Creative · 24 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Graphic Designer (2024)

The median Graphic Designer salary is $98,530 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Denver, CO offers the best purchasing power at $66,082 adjusted.

$66,852

National Median

$98,530

Highest City

$47,760

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$98,530	$57,030 – $170,940	195.8	$50,322	1,510
2	San Francisco, CA	$89,490	$50,810 – $145,990	179.6	$49,827	4,050
3	Seattle, WA	$82,630	$49,730 – $132,510	149.4	$55,308	3,880
4	Washington, DC	$82,360	$48,900 – $132,460	152.8	$53,901	4,670
5	Boston, MA	$78,000	$48,240 – $124,410	152.1	$51,282	3,690
6	New York, NY	$75,850	$49,710 – $128,230	187.2	$40,518	17,140
7	Los Angeles, CA	$75,820	$43,250 – $119,750	166	$45,675	14,060
8	Denver, CO	$74,540	$47,600 – $107,430	112.8	$66,082	2,900
9	Portland, OR	$68,710	$43,360 – $124,030	130.1	$52,813	2,330
10	Dallas, TX	$66,370	$38,500 – $80,670	104.1	$63,756	9,430
11	Chicago, IL	$62,490	$41,820 – $95,920	107.3	$58,239	6,080
12	Philadelphia, PA	$61,190	$39,380 – $100,380	118.4	$51,681	3,720
13	Minneapolis, MN	$61,100	$42,220 – $98,380	106.2	$57,533	3,750
14	Austin, TX	$61,040	$36,920 – $95,080	103	$59,262	1,960
15	Salt Lake City, UT	$60,640	$35,820 – $91,510	101.4	$59,803	1,660
16	Raleigh, NC	$59,910	$37,040 – $94,590	99.8	$60,030	1,210
17	Tampa, FL	$59,820	$36,960 – $83,820	99.6	$60,060	2,170
18	Atlanta, GA	$59,470	$37,310 – $98,750	99.2	$59,950	3,650
19	Detroit, MI	$58,840	$37,760 – $88,000	95.1	$61,872	2,430
20	Miami, FL	$57,770	$39,100 – $96,900	123.1	$46,929	4,850
21	Houston, TX	$56,380	$34,610 – $83,700	96.5	$58,425	2,570
22	Nashville, TN	$53,290	$30,280 – $90,320	100.3	$53,131	1,590
23	Phoenix, AZ	$52,450	$41,570 – $90,400	100.7	$52,085	3,410
24	Charlotte, NC	$47,760	$37,390 – $90,360	96.7	$49,390	2,400

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Graphic Designer paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Denver, CO	$66,082	$74,540	112.8
2	Dallas, TX	$63,756	$66,370	104.1
3	Detroit, MI	$61,872	$58,840	95.1
4	Tampa, FL	$60,060	$59,820	99.6
5	Raleigh, NC	$60,030	$59,910	99.8
6	Atlanta, GA	$59,950	$59,470	99.2
7	Salt Lake City, UT	$59,803	$60,640	101.4
8	Austin, TX	$59,262	$61,040	103
9	Houston, TX	$58,425	$56,380	96.5
10	Chicago, IL	$58,239	$62,490	107.3
11	Minneapolis, MN	$57,533	$61,100	106.2
12	Seattle, WA	$55,308	$82,630	149.4
13	Washington, DC	$53,901	$82,360	152.8
14	Nashville, TN	$53,131	$53,290	100.3
15	Portland, OR	$52,813	$68,710	130.1
16	Phoenix, AZ	$52,085	$52,450	100.7
17	Philadelphia, PA	$51,681	$61,190	118.4
18	Boston, MA	$51,282	$78,000	152.1
19	San Jose, CA	$50,322	$98,530	195.8
20	San Francisco, CA	$49,827	$89,490	179.6
21	Charlotte, NC	$49,390	$47,760	96.7
22	Miami, FL	$46,929	$57,770	123.1
23	Los Angeles, CA	$45,675	$75,820	166
24	New York, NY	$40,518	$75,850	187.2

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median Graphic Designer salary at $98,530. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Denver, CO offers the most purchasing power at $66,082 adjusted.

The national median Graphic Designer salary is $66,852 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $47,760 to $98,530 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.