Graphic Designers
Graphic Designers earn an average annual salary of $94,254, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only. The field combines competitive compensation with strong employment opportunities, making it an attractive career path.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Graphic Designers workforce.
Employment Over Time
28,310 Workforce in 2023
The Graphic Designers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Graphic Designers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$94,254 Average Wage
In 2023, Graphic Designers earned an average of $94,254.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Graphic Designers.
Salary distribution for Graphic Designers.
Employment Growth Projections
-0.6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
106,876 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -2.9%
103,784 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -5.7%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Graphic Designers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Graphic Designers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Graphic Designers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Graphic Designers.
Wage Trends by Industry
15.1% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Graphic Designers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Graphic Designers.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 26,120 employees, $83,809 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Graphic Designers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 10,750 employees, $90,809 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 3,310 employees, $85,424 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 2,370 employees, $113,665 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 2,100 employees, N/A avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 1,510 employees, $122,491 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 1,450 employees, $99,273 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 1,330 employees, $72,940 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 1,070 employees, $82,328 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 400 employees, $85,400 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 250 employees, $64,414 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Graphic Designers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Graphic Designers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Graphic Designers in 2023 was 28,310 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Graphic Designers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Graphic Designers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Graphic Designers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Graphic Designers in 2023 were Graphic Design, Visual Arts, Communication Design.
Common majors for Graphic Designers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Graphic Designers workers.
Education level distribution for Graphic Designers.
Skills
Graphic Designers need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Active Learning, Critical Thinking, Writing.
Required skills for Graphic Designers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Graphic Designers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Graphic Designers include Design, Computers and Electronics, Fine Arts, Communications and Media, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Graphic Designers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Graphic Designers include Originality, Near Vision, Fluency of Ideas, Written Comprehension, Oral Comprehension.
Required abilities for Graphic Designers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Graphic Designers.
Daily Activities
Graphic Designers spend their time on activities such as Thinking Creatively, Working with Computers, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.
Most important work activities for Graphic Designers.
About
Graphic Designers
The average yearly wage for Graphic Designers was $94,254 in 2023.
SOC Code
27-1024 - Graphic Designers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Graphic Designers reports an average salary of $94,254.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 28,310 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.6%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.