Graphic Designers Salary: $61,300 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 214,260 graphic designers work nationally, and $61,300 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 0.6% annual decline; much hiring sits in professional, scientific, and technical services.
Graphic Designers: what the data shows
Common questions about graphic designers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a graphic designers?
Graphic Designers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 27-1024.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 214,260 workers.
What does a graphic designers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Thinking Creatively, Working with Computers, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a graphic designers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $61,300 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $94,254 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $45,863 |
| 25th percentile | $58,713 |
| Median (50th) | $78,517 |
| 75th percentile | $102,214 |
| 90th percentile | $131,756 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, Active Learning, Critical Thinking, Writing, Social Perceptiveness, and knowledge areas including Design, Computers and Electronics, Fine Arts, Communications and Media. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is graphic designers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.6% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -2.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -5.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 214,260.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do graphic designerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 214,260 | 19.3% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 205,290 | 18.5% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 81,130 | 7.3% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 81,130 | 7.3% |
| Manufacturing | 37,680 | 3.4% |
| Specialized Design Services | 25,220 | 2.3% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Graphic Designers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Art Directors | 50,370 | $111,040 |
| Multimedia Artists and Animators | 21,280 | $99,800 |
| Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance | 3,320 | $50,280 |
| Floral Designers | 40,160 | $36,120 |
| Craft Artists | 4,370 | $38,480 |
| Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators | 10,000 | $60,560 |
| Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons | 7,220 | $38,140 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Graphic Designers workforce.
Employment Over Time
214,260 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Graphic Designers shrank from 120,900 in 2009 to 110,060 in 2025 (9.0%).
Historical employment for Graphic Designers from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$61,300 Median pay (BLS national)
Graphic Designers earn $61,300 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 28,310 employees, $91,760 avg wage
- TX: 19,360 employees, $60,250 avg wage
- NY: 16,730 employees, $81,020 avg wage
- FL: 14,010 employees, $62,750 avg wage
- PA: 8,280 employees, $61,600 avg wage
- IL: 7,900 employees, $64,070 avg wage
- NC: 7,210 employees, $61,010 avg wage
- OH: 7,010 employees, $58,930 avg wage
- MI: 5,990 employees, $57,150 avg wage
- NJ: 5,870 employees, $74,200 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Graphic Designers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 17,140 employees, $83,490 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 14,060 employees, $87,170 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 9,430 employees, $64,360 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 6,080 employees, $66,850 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 4,850 employees, $64,770 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 4,670 employees, $88,580 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 4,050 employees, $104,770 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 3,880 employees, $89,500 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 3,750 employees, $67,160 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 3,720 employees, $67,160 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 U.S. workforce for Graphic Designers is about 214,260 people in our OEWS extract.
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
Graphic Designers earn $61,300 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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 214,260 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.