Commercial and Industrial Designers
Median $83,910
Occupation · SOC 27-1024
Graphic Designers: pay and where the jobs are
What graphic designers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$62,960 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $70,560
- Median hourly wage
- $30.27
- Mean hourly wage
- $33.92
- Employment
- 197,830
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-1024.
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See where your pay falls among graphic designers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do graphic designers make?
The median annual wage for graphic designers was $62,960 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $39,520 and the highest-paid 10% more than $104,910. As an hourly rate, the median is $30.27. About 197,830 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($87,920), Rhode Island ($78,220) and New York ($77,340). District of Columbia also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for graphic designers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,520 | $19.00 | $3,293 | $2,828 |
| 25th percentile | $49,040 | $23.58 | $4,087 | $3,465 |
| Median | $62,960 | $30.27 | $5,247 | $4,397 |
| 75th percentile | $81,830 | $39.34 | $6,819 | $5,533 |
| 90th percentile | $104,910 | $50.44 | $8,743 | $6,886 |
Graphic Designers: pay by state
53 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$60,215 take-home in national prices
2
$59,328 take-home in national prices
3
$55,741 take-home in national prices
Where a median graphic designer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 1,150 | $87,920 | $62,240 | $136,660 | $66,177 | $60,215 |
| Rhode Island | 750 | $78,220 | $49,330 | $107,580 | $60,681 | $59,328 |
| New York | 14,530 | $77,340 | $43,680 | $131,250 | $59,294 | $54,942 |
| Massachusetts | 4,450 | $76,710 | $47,830 | $108,970 | $58,827 | $55,625 |
| California | 27,390 | $75,130 | $46,190 | $129,560 | $57,922 | $52,314 |
| Maryland | 3,050 | $75,120 | $44,810 | $109,630 | $58,475 | $55,712 |
| New Jersey | 5,670 | $73,790 | $47,490 | $122,940 | $57,712 | $53,041 |
| Washington | 3,960 | $72,710 | $47,780 | $115,210 | $58,973 | $55,108 |
| Connecticut | 1,930 | $72,700 | $47,420 | $106,830 | $56,362 | $54,399 |
| Virginia | 4,740 | $72,310 | $39,020 | $121,680 | $56,356 | $55,741 |
| Colorado | 4,200 | $66,330 | $47,030 | $118,560 | $52,974 | $51,405 |
| Oregon | 4,140 | $66,040 | $45,260 | $170,680 | $50,408 | $48,769 |
| Vermont | 410 | $65,690 | $42,640 | $123,500 | $53,130 | $54,238 |
| Minnesota | 5,570 | $63,860 | $42,690 | $96,960 | $50,391 | $51,096 |
| Nevada | 1,570 | $62,890 | $39,470 | $88,890 | $52,712 | $52,723 |
| Alaska | 180 | $62,570 | $39,380 | $103,440 | $52,184 | $50,981 |
| Illinois | 8,960 | $62,560 | $36,060 | $98,750 | $49,495 | $49,516 |
| Utah | 2,720 | $62,310 | $39,170 | $96,810 | $49,866 | $50,439 |
| Florida | 12,660 | $61,660 | $39,810 | $101,860 | $51,724 | $50,016 |
| Pennsylvania | 8,150 | $60,730 | $39,430 | $102,090 | $49,070 | $50,291 |
| New Hampshire | 790 | $60,490 | $47,030 | $95,680 | $50,784 | $48,753 |
| Georgia | 5,920 | $60,250 | $34,860 | $100,110 | $48,333 | $50,194 |
| Texas | 13,670 | $60,150 | $36,340 | $92,910 | $50,511 | $52,042 |
| Delaware | 360 | $60,130 | $41,040 | $92,920 | $47,594 | $47,685 |
| Ohio | 7,280 | $60,080 | $39,050 | $99,370 | $49,246 | $53,081 |
| Maine | 560 | $60,030 | $39,160 | $79,000 | $47,740 | $49,191 |
| Wisconsin | 4,130 | $59,900 | $42,680 | $85,050 | $48,245 | $51,273 |
| Arizona | 3,560 | $58,510 | $43,780 | $88,590 | $48,124 | $47,800 |
| North Carolina | 5,660 | $58,450 | $37,680 | $95,380 | $47,321 | $50,168 |
| Hawaii | 520 | $58,070 | $31,890 | $91,080 | $45,939 | $41,782 |
| Michigan | 6,070 | $57,350 | $38,770 | $86,320 | $46,074 | $47,886 |
| Tennessee | 3,880 | $57,270 | $37,910 | $92,540 | $48,196 | $52,462 |
| South Carolina | 1,930 | $57,170 | $37,190 | $90,000 | $46,641 | $49,751 |
| Montana | 610 | $56,890 | $37,790 | $104,780 | $45,974 | $48,575 |
| Missouri | 4,500 | $56,750 | $36,950 | $83,270 | $46,049 | $50,705 |
| New Mexico | 850 | $56,730 | $35,400 | $75,680 | $46,262 | $50,169 |
| Nebraska | 1,670 | $56,700 | $37,440 | $78,840 | $46,038 | $51,095 |
| North Dakota | 460 | $56,470 | $37,610 | $75,700 | $47,554 | $53,456 |
| Indiana | 3,450 | $55,480 | $38,520 | $98,020 | $45,151 | $48,378 |
| Kansas | 1,730 | $53,630 | $37,440 | $86,260 | $43,079 | $47,829 |
| Oklahoma | 2,040 | $53,630 | $27,310 | $80,980 | $43,404 | $49,411 |
| Kentucky | 2,060 | $52,960 | $32,620 | $81,690 | $42,997 | $47,691 |
| Alabama | 1,760 | $51,070 | $33,050 | $89,130 | $41,099 | $46,270 |
| Idaho | 920 | $50,350 | $32,900 | $82,140 | $41,076 | $43,014 |
| Iowa | 2,100 | $50,310 | $36,970 | $75,510 | $41,344 | $47,109 |
| Louisiana | 1,750 | $49,910 | $35,910 | $76,300 | $41,172 | $46,676 |
| South Dakota | 470 | $48,390 | $36,290 | $66,620 | $41,061 | $46,352 |
| Arkansas | 1,390 | $46,220 | $31,570 | $79,730 | $38,095 | $43,819 |
| Mississippi | 830 | $45,640 | $32,260 | $75,480 | $37,758 | $43,424 |
| Wyoming | 240 | $45,150 | $32,820 | $82,990 | $38,458 | $41,491 |
| West Virginia | 520 | $40,350 | $29,530 | $61,640 | $33,547 | $37,484 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,280 | $34,180 | $25,640 | $65,920 | — | — |
| Guam | 70 | $33,800 | $26,880 | $46,120 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-1024. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.