Graphic designers earn slightly more than the U.S. average wage for all occupations.
With the explosion of the internet and digital revolution in general, the career of a graphic designer has been given a major jolt, leading to intense competition for available jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). From 2016 to 2026, the employment of graphic designers is expected to grow 4%, adding 11,100 jobs, which is slower than the average for all occupations.
According to BLS, the mean annual wage for graphic designers in the U.S. in 2018 is $54,680. This is just a tad higher than the mean annual wage for all occupations in the U.S., $51,960.
However, not all states pay graphic designers the same salary. So, if you want to earn the most money in this field, read on for a full breakdown of where graphic designers’ incomes are the lowest, and where their incomes are the highest.
Graphic designers in the District of Columbia earn the most money on average, with a mean annual wage of $71,180. Here’s a list of the top-10 states in order of the highest average incomes for graphic designers.
New York and Massachusetts take the No. 1 and No. 2 spots with average graphic designer salaries in excess of $64,000 a year. The drop-off from No. 2 to No. 3 is nearly $3,000. Geographically, the U.S. Northeast and West Coast dominate, with the former represented by five states, and the latter by three states. Maryland and Virginia lay in the U.S. South, according to the Census Bureau.
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The states that pay graphic designers the least are a mix of states in the U.S. Census-designated West North Central division (South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa), Mountain division (Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico) and South region (Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi and Kentucky)
Here’s a look at average graphic designer salaries by state. Each state’s overall ranking is included, and D.C. is included as well.
Graphic designer salaries in Hawaii have seen very impressive growth from 2015 to 2018. In 2015, the average annual salary for a graphic designer was $41,670. By 2018, that had risen to $51,690, an increase of 24% in three years. Other states that have seen excellent growth in incomes from 2015 to 2018 include:
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