Graphic Designer salaries across 50 U.S. cities, from BLS wage data: median and 10th-90th percentiles, plus cost-of-living-adjusted real pay. Compare metros.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS) & BEA Regional Price Parities · Updated June 2026
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Across the 50 U.S. metros tracked here, Graphic Designer pay ranges from about $40,670 in El Paso, TX to $96,260 in San Jose, CA (median wage). The U.S. national average for this role is about $64,700.
The table below ranks every metro by median wage. “Real pay” adjusts each salary for local cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parity, U.S. = 100) so you can compare what the paycheck is actually worth. See our methodology for sources and formulas.
| City | Median | 10th %ile | 90th %ile | Cost of living (US = 100) | Real pay (COL-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $96,260 | $52,690 | $164,460 | 110.4 | $87,192 |
| Oakland, CA | $92,380 | $50,460 | $144,690 | 115.6 | $79,913 |
| San Francisco, CA | $92,380 | $50,460 | $144,690 | 115.6 | $79,913 |
| Washington, DC | $80,100 | $47,690 | $122,450 | 108.9 | $73,554 |
| Boston, MA | $77,415 | $39,196 | $104,168 | 108.3 | $71,482 |
| New York, NY | $75,900 | $48,560 | $126,710 | 112.6 | $67,407 |
| Seattle, WA | $74,390 | $48,020 | $125,680 | 111.1 | $66,958 |
| Long Beach, CA | $74,050 | $41,240 | $121,440 | 113.6 | $65,185 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $74,050 | $41,240 | $121,440 | 113.6 | $65,185 |
| Sacramento, CA | $67,290 | $39,330 | $102,160 | 106.7 | $63,065 |
| San Diego, CA | $66,240 | $41,190 | $103,220 | 111.9 | $59,196 |
| Denver, CO | $65,520 | $44,950 | $101,040 | 105.8 | $61,928 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $63,080 | $42,620 | $100,940 | 104.8 | $60,191 |
| Raleigh, NC | $61,800 | $38,530 | $97,490 | 98.2 | $62,933 |
| Atlanta, GA | $61,500 | $37,190 | $98,510 | 100.1 | $61,439 |
| Fresno, CA | $61,340 | $36,740 | $89,690 | 102.2 | $60,020 |
| Austin, TX | $60,660 | $38,520 | $94,620 | 98.1 | $61,835 |
| Baltimore, MD | $60,480 | $36,600 | $98,560 | 104.5 | $57,876 |
| Columbus, OH | $60,060 | $36,390 | $96,300 | 95.5 | $62,890 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $59,640 | $39,150 | $94,550 | 102.6 | $58,129 |
| Portland, OR | $59,590 | $48,270 | $95,100 | 105.4 | $56,537 |
| Fort Worth, TX | $59,489 | $37,906 | $74,596 | 103.1 | $57,700 |
| Chicago, IL | $59,160 | $38,720 | $91,700 | 103.6 | $57,104 |
| Arlington, TX | $57,690 | $36,590 | $93,270 | — | — |
| Dallas, TX | $57,690 | $36,590 | $93,270 | 103.1 | $55,955 |
| Detroit, MI | $57,050 | $34,840 | $83,460 | 100.3 | $56,879 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $56,930 | $38,600 | $86,740 | 100.7 | $56,534 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $56,770 | $36,680 | $98,630 | 100.2 | $56,657 |
| Miami, FL | $56,350 | $37,780 | $102,070 | 114.2 | $49,343 |
| Omaha, NE | $56,280 | $36,050 | $79,200 | 91.9 | $61,240 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $55,760 | $38,180 | $79,980 | 96.9 | $57,544 |
| Charlotte, NC | $55,110 | $32,480 | $95,780 | 97.3 | $56,639 |
| Kansas City, MO | $53,960 | $36,600 | $86,820 | 92.5 | $58,335 |
| Tulsa, OK | $53,180 | $31,330 | $86,990 | 89.2 | $59,619 |
| San Antonio, TX | $53,100 | $33,950 | $89,980 | 94.7 | $56,072 |
| Houston, TX | $52,770 | $35,790 | $81,110 | 98.6 | $53,519 |
| Louisville, KY | $50,780 | $34,050 | $81,420 | 93.1 | $54,544 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $50,490 | $34,710 | $82,910 | 99.5 | $50,744 |
| Cleveland, OH | $50,030 | $35,380 | $76,750 | — | — |
| Nashville, TN | $49,660 | $29,120 | $86,740 | 96.3 | $51,568 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $49,560 | $36,230 | $76,000 | 95.7 | $51,787 |
| New Orleans, LA | $48,560 | $36,030 | $68,910 | 92.6 | $52,441 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $48,470 | $27,140 | $90,640 | 90.4 | $53,617 |
| Tucson, AZ | $48,050 | $35,660 | $80,910 | 96.9 | $49,587 |
| Memphis, TN | $47,520 | $35,580 | $79,220 | 92.2 | $51,540 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $47,500 | $38,240 | $107,050 | 103.3 | $45,983 |
| Mesa, AZ | $47,500 | $38,240 | $107,050 | 103.3 | $45,983 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $47,500 | $34,360 | $76,740 | 95.5 | $49,738 |
| Wichita, KS | $46,740 | $32,240 | $80,040 | 88.9 | $52,576 |
| El Paso, TX | $40,670 | $27,650 | $61,630 | 89.9 | $45,239 |
“Real pay” = average wage × 100 ÷ the metro’s Regional Price Parity — what the salary is worth in national-average dollars. A high-paying city with high costs can rank below a cheaper one on real pay.
The national average for Graphic Designers is $64,700 per year, based on BLS OEWS wage data. Metro-level pay varies widely: across the 50 cities we track, average pay runs from $40,670 in El Paso to $96,260 in San Jose.
San Jose leads after adjusting for the local cost of living: its $96,260 average pay is worth about $87,192 in national-average dollars, ahead of Oakland at $79,913.
Real pay divides the metro's average wage by its Regional Price Parity from the BEA, so expensive and cheap cities can be compared directly. San Jose's index is 110.4, so its $96,260 average equals about $87,192 in national buying power.
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| City | Annual salary | Years | Level | Reported |
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