Graphic designers

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

271k

Average Age

38.9

Estimated Job Growth

−3.8%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$54,990

Average Male Salary

$62,680

Average Female Salary

$47,788

About

Graphic designers are most often employed by the Specialized design services industry. The average yearly wage for Graphic designers was $54,990 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Graphic designers by wage are Production, planning, & expediting clerks, Supervisors of transportation & material moving workers, and Credit authorizers, checkers, & clerks.

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 Greenpoint & Williamsburg PUMA, NY, Bushwick PUMA, NY, and Jacksonville City (Southwest) PUMA, FL. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Graphic designers are Bushwick PUMA, NY, Santa Monica City PUMA, CA, and Greenpoint & Williamsburg PUMA, NY.

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 Putnam County PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Bushwick PUMA, NY.

Yearly Wage

$54,990

AVERAGE SALARY

± $2,282

In 2020, Graphic designers earned an average of $54,990, $963 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Supervisors of transportation & material moving workers make somewhat more than Graphic designers while Production, planning, & expediting clerks make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Graphic designers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.39

WAGE GINI

In 2019, Graphic designers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.39, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Graphic designers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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.

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.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Graphic designers, by number of employees, are Specialized design services, Advertising, public relations & related services, Printing & related support activities, Architectural, engineering & related services, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Management, scientific & technical consulting services, Computer Systems Design, Periodical, book, & directory publishers, Miscellaneous manufacturing, n.e.c. , Clothing stores, and Newspaper publishers.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Graphic designers, by average wage, are Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals, Aerospace products & parts manufacturing, and Bus service & urban transit.

Industries by Share

271k

2020 Workforce

± 12,768

1.27%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 6.6%

The number of people employed as Graphic designers has been growing at a rate of 1.27%, from 267,539 people in 2019 to 270,930 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Graphic designers employed by various industries. Specialized design services employs the largest share of Graphic designers at 19.4%, followed by Advertising, public relations & related services with 6.15% and Printing & related support activities with 5.23%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Graphic designers in the US. The average age of male Graphic designers in the workforce is 40.1 and of female Graphic designers is 37.8, and the most common race/ethnicity for Graphic designers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

131k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 8,883

140k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 9,178

51.6% of Graphic designers are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Graphic designers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Graphic designers

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

72.4% of Graphic designers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 8.41% of Graphic designers, Asian (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Graphic designers.

Age by Sex

40.1

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.846

37.8

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.837

The median age of Graphic designers is 38.9, and Male employees are generally 2.3 years older than than their Female counterparts.

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 Visual & Performing Arts.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Projections

Projections on job growth for Graphic Designers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Graphic Designers are expected to see a growth of −3.8% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

−3.8%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Graphic Designers. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.