Graphic Designers Salary: $94,254 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 214,260 graphic designers nationally earn a mean of $94,254. Projections imply about 0.6% annual decline; CA accounts for about 26,120 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
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 percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $45,863 |
| 25th percentile | $58,713 |
| Median (50th) | $78,517 |
| 75th percentile | $102,214 |
| 90th percentile | $131,756 |
What education do you need?
For Graphic Designers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
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 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 214,260 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 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.