Graphic designers

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Total Workforce

271k

Average Age

37.8

Average Salary

$51,022

Average Male Salary

$57,104

Average Female Salary

$45,231

About

Employment

Diversity

Education

About

Graphic designers are most often employed by the Specialized design services industry. The average yearly wage for Graphic designers was $51,022 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Graphic designers by wage are New accounts clerks, Flight attendants, and Construction equipment operators.

Graphic designers are part of the Arts, design, entertainment, sports, & media occupations, along with Artists & related workers, Commercial and industrial designers, Fashion designers, Floral designers, Graphic designers, and 25 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Graphic designers are Portland City (Northwest & Southwest) PUMA, OR, Brooklyn Heights & Fort Greene PUMA, NY, and Greenpoint & Williamsburg PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Graphic designers are Santa Monica City PUMA, CA, Portland City (Northwest & Southwest) PUMA, OR, and Brooklyn Heights & Fort Greene PUMA, NY.

Photo by David Barrie

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Education, legal, community service, arts, & media occupations Arts, design, entertainment, sports, & media occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Graphic designers and on wages and locations for those in the field. Specialized design services is the industry that employs the most Graphic designers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Graphic designers, by average wage, is Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals. Graphic designers are paid most in Mountain View, Palo Alto & Los Altos Cities PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Santa Monica City PUMA, CA.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$51,022

AVERAGE SALARY

± $2,107

In 2018, Graphic designers earned an average of $51,022, $2,866 less than than the average national salary of $53,888.

Construction equipment operators make somewhat more than Graphic designers while New accounts clerks make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Graphic designers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

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Wage Distribution

0.364

WAGE GINI

In 2018, Graphic designers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.364, which is lower than than the national average of 0.479. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Graphic designers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Graphic designers.

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Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Graphic designers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Graphic designers.

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Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Graphic designers, by number of employees, are Specialized design services, Advertising, public relations & related services, and Printing & related support activities.

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Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Graphic designers, by average wage, are Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals, Aircraft & parts manufacturing, and Electronic component & product manufacturing, n.e.c. .

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Industries by Share

271k

2018 Workforce

± 12,762

This graphic shows the share of Graphic designers employed by various industries. Specialized design services employs the largest share of Graphic designers at 20.4%, followed by Advertising, public relations & related services with 8.55% and Printing & related support activities with 6.9%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Graphic designers in the US. The average age of male Graphic designers in the workforce is 38.5 and of female Graphic designers is 37.1, and the most common race/ethnicity for Graphic designers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

132k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 8,917

139k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 9,138

51.2% of Graphic designers are Female, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Graphic designers.

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Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Graphic designers

White (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)

71.9% of Graphic designers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 8.34% of Graphic designers, White (Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Graphic designers.

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Age by Gender

38.5

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.769

37.1

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.824

The median age of Graphic designers is 37.8, and Male employees are generally 1.47 years older than than their Female counterparts.

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Education

Data on higher education choices for Graphic designers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Graphic designers is Visual & Performing Arts but a relatively high number of Graphic designers hold a major in Communication Technologies.