Occupations · Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Graphic Designers
Design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos. May use a variety of mediums to achieve artistic or decorative effects.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 27-1024.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 67% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $75,850 | 17,140 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $75,820 | 14,060 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $66,370 | 9,430 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $62,490 | 6,080 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $57,770 | 4,850 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $82,360 | 4,670 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $89,490 | 4,050 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $82,630 | 3,880 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $61,100 | 3,750 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $61,190 | 3,720 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $78,000 | 3,690 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $59,470 | 3,650 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: Bachelor's degree · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Key information into computer equipment to create layouts for client or supervisor.
- Review final layouts and suggest improvements, as needed.
- Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type.
- Develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Web sites.
- Create designs, concepts, and sample layouts, based on knowledge of layout principles and esthetic design concepts.
- Use computer software to generate new images.
- Prepare digital files for printing.
- Confer with clients to discuss and determine layout design.
- Research the target audience of projects.
- Draw and print charts, graphs, illustrations, and other artwork, using computer.
- Mark up, paste, and assemble final layouts to prepare layouts for printer.
- Study illustrations and photographs to plan presentation of materials, products, or services.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2023-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2023-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
Tasks O*NET flags as emerging
- Prepare digital files for printing.
- Research the target audience of projects.
- Write or edit copy for clients.
O*NET 27.3 emerging tasks
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 2 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 51
No longer listed 22
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| graphic designer | 2166.10 | exact |
| illustrator | 2166.11 | close |
| digital artist | 2166.6 | close |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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