How much should I pay a graphic designers in 2026?

A competitive 2026 offer for Graphic Designers is $62,962 to $81,827 (market median to the 75th percentile). BLS ECI shows professional services wages growing about 2.5% a year, so budget a similar annual increase to stay at market.

Is a salary competitive for a graphic designers?

Compare it to the BLS OEWS range: below $49,046 is below market, $62,962 to $81,827 is competitive, and above $81,827 is above market for Graphic Designers.

How is graphic designers pay changing in 2026?

Median pay for this role rose 2.7% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, roughly in line with the 2.5% wage growth of Professional & Business Services (BLS ECI). Professional & Business Services is running a 5.5% job-openings rate with quits at 2.2% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has cooled for 2 straight months (6.2% down to 5.5%).

Graphic Designers Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks

SOC 27-1024 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data

Median Annual Salary

$62,962

$30.27/hr

Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026

Is this a competitive Graphic Designers salary in 2026?

Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.

Check a salary or offer:$Competitive · ~P50

P10$40K

P25$49K

P50$63K

P75$82K

P90$105K

Drag the dot or type an amount above.

🔥

Demand: HOT. Demand is hot -- professional & business services job openings are running at 5.5% (JOLTS, June 2026), a tight market. Candidates have leverage, so a competitive offer sits at or above the median; below-median offers often will not close.

📈

Merit budget: Wages in professional services are rising about 2.5% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.1-2.6% merit increase to hold this role at market.

Our read

For a competitive 2026 offer, target $62,962 to $81,827 (market median to the 75th percentile). Lean toward the top of the range for senior or hard-to-fill roles.

Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.

How Graphic Designers pay is moving in 2026

Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI

Pay trend

Median pay for this role rose 2.7% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, roughly in line with the 2.5% wage growth of Professional & Business Services (BLS ECI).

Hiring demand · HOT

Professional & Business Services is running a 5.5% job-openings rate with quits at 2.2% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has cooled for 2 straight months (6.2% down to 5.5%).

Pay spread

Top earners (P90) make about 2.7 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is wider than typical, so expect large pay differences by experience, employer size, and geography; build generous ranges and differentiate strongly.

What changed recently

Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 5.5% (down 0.3pp), still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: sector wages growing 2.5% per year. Nationally, wages rose 3.2% while CPI hit 3.5%, so real wages turned negative.

Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.

Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026

Next refresh: May 2027

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The national median salary for Graphic Designers is $62,962 per year ($30.27/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $49,046 and $81,827 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $104,915 per year. There are approximately 197,830 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	23K	$63,780
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services NAICS 541800	20K	$61,200
Printing and Related Support Activities NAICS 323100	15K	$47,120
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services NAICS 541600	12K	$74,340
Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing NAICS 339900	10K	$50,190

Wage range across top 5 industries: $47,120 to $74,340 (58% spread)

Wage Percentiles

Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)

Percentile	Hourly Rate	Annual Salary
P10	$19.00	$39,520
P25	$23.58	$49,046
P50MEDIAN	$30.27	$62,962
P75	$39.34	$81,827
P90	$50.44	$104,915

Market Context Signal

JOLTS · professional sector

Hot

Openings Rate

5.5%

Quits Rate

2.2%

Professional & Business Services openings eased to 1.30M in June (-71K), rate 5.5% -- still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%. White-collar demand is cooling at the edges but remains the tightest market.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average graphic designers salary?

The national median salary for Graphic Designers is $62,962 per year ($30.27/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $49,046 and $81,827 annually.

How much do top-earning graphic designers make?

The 90th percentile salary for Graphic Designers is $104,915 per year ($50.44/hr). The 75th percentile is $81,827 per year.

What is the entry-level salary for graphic designers?

Entry-level Graphic Designers (10th percentile) earn approximately $39,520 per year ($19.00/hr). The 25th percentile is $49,046 per year.

Related Salary Data

Compare with other occupations

Public Relations Specialists27-3031$75K/yr Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers27-1026$39K/yr Producers and Directors27-2012$90K/yr Editors27-3041$78K/yr Interior Designers27-1025$67K/yr Browse all 770+ occupations →

Graphic Designers Salary by State

Top 5 states by employment

California27,390 workers New York14,530 workers Texas13,670 workers Florida12,660 workers Illinois8,960 workers

About This Data

Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 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.

Next OEWS release: May 2027Verify on BLS.gov →

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