Graphic Designer Salary: Your 2026 Guide

Key takeaways

Graphic designers play a vital role in marketing, public relations, and advertising and earn above-average salaries in the United States. 

• The annual median total salary for a graphic designer is $73,000 [1]. 

• The highest-paying cities for graphic designers are Washington, DC, Boston, and Seattle. 

• You can lay the groundwork for a career in graphic design by obtaining a bachelor’s degree in visual communication, graphic design, or a related field. 

Discover how much you can expect to make as a graphic designer. Afterward, if you’re ready to build essential skills needed to succeed in the design field, consider enrolling in the Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation Specialization. You’ll have the opportunity to learn about visual design, business writing, storytelling, and more. 

What is a graphic designer?

Graphic designers are artists who work with digital or physical media to conceptualize and design creative content for various clients. As a graphic designer, you bring a creative element to advertising and marketing materials that is crucial for promoting the client or organization you are working with.

Graphic designers are often responsible for developing images, typically to accompany text, for various media. You may collaborate with other team members to create a recognizable brand for your customers. Graphic designers often use digital illustration software to create content, so an aptitude for technology is crucial in this career.

In multiple industries, graphic designers work with marketing and public relations professionals who use the designed graphic art to promote a client’s brand.

What is the annual salary for a graphic designer?

According to various salary and job outlook sources, the average pay range for graphic designers is $49,450 to $73,000 [2, 1]. Here are salary figures for graphic designers from five sources [2, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6]:

*Glassdoor salary information represents the median total pay. This figure includes base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

Factors that affect graphic designer salary

The exact salary you can expect to earn depends on your education, experience in the graphic design industry, and geographical location. 

Education

As a graphic designer, you typically need a bachelor’s degree in graphic design or another fine arts field, such as design or visual communication. A bachelor’s degree is the most common degree graphic designers hold, with 68 percent of professionals having one, according to Zippia [7]. 

Certified Web Professional (CWP) or Certified Digital Designer (CDD) certifications can set you apart from other applicants and raise your potential salary. The following salaries provided by Zippia can increase with your level of degree [2]:

• Some college/associate degree: $48,143

• Bachelor’s degree: $53,661

• Master’s degree: $58,581

Do you need a degree to be a graphic designer?

Most graphic designers earn a bachelor's degree to gain skills in design and foundational knowledge of graphic design software. Earning a bachelor’s degree also satisfies many employer requirements. However, one of the most important things for a graphic designer is their portfolio, which showcases their skills and previous projects. 

Experience

As is the case in most industries, your salary can generally go up depending on your experience level and how long you have worked within the graphic design industry. A good way for a potential graphic designer to gain experience before working professionally is to complete an internship. Internships allow you to improve your skills in graphic design while working alongside professionals in the industry. The following reported average salaries from Zippia increase with higher levels of experience [2]:

• Entry level: $30,897

• Mid-level: $43,312

• Senior level: $67,530

Industry

Graphic designers have access to many industries, including but not limited to advertising, printing, management services, specialized design services, and streaming services. Many graphic designers are self-employed, which allows them to work at their own pace and choose specific projects to focus on. As a potential graphic designer, you have the choice to pursue a variety of different careers in varied industries. You may want to evaluate whether your skill set and interests lie more in communication, creativity, marketing, or technology, and choose to enter the industry that best fits your niche abilities. 

Read more: What Does It Mean to Be Self-Employed?

Location

Location is another factor impacting your potential earnings as a graphic designer. The cost of living and taxes on your salary can impact your overall income. Whether you live in a metropolitan or nonmetropolitan area, the population size of your location can also impact your potential salary. 

The following list illustrates the range of salaries you may have depending on your location. These are the top 10 highest-paying cities in the US for graphic designers, according to Zippia [2]:

1. Washington, DC: $63,052

2. Boston, MA: $58,402

3. Seattle, WA: $57,758

4. New York, NY: $57,449

5. San Francisco, CA: $55,717

6. Fort Lee, NJ: $54,141

7. Philadelphia, PA: $51,554

8. Chicago, IL: $48,012

9. Denver, CO: $47,544

10. Urban Honolulu, HI: $47,530

Where do graphic designers work?

Graphic designers can choose to work in different settings. For example, you could work as a graphic designer directly for a company, creating their branding and marketing materials. Or, you could work for a graphic design firm or company providing work to multiple clients. In some cases, graphic designers prefer to work independently. As a graphic designer, you might be working in a studio where you have access to art supplies, digital software, and illustration tools. 

If you pursue a freelance route, you may have a wider range of clients to work with and more creative control over the work you create. If you choose to pursue graphic designer jobs within design or advertising firms or directly for a brand, you may be a part of a graphic design team and work more collaboratively. 

Job outlook

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports the job outlook for graphic designers will grow by 2 percent between 2024 and 2034 [5]. It also projects about 20,000 job openings, on average, annually for graphic designers [5]. The increase in digital media has resulted in a demand for graphic designers, as many companies want to create websites and online resources for their clients. 

Check out our free resources on graphic design

Subscribe to Career Chat on LinkedIn to get weekly updates on popular skills, tools, and certifications. Discover more about graphic design with our other free digital resources: 

• Watch on YouTube: Why Every Logo You Know Started Here: Inside a Graphic Designer's Career

• Plan your career trajectory: Graphic Design Career Paths: Explore Roles & Specializations

• Take a quiz: Which Graphic Design Course Should You Take? Find Out in 1 Minute

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