Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 27-1024

Graphic Designers

The published band from $39,520 to $104,910 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Art Directors.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Graphic Designers: Art Directors ($115K) , Sound Engineering Technicians ($73K) , Special Effects Artists and Animators ($102K) , Media and Communication Workers, All Other ($74K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Graphic Designers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 27-1024 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Key information into computer equipment to create layouts for client or supervisor
  2. 2. Review final layouts and suggest improvements, as needed
  3. 3. Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type
  4. 4. Develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Web sites
  5. 5. Create designs, concepts, and sample layouts, based on knowledge of layout principles and esthetic design concepts
  6. 6. Use computer software to generate new images
  7. 7. Prepare digital files for printing
  8. 8. Confer with clients to discuss and determine layout design
  9. 9. Research the target audience of projects
  10. 10. Draw and print charts, graphs, illustrations, and other artwork, using computer
  11. 11. Mark up, paste, and assemble final layouts to prepare layouts for printer
  12. 12. Study illustrations and photographs to plan presentation of materials, products, or services

Graphic Designers: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 27-1024 - lead skill Active Listening at 3.8 ; lead knowledge Design. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.8
  2. 2. Speaking 3.4
  3. 3. Writing 3.3
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.3
  5. 5. Active Learning 3.3
  6. 6. Reading Comprehension 3.1
  7. 7. Social Perceptiveness 3.1
  8. 8. Coordination 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Design 4.7
  2. 2. Computers and Electronics 4.4
  3. 3. Fine Arts 4.4
  4. 4. Communications and Media 4.3
  5. 5. English Language 3.8
  6. 6. Sales and Marketing 3.6
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$39,520 to $104,910
median $62,960 · ~2.7× spread
$63K
National median
↑ +2%
Growth 2024-2034
20,000
Annual openings
197,830
Estimated US jobs
Art Directors
Highest-pay peer · $115K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Graphic Designers

1. Maryland $75,120
2. District of Columbia $87,920
3. Connecticut $72,700
4. California $75,130
5. Massachusetts $76,710
6. Rhode Island $78,220
7. New York $77,340
8. New Jersey $73,790
9. Virginia $72,310
10. Washington $72,710

Other Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles

  1. 1. Art Directors $114,850
  2. 2. Special Effects Artists and Animators $102,030
  3. 3. Media and Communication Workers, All Other $73,620
  4. 4. Sound Engineering Technicians $73,130
  5. 5. Writers and Authors $76,910
  6. 6. Public Relations Specialists $74,750

The OEWS band for Graphic Designers runs from $39,520 (10th) to $104,910 (90th), about 2.7× wide, with median $62,960. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +2% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 20,000 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Maryland at $75,120. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Art Directors at $114,850. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Graphic Designers pay-rank #23 in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

Graphic Designers sits at pay-rank #23 of 36 detailed Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Graphic Designers is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Graphic Designers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 27-1024

Maryland · top state for Graphic Designers

$75K published median

District of Columbia · #2 state pay

$88K · behind Maryland

Art Directors

Highest-pay peer vs Graphic Designers · $115K

Sound Engineering Technicians

Lower-pay peer beside Graphic Designers · $73K

Compare Graphic Designers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Graphic Designers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Graphic Designers mid-table among Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #23 of 36 detailed Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists ($62K), Designers, All Other ($65K), Athletes and Sports Competitors ($67K), Interior Designers ($67K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do graphic designers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Graphic Designers. Leading ones include: Key information into computer equipment to create layouts for client or supervisor; Review final layouts and suggest improvements, as needed; Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type; Develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Web sites. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for graphic designers? ▼
For SOC 27-1024, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.8), Speaking (3.4), Writing (3.3), Critical Thinking (3.3). Knowledge areas emphasize Design, Computers and Electronics, Fine Arts. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Graphic Designers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $39,520 and the 90th at $104,910 for Graphic Designers (2.7× spread). The national median is $62,960. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Graphic Designers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Graphic Designers is +2%. Projected annual openings: about 20,000. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Graphic Designers? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Graphic Designers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Graphic Designers? ▼
Maryland ($75,120), District of Columbia ($87,920), Connecticut ($72,700) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Graphic Designers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 27-1024. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Graphic Designers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics