Desktop publishers
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Desktop publishers in the United States earn a median salary of $55,290 per year — about $27 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 5K people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of -12%.
AI & Automation Risk
The work product is entirely digital and involves routine information processing, layout design, and basic editing—all areas where AI is highly proficient. Generative AI and automated layout tools can now handle text integration, image adjustment, and formatting with minimal human intervention, leading to a projected decline in the occupation as these tasks are automated or absorbed by other roles using AI tools.
Salary by City — What You Actually Take Home
Real purchasing power = salary adjusted for cost of living. Higher = more money in your pocket.
| City | Local Salary | Cost of Living | Real Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHBEST VALUE | $80,960 | Above avg (108.3) | $74,779 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $77,740 | Above avg (105.8) | $73,491 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77,750 | Above avg (106.7) | $72,888 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $82,010 | Above avg (113.6) | $72,214 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $83,280 | Above avg (115.6) | $72,033 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $72,590 | Above avg (108.9) | $66,667 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $68,060 | Above avg (103.1) | $66,020 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $63,030 | Above avg (104.5) | $60,323 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $61,020 | Above avg (105.4) | $57,882 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $58,130 | Above avg (103.6) | $56,113 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $54,980 | Average (98.1) | $56,064 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $63,020 | Above avg (112.6) | $55,986 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $57,310 | Above avg (104.8) | $54,674 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | $50,980 | Below avg (95.7) | $53,273 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $50,770 | Average (98.6) | $51,476 |