Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

27-1024 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.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
191,550 1.0 % $23.41 $48,690 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $12.60 $16.06 $21.16 $28.56 $37.20
Annual Wage (2) $26,210 $33,410 $44,010 $59,410 $77,370

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Specialized Design Services 25,050 21.89 $24.59 $51,150
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers 24,190 5.01 $20.59 $42,820
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services 21,180 5.04 $23.91 $49,740
Printing and Related Support Activities 16,500 3.44 $19.24 $40,010
Computer Systems Design and Related Services 7,940 0.53 $26.08 $54,240

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Specialized Design Services 25,050 21.89 $24.59 $51,150
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services 21,180 5.04 $23.91 $49,740
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers 24,190 5.01 $20.59 $42,820
Printing and Related Support Activities 16,500 3.44 $19.24 $40,010
Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing 6,870 2.58 $19.25 $40,040

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 1,710 0.08 $36.33 $75,570
Amusement Parks and Arcades 80 0.05 $31.72 $65,980
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank 30 0.15 $31.56 $65,650
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 320 0.07 $31.16 $64,800
Motion Picture and Video Industries 3,910 1.11 $30.94 $64,350

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 26,450 1.88 1.26 $27.47 $57,140
New York 18,340 2.18 1.46 $28.65 $59,580
Texas 10,780 1.05 0.70 $21.43 $44,570
Florida 10,700 1.50 1.00 $20.86 $43,390
Illinois 10,600 1.90 1.27 $24.58 $51,120




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 1,510 2.34 1.56 $31.74 $66,030
Minnesota 5,710 2.20 1.47 $22.15 $46,060
New York 18,340 2.18 1.46 $28.65 $59,580
Illinois 10,600 1.90 1.27 $24.58 $51,120
California 26,450 1.88 1.26 $27.47 $57,140




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 1,510 2.34 1.56 $31.74 $66,030
New York 18,340 2.18 1.46 $28.65 $59,580
California 26,450 1.88 1.26 $27.47 $57,140
Connecticut 2,400 1.49 1.00 $26.22 $54,530
Virginia 5,280 1.49 0.99 $25.94 $53,950





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 14,510 2.87 1.92 $30.52 $63,480
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 9,500 2.48 1.66 $28.67 $59,630
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 8,360 2.33 1.56 $25.96 $53,990
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 4,590 1.99 1.33 $30.61 $63,670
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 4,580 2.67 1.79 $23.35 $48,560
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 3,600 1.61 1.08 $25.20 $52,410
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 3,320 1.83 1.22 $24.37 $50,690
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 3,060 1.83 1.22 $26.82 $55,790
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 2,960 3.08 2.06 $33.26 $69,190
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 2,900 1.14 0.76 $21.84 $45,430