2027 Salary Guide · Marketing & Creative
The median graphic designer earned $62,960 in May 2025, according to BLS, which works out to about $67,000 in 2027 terms. The top tenth of the occupation starts at $104,910. Art directors, the usual next step, have a median of $114,850, which is why many designers' largest raise comes with a change of title rather than a promotion inside the role.
Pay distribution
BLS reports graphic designers as a single occupation, so the plain Graphic Designer title spans the whole range. The shaded band marks the middle half, $49,040 to $81,830.
Typical for the Graphic Designer title: $49,040 to $81,830 (25th to 75th percentile of Graphic Designers)
| Percentile | BLS, May 2025 | 2027 planning estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,520 | $42,000 |
| 25th percentile | $49,040 | $52,000 |
| Median | $62,960 | $67,000 |
| 75th percentile | $81,830 | $87,000 |
| 90th percentile | $104,910 | $111,500 |
Career ladder
BLS does not publish pay by experience. These stages place common design titles on the BLS percentiles for graphic designers, with art direction shown as the separate occupation it is.
About $39,500 to $49,000 (10th to 25th percentile)
Prepares files for print and digital output, resizes campaigns and builds layouts from an existing brand system. O*NET lists Production Artist as a reported title in this occupation.
About $49,000 to $82,000 (25th to 75th percentile)
Develops concepts, chooses type and image treatments and presents work to clients or stakeholders. Designers who also handle web layouts, motion or packaging move toward the top of this band.
About $82,000 to $105,000 (75th to 90th percentile)
Owns a brand system or a major account and reviews other designers' work. This is close to the top of what the occupation pays.
Median $114,850 (Art Directors occupation)
Sets the visual direction for campaigns and supervises designers. BLS counts this as a different occupation with its own pay scale.
Local pay
The San Francisco Bay Area ($92,050) and Washington, DC ($85,420) lead. New York City has the most graphic designers, about 15,160, followed by Los Angeles with about 13,810. At the bottom, Pittsburgh's median of $57,830 is about $34,000 below the Bay Area. BLS does not publish a San Diego figure for this occupation.
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | $92,050 +46% | $54,470 – $142,460 | 3,870 |
| Washington, DC | $85,420 +36% | $48,580 – $131,810 | 4,420 |
| New York City | $79,280 +26% | $47,490 – $132,520 | 15,160 |
| Boston | $78,270 +24% | $51,440 – $116,000 | 3,560 |
| Seattle | $76,720 +22% | $51,660 – $125,220 | 2,710 |
| Baltimore | $75,790 +20% | $45,990 – $107,120 | 1,350 |
| Portland | $75,650 +20% | $47,890 – $170,680 | 3,090 |
| Denver | $72,500 +15% | $47,990 – $123,900 | 2,590 |
| Los Angeles | $72,400 +15% | $45,500 – $123,590 | 13,810 |
| Hartford | $70,870 +13% | $47,180 – $110,000 | 500 |
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Providence | $70,450 +12% | $47,180 – $107,580 | 970 |
| Chicago | $66,490 +6% | $43,750 – $100,620 | 6,590 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | $65,610 +4% | $46,900 – $101,890 | 3,690 |
| Austin | $65,060 +3% | $40,690 – $101,690 | 1,880 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $63,780 +1% | $38,960 – $94,510 | 4,790 |
| Albany | $63,200 +0% | $44,340 – $100,460 | 450 |
| Philadelphia | $63,090 +0% | $44,610 – $102,140 | 3,360 |
| Tampa | $62,900 +-0% | $38,280 – $94,760 | 1,870 |
| Atlanta | $62,680 +-0% | $36,860 – $103,100 | 4,060 |
| Miami | $61,870 -2% | $44,370 – $105,940 | 3,950 |
| Raleigh | $61,700 -2% | $39,010 – $96,430 | 1,040 |
| Nashville | $60,370 -4% | $43,200 – $95,880 | 1,590 |
| Detroit | $60,210 -4% | $44,610 – $91,390 | 2,710 |
| Buffalo | $60,000 -5% | $40,280 – $97,120 | 540 |
| Charlotte | $59,810 -5% | $39,380 – $95,380 | 1,640 |
| Phoenix | $59,090 -6% | $45,760 – $89,390 | 2,810 |
| Houston | $58,400 -7% | $34,270 – $90,590 | 2,770 |
| Pittsburgh | $57,830 -8% | $40,970 – $86,680 | 1,200 |
BLS metro estimates, May 2025. Percent compares the metro median with the national median. "Jobs" is BLS estimated employment in the metro; blank where BLS does not publish it.
Outlook
BLS expects graphic design employment to decline over the next decade. Its stated reason is that automated design tools, including AI, are making designers more productive, which may reduce the number of designers organizations need. BLS adds that companies' growing digital presence should keep up demand for layout and branding work.
Openings still exist because people leave the occupation: BLS projects about 16,000 a year. About 20% of graphic designers are self-employed. The largest employing industries are specialized design firms (9%), advertising and PR agencies (8%), the information sector, which includes publishing and media (7%), and printing companies (6%).
For pay, the practical takeaway is that layout and production work alone sits in the lower half of the range. Designers who add motion, interface design or art direction move toward occupations BLS pays more, as the comparison table on this page shows.
Outlook
BLS projects a decline for the occupation from 2025 to 2035. With about 253,100 graphic designers, it still expects around 16,000 openings a year, mostly from designers who retire or move into other work.
BLS Employment Projections via O*NET OnLine. Projections cover Graphic Designers as a whole.
Compare
Every adjacent role in this table has a median above $100,000, while the graphic designer median is $62,960. Art directors lead at $114,850, about $52,000 more.
| Role | BLS median | 2027 estimate | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic Designer | $62,960 | $67,000 | Decline |
| Art Director | $114,850 | $122,000 | Average |
| Motion Graphics Designer | $102,030 | $108,500 | Little or no change |
| UX Designer | $104,000 | $110,500 | Faster than average |
| Web Designer | $104,000 | $110,500 | Faster than average |
For job seekers
BLS says candidates should have a portfolio that shows creativity and originality. Lead with the kind of work the employer does: packaging for a consumer brand, campaigns for an agency, data graphics for a publisher.
O*NET lists Adobe Creative Cloud, Illustrator, InDesign and After Effects, along with Figma and Canva, among the tools graphic designers use. Figma and After Effects point toward interface and motion work.
O*NET tasks include conferring with clients on layouts and researching the target audience. Show the problem each project solved, not only the finished piece.
A remote role priced off a Bay Area or Washington, DC median pays more than one priced off Houston or Pittsburgh. Ask which location the range is based on.
FAQ
Half of employed graphic designers earned more than $62,960 in May 2025, and half earned less, per BLS. The middle half earned between $49,040 and $81,830, and the top tenth more than $104,910. Adding two years of wage growth at 3.1% a year gives a 2027 planning median of about $67,000.
The BLS hourly median was $30.27 in May 2025, with the 10th percentile at $19.00 and the 90th at $50.44. These are employee wages. Freelance rates are set differently because they have to cover software, equipment, benefits and unbilled time, and BLS does not measure them.
A junior designer's first offer is not something BLS reports. The 10th percentile, $39,520, and the 25th percentile, $49,040, are reasonable markers for entry-level and production roles. A first job in the Bay Area, Washington, DC or New York City will usually be priced above those national figures.
BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education, and O*NET places the occupation in Job Zone Four. Employers weigh the portfolio heavily, so a strong body of work matters at least as much as the credential. BLS says candidates should have a portfolio that shows creativity and originality, and that applies with or without a degree.
Design work is shrinking a little, not disappearing. BLS projects a small decline in employment from 2025 to 2035 as AI and other automated tools make designers more productive. It still expects about 16,000 openings a year, and designers who add motion or interface skills can move into occupations with higher medians.
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