Graphic Designer Salary by U.S. City (2026)

Graphic Designer salaries across 50 U.S. cities, from BLS wage data: median and 10th-90th percentiles, plus cost-of-living-adjusted real pay. Compare metros.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS) & BEA Regional Price Parities · Updated June 2026

Cities tracked
50
National average
$64,700

How Graphic Designer pay varies by city

Across the 50 U.S. metros tracked here, Graphic Designer pay ranges from about $40,670 in El Paso, TX to $96,260 in San Jose, CA (median wage). But the highest nominal pay isn’t the best deal once local prices are factored in: adjusted for cost of living, Wichita, KS delivers the strongest real buying power (about $284,699 in national-average dollars). The U.S. national average for this role is about $64,700.

The table below ranks every metro by median wage. “Real pay” adjusts each salary for local cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parity, U.S. = 100) so you can compare what the paycheck is actually worth. See our methodology for sources and formulas.

CityMedian10th %ile90th %ileCost of living
(US = 100)		Real pay
(COL-adjusted)
San Jose, CA$96,260$52,690$164,460110.4$93,513
Oakland, CA$92,380$50,460$144,690115.6$82,525
San Francisco, CA$92,380$50,460$144,690115.6$82,525
Washington, DC$80,100$47,690$122,450108.9$77,339
Boston, MA$77,415$39,196$104,168108.3$71,504
New York, NY$75,900$48,560$126,710112.6$72,590
Seattle, WA$74,390$48,020$125,680111.1$72,769
Long Beach, CA$74,050$41,240$121,440113.6$69,000
Los Angeles, CA$74,050$41,240$121,440113.6$69,000
Sacramento, CA$67,290$39,330$102,160106.7$65,923
San Diego, CA$66,240$41,190$103,220111.9$63,788
Denver, CO$65,520$44,950$101,040105.8$67,526
Minneapolis, MN$63,080$42,620$100,940104.8$64,929
Raleigh, NC$61,800$38,530$97,49098.2$68,961
Atlanta, GA$61,500$37,190$98,510100.1$65,522
Fresno, CA$61,340$36,740$89,690102.2$61,718
Austin, TX$60,660$38,520$94,62098.1$65,721
Baltimore, MD$60,480$36,600$98,560104.5$62,103
Columbus, OH$60,060$36,390$96,30095.5$66,189
Philadelphia, PA$59,640$39,150$94,550102.6$61,460
Portland, OR$59,590$48,270$95,100105.4$63,896
Fort Worth, TX$59,489$37,906$74,596103.1$57,706
Chicago, IL$59,160$38,720$91,700103.6$60,785
Arlington, TX$57,690$36,590$93,270——
Dallas, TX$57,690$36,590$93,270103.1$58,881
Detroit, MI$57,050$34,840$83,460100.3$58,665
Colorado Springs, CO$56,930$38,600$86,740100.7$61,475
Las Vegas, NV$56,770$36,680$98,630100.2$61,448
Miami, FL$56,350$37,780$102,070114.2$54,496
Omaha, NE$56,280$36,050$79,20091.9$62,800
Milwaukee, WI$55,760$38,180$79,98096.9$59,255
Charlotte, NC$55,110$32,480$95,78097.3$64,079
Kansas City, MO$53,960$36,600$86,82092.5$62,295
Tulsa, OK$53,180$31,330$86,99089.2$64,385
San Antonio, TX$53,100$33,950$89,98094.7$60,908
Houston, TX$52,770$35,790$81,11098.6$58,086
Louisville, KY$50,780$34,050$81,42093.1$59,200
Jacksonville, FL$50,490$34,710$82,91099.5$56,763
Cleveland, OH$50,030$35,380$76,750——
Nashville, TN$49,660$29,120$86,74096.3$57,848
Indianapolis, IN$49,560$36,230$76,00095.7$55,572
New Orleans, LA$48,560$36,030$68,91026.3$194,373
Oklahoma City, OK$48,470$27,140$90,64090.4$59,740
Tucson, AZ$48,050$35,660$80,91096.9$55,420
Memphis, TN$47,520$35,580$79,22092.2$59,102
Albuquerque, NM$47,500$34,360$76,74095.5$55,837
Mesa, AZ$47,500$38,240$107,050103.3$60,562
Phoenix, AZ$47,500$38,240$107,050103.3$60,562
Wichita, KS$46,740$32,240$80,04018.3$284,699
El Paso, TX$40,670$27,650$61,63089.9$48,992

“Real pay” = average wage × 100 ÷ the metro’s Regional Price Parity — what the salary is worth in national-average dollars. A high-paying city with high costs can rank below a cheaper one on real pay.

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