advertising, brand identity, and user experience.

How much do Graphic Designers make a year?

Continue reading for the answer to this question and much more.

Graphic Designer Salary Overview

Graphic Designer makes a decent living with their average salaries exceeding the national average.

According to the American Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Graphic Designers make an avg annual salary of $50,710.

These are the national average salaries for Graphic Designers:

Salary source	Average annual salary
Payscale.com	$47,787
Glassdoor.com	$51,873
Indeed.com	$58,926
Zippia.com	$48,000

Continue reading as we analyze the average pay for Graphic Designers in different states.

Graphic Designer Salary by State

Here is a comprehensive breakdown of the average income for Graphic Designers in different states:

State	Zippia.com	Glassdoor.com
Alabama	$57,182	$38,810
Alaska	$40,381	$42,631
Arkansas	$53,903	$38,922
Arizona	$57,234	$43,051
California	$51, 574	$50,959
Colorado	$61,358	$45,371
Connecticut	$48,089	$51,694
Delaware	$56,489	$42,824
Florida	$54,469	$41,608
Georgia	$63,052	$42,693
Hawaii	$33,656	$46,620
Idaho	$49,283	$43,532
Illinois	$60,835	$44,976
Iowa	$48,846	$45,770
Kansas	$53,770	$41,134
Kentucky	$54,154	$43,677
Louisiana	$44,968	$39,529
Maine	$45,063	$46,840
Maryland	$51,474	$49,645
Massachusetts	$53,800	$53,780
Montana	$45,476	$43,384
Michigan	$66,988	$43,207
Minnesota	$60,466	$44,798
Mississippi	$48,831	$38,457
Missouri	$52,466	$41,330
Nebraska	$56,954	$42,799
New Hampshire	$47,282	$48,241
New Jersey	$55,627	$52,190
New  Mexico	$45,699	$41,845
New York	$56,877	$55,284
Nevada	$51,239	$42,760
North Carolina	$57,263	$42,980
North Dakota	$44,396	$42,402
Oregon	$49,160	$44,613
Ohio	$58,880	$41,967
Oklahoma	$53,822	$38,698
Pennsylvania	$53,145	$44,078
Rhode Island	$53,935	$51,700
South Carolina	$51,532	$40,356
South Dakota	$38,688	$42,022
Texas	$56,141	$42,281
Virginia	$63,978	$46,802
Washington	$71,692	$52,011
West Virginia	$46,916	$40,077
Wisconsin	$56,725	$43,903
Wyoming	$49,858	$42,431
Utah	$57,837	$42,457
Vermont	$45,623	$50,862

What is a Graphic Designer’s salary in the highest paying cities?

Read on for the answer to this question.

Graphic Designer Salary by City

Here are annual salary estimates for Graphic Designers in different cities across America:

City	Indeed.com	Salary.com	Payscale.com
San Francisco	$71,885	$64,130	$68,633
Washington	$68,246	$54,674	$54,963
Boston	$67,293	$57,804	$52,404
Seattle	$66,129	$61,601	$52,277
Los Angeles	$64,605	$63,681	$56,682
Chicago	$63,919	$54,428	$50,186
New York	$63,070	$61,718	$58,351
Denver	$62,780	$56,933	$50,020
Minneapolis	$62,357	$60,001	$46,519
Portland	$61,300	$58,456	$51,059
Austin	$61,040	$55,401	$49,041

Continue reading for Graphic Designer income according to job titles.

Graphic Designer Salary by job title

Graphic Designers hold various job titles depending on their experience, education, and industry.

Here are the average annual Graphic Designer pay according to job titles:

Job Title	Payscale.com	Glassdoor.com	Indeed.com
Art Director	$71,140	$72,722	$68,749
Visual Designer	$66,427	$77,269	$65,815
UX Designer	$76, 205	$68,958	$96,948
Creative Director	$91,396	$119,250	$74,087
Graphic Artist	$49,429	$44,898	$54,171
Web Designer	$52,513	$62,941	$52,727
3D Designer	–	$61,175	$53,386
Industrial Designer	$61,525	$68,215	$68,357

Read on to learn the average Graphic Designer’s salary by years of experience.

Graphic Designer Salary by experience

Experience is a critical determinant of the average salary for Graphic Designers.

Generally, the salary for Senior Graphic Designers is considerably higher than the average entry-level Graphic Designer Salary.

Check out the average graphic design pay according to years of experience:

Experience	Payscale.com	Glassdoor.com	Indeed.com
Entry-level (Junior Graphic Designer)	$40,228	$49,137	$53,348
Mid-level	$50,644	$52,655	$56,948
Experienced	$52,010	$58,842	$62,000
Senior Graphic Designer	$52,897	$66,325	$75,848

Read on to learn of the highest paying companies for Graphic Designers.

Graphic Designer Salary by the employer

The Graphic Design job salary varies widely depending on the employer.

Even within a similar location, industry, and experience level, some companies will offer their Graphic Designers better salaries than others.

This may be due to the company’s employment policies or bottom lines.

Here is a breakdown of the highest paying companies for Graphic Designers according to different salary sources:

Indeed.com

Company	Average salary (USD)
Control4	111,000
AT&T	91,261
Digital People	76,693
Voyant Beauty	71,371
Core Home	60,068

Payscale.com

Company	Average salary
Nordstrom Inc	$58,500
Cushman & Wakefield Inc	$54,000
Power Home Remodeling Group	$51,097

Glassdoor.com

Company	Average salary
Apple	$70,784
Freelancer	$58,404
Gannett	$54,276
SelfEmployed.com	$50,968
Minuteman Press International	$48,660
Fast Signs	$41,928

Zippia.com

Company	Average salary
Microsoft	$151,954
Google	$142,438
Adobe	$127,918
Seattle Rep	$127,740
Mapbox	$126,287
NVIDIA	$121.190

How much money do Graphic Designers make in different industries?

Continue reading for the answer to this question.

Top paying Graphic Designer industries

Graphic Designers offer their services in multiple industries, from advertising to video games.

The salary range for Graphic Designers in each of these ranges varies widely.

Here is a breakdown of the average base salary for Graphic Designers in different industries:

Industry	Zippia.com
Technology	$61,857
Media	$59,238
Manufacturing	$57,961
Finance	$56,693
Professional	$56,386
Retail	$55,525

Read on for a breakdown of the average Graphic Designer salary by education level.

Graphic Designer pay by education level

Graphic Designers with higher education credentials like Masters or Ph.D. make more money than those with lower education credentials.

For instance, a Graphic Design Major salary will earn about $10,000 more than a Graphics Designer with a high school diploma.

Check out the salary breakdown for Graphic Designers by education level:

Certification	Payscale	Zippia.com
High school	$46,863	–
Associate Degree	$51,000	$46,544
Bachelor’s Degree	$58,000	$49,963
Masters Degree	$68,000	$53,731

What factors affect the salary of a Graphics Designer?

Read on for the answer to this question.

Factors affecting Graphic Designer’s Salary

The graphic design job market is competitive, and Graphic Designers earn a broad range of salaries depending on several factors.

These are the top factors that affect the average Graphic Designer’s salary:

1. Location

Location is a critical factor affecting the average Graphic Designer’s salary.

Generally, high-paying jobs for Graphic Designers are usually in major cities and urban areas.

Graphic Design jobs in cities pay better due to the high cost of living and higher demand for graphic design services.

Some of the best-paying cities for Graphic Designers include San Francisco, Washington, Boston, and Seattle.

2. Education level

Graphic design education directly affects the earnings of Graphic Design professionals.

On average, the graphic design degree salary ranges from $49,000 to $60,000, while a master’s Graphic Designer earns between $50,000 to 70,000 USD annually.

Graphic Designers with additional education in programming, web designing, animation, and illustration also have the potential to earn higher salaries.

3. Experience

As with most professional careers, experience plays a critical role in determining the average salary of Graphic Designers.

Graphic Designers with several years of experience will generally earn a higher graphic design jobs salary than entry-level Graphic Designers.

The biggest reason experience is a significant salary determinant boils down to the quality of work.

Experienced Graphic Designers usually produce higher quality work faster and with fewer errors compared to a newbie.

Graphic Designers with 15+ years tend to earn the highest salary.

The starting salary for a Graphic Designer often ranges from $35,000 to $50,000 compared to Senior Graphic Designers who earn between $60,000 to $80,000 annually.

4. Industry

Graphic Designers work in various industries, including manufacturing, marketing, gaming, advertising, and web designing, with each sector offering different salary ranges.

Consider working in high-paying industries like web designing, gaming, and manufacturing to earn higher.

5. Skills

Every Graphic Designer has some form of graphic design skills, but some skills are more valuable than others.

Typical graphic design hard and soft skills that directly the earning potential of a Graphic Designer include:

• Programming
• Branding
• Graphic design software (Adobe creative apps)
• Communication
• Problem-solving
• Typography
• Multimedia interaction

6. Specialization

The graphic design career is diverse and hosts several different graphic design specialties, each with a varying salary range.

Graphic design specializations in motion graphics, web designing, and User Experience (UX) design tend to pay higher salaries than other graphic design specialties.

7. Work format

The graphic design career offers you the chance to be self-employed, formally employed, part-time or full-time professional, and each of these work formats provides a different pay range.

Generally, full-time, formally employed Graphic Designers enjoy higher salaries than other graphic design formats.

Read on to learn a few nifty tricks that will help you increase your Graphic Designer Salary:

Tips to Increase Graphic Design Salary

The graphics design career offers an excellent career path that is both exciting and highly satisfying.

But what can you do if you wish to earn more as a Graphics Designer?

Here are a few tips to help you scale your average Graphics Design Salary:

1. Specialize

One of the best ways to increase your earnings as a Graphics Designer is to specialize in a high-paying graphics design field.

The most in-demand graphic design specialties currently include motion graphics, web design, video graphics, animation, and illustration.

Majoring in these fields will ensure high annual salaries and stable job prospects.

2. Excellent negotiating skills

Consider improving your negotiation skills to earn a better rate in your next graphic design job.

Excellent negotiating skills will allow the employer to understand your true worth and the value you bring to their organization.

Also, consider creating an excellent graphic design portfolio.

An excellent graphic design portfolio with samples of your graphic design work is a great way of convincing the employer to pay you a premium rate.

3. Gain experience

Experience is king in graphic design, and having enough of it will ensure you command high rates in your different designer roles.

As an entry-level Graphic Designer, you can gain vital graphic design experience by:

• Volunteering your designing services
• Interning at major graphic designing firms
• Taking up entry-level graphic designing positions

Additionally, consider gaining relevant work experience in other graphic designing skills like programming and graphic art.

4. Earn more certifications

An excellent way of improving your earning potential as a Graphics Designer is to earn relevant graphic design educational certifications.

Ensure you enroll in a graphic designer course from an accredited graphic design school.

Popular graphic design courses that improve your earning potential include certifications in Graphic design, fine art, visual design, programming, and animation.

5. Start a graphic design side hustle

Consider starting a graphic design side hustle from your regular graphic design job.

Your graphic design side hustle will allow you to earn extra money while keeping you busy and sharpening your graphic design skills.

Typical graphic design side hustles include:

• Creating advertising materials like brochures and fliers
• Setting up a custom graphic design clothing business
• Creating digital graphic products
• Start a graphic design blog
• Offering graphic design classes
• Offering paid consulting services

6. Relocate

It’s a fact that some cities or states generally offer higher graphic design salaries than others.

Consider relocating to a higher-paying town, city, or state to earn better graphic design wages.

States which generally offer higher salaries for Graphic Designers include Newyork, California, Connecticut, and Maryland.

7. Target high-paying clients

If you want to succeed as a Graphic Designer and earn premium rates, you should only target high-paying clients.

Consider offering your graphic design services to corporate clients and large organizations with a big enough budget for their design projects.

Enrolling in professional graphic design job boards is an excellent way to bag premium rate clients.

Another way of getting high-paying clients is by growing your professional network to include big graphic design players who can refer you to high-paying jobs.

8. Grow your skill set

Growing your graphic design skill set is sure to increase your earning potential.

Popular graphic design skills you can learn include:

• Adobe
• Adobe photoshop
• Coding
• Branding
• Cinema 4D
• Sketch
• Multimedia design
• Illustrator and Indesign
• UI/UX design

Let’s look at how the Graphic Designer’s salary fares against other related careers.

Graphic Designer Salary vs. related careers

The design space features various professionals who help clients achieve their design targets.

Here is a comprehensive comparison of the salary estimates for graphic design-related careers:

Profession	Zippia.com	Glassdoor.com	Ziprecruiter
Logo Designer salary	$49,967	$42,325	$54,190
Graphic Artist salary	$62,736	$44,895	$43,377
Brand Designer salary		$61,412	$64,970
Interactive Designer salary	$99,638	$80,451	$88,853
Motion Graphic Designer salary	$59,628	$66,466	$91,202
Visual Designer	$86,902	$68,948	$89,249

Graphic Design Salary outlook

The graphic design industry is thriving as more companies allocate additional resources to their product packaging, marketing, advertising, and branding departments.

Additionally, the rapid growth of the gaming and web designing sectors means that the demand for graphic designing services will only increase with time.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the graphic design sector will grow by 3% between 2020 and 2030.

As a Graphic Design professional, you should expect a constant and stable increase in your base salary and perks.

To ensure that you benefit from the surge in demand for graphic design services, ensure that you position yourself as an expert in the visual design space.

Conclusion

Joining the Graphic Design career path is fascinating and fulfilling as you will enjoy above-average salaries, a great work environment, and stable career growth.

With further experience and training, you will be able to earn even higher salaries than most other Graphic Designers.

We hope that after reading this comprehensive graphic design article, you now better understand the graphic design salary estimates and tips to improve your graphic design salary.

Please continue reading for our expert answers to our reader’s frequently asked questions.

Good luck!

FAQs

References

Zippia.com

Salary.com

Shillingtoneeducation.com

BLS.gov

Indeed.com