How much does a designer make?
Answer: A typical designer in the United States makes $64,950 a year (median, May 2025, US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Line up 100 people; this is the one in the middle (median). about 9,000 people work in this job. About the same as the US-wide typical pay ($50,980).
If 100 people had this job
Lowest at bottom-left, highest at top-rightHover over a person to see their yearly pay
Designer pay in the United States (May 2025, median and spread)
| Lower earner (10th from bottom) | Typical person (median) | Higher earner (10th from top) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|---|
| $43,030 | $64,950 | $129,110 | about 9,000 |
| State | Typical person (median) | People in this job |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $86,030 | about 1,000 |
| California | $65,420 | about 3,000 |
| New Jersey | $59,470 | about 550 |
| Georgia | $58,560 | about 810 |
Why does pay differ?
In the United States, pay can differ with experience, useful skills or credentials, employer, and design specialty. Location, industry, hours worked, and job success can matter too.
What if you lived in a different state?
Pay varies a lot by state in the USTop 5 and bottom 3 states, typical (median) yearly pay.
What does a designer do?
All designers not listed separately.
What's a typical day like?
Because this catch-all covers many specialties, days differ: a designer may talk with a client, sketch ideas, and make a digital draft or model. Then they share it, use feedback to revise it, and check details before delivery.
How to get this job
U.S. BLS lists a bachelor's degree as typical for this broad group, with no prior experience or extra on-the-job training; a portfolio can show your work. Some specialties, such as interior design, have state licensing rules.
Did you know?
Surprise: “Designers, All Other” is a catch-all for designers who don’t fit a more specific job category, so O*NET has no separate task profile for them.
Earn more in the same field
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media jobs that pay a bit moreSources and data
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (bls.gov); descriptions and related jobs from O*NET 31.0. Figures as of May 2025, full-time yearly pay (hourly × 2,080 hours). bls.gov/oes · O*NET OnLine
Pages used for the text
- www.bls.gov/emp/tables/education-and-training-by-occupation.htm
- www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-1029.00
- www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2015/article/wage-differences.htm
- www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/graphic-designers.htm
- www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/print/industrial-designers.htm
- www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/interior-designers.htm
Data: US BLS OEWS, May 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY