Graphic Designers
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Graphic Designers in the United States earn a median salary of $62,960 per year — about $30 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 266K people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of +2%.
AI & Automation Risk
Graphic design is a fundamentally digital occupation where core tasks—image generation, layout creation, and photo editing—are being rapidly transformed by generative AI. While high-level creative direction and client management remain human-centric, the automation of production tasks significantly increases individual productivity, likely reducing the total number of designers needed for routine commercial work.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CABEST VALUE | $97,360 | Above avg (110.4) | $88,170 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $92,050 | Above avg (115.6) | $79,619 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $85,420 | Above avg (108.9) | $78,450 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | $76,140 | Average (98.4) | $77,417 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area | $81,800 | Above avg (106.9) | $76,546 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $74,520 | Average (100.1) | $74,461 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $75,790 | Above avg (104.5) | $72,535 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $78,270 | Above avg (108.3) | $72,294 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $78,500 | Above avg (108.8) | $72,152 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $75,650 | Above avg (105.4) | $71,760 |
| Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | $66,060 | Below avg (93.4) | $70,705 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $79,280 | Above avg (112.6) | $70,432 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $75,750 | Above avg (107.8) | $70,279 |
| Napa, CA | $79,090 | Above avg (112.6) | $70,268 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $74,680 | Above avg (106.7) | $70,010 |