2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Graphic Designers

United States. Estimated employment 197,830, with pages for 12 metro areas below.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 27-1024
Fig. 1 — The wage rule

Where you sit in the distribution

Drag the marker, or type a figure
$62,960 · 50th
$39,52010th
$49,04025th
$62,96050th
$81,83075th
$104,91090th

That is the medianhalf of graphic designers in the US earn more.

Table 1 — By metro area

Where it pays

Every published Graphic Designers page, by median pay. Employment is the BLS estimate for the metro.

Metro areaMedianEmployment
San Jose, CA$97,3601,280
San Francisco, CA$92,0503,870
New York, NY$79,28015,160
Santa Maria, CA$78,500210
Santa Rosa, CA$75,750210
Sacramento, CA$74,680920
Los Angeles, CA$72,40013,810
Kiryas Joel, NY$63,560250
Rochester, NY$63,530650
Albany, NY$63,200450
Buffalo, NY$60,000540
Utica, NY$58,550120
Sources

How this page was made

Wage data
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. Public domain.
Employment
197,830 employed in this occupation nationally (BLS estimate; excludes the self-employed).
Occupation
SOC 27-1024, Graphic Designers. Mapped to our taxonomy as graphic-designers.

Percentiles are reported exactly as released and are never interpolated between published values. We take no payment from employers, recruiters or anyone else for how any figure is presented.