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The national median salary for Graphic Designers is $61,298 per year ($29.47/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $47,195 and $78,998 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $103,022 per year. There are approximately 214,260 graphic designers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos. May use a variety of mediums to achieve artistic or decorative effects.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+2.1%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
20K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
266K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
3% from new growth97% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Specialized Design Services
NAICS 541400
25K
$63,410
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services
NAICS 541800
22K
$59,730
Printing and Related Support Activities
NAICS 323100
16K
$45,690
Computer Systems Design and Related Services
NAICS 541500
13K
$66,370
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
13K
$64,210
Wage range across top 5 industries: $45,690 to $66,370 (45% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$18.08
$37,606
P25
$22.69
$47,195
P50MEDIAN
$29.47
$61,298
P75
$37.98
$78,998
P90
$49.53
$103,022
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average graphic designers salary?
The national median salary for Graphic Designers is $61,298 per year ($29.47/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $47,195 and $78,998 annually.
How much do top-earning graphic designers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Graphic Designers is $103,022 per year ($49.53/hr). The 75th percentile is $78,998 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for graphic designers?
Entry-level Graphic Designers (10th percentile) earn approximately $37,606 per year ($18.08/hr). The 25th percentile is $47,195 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.