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Design Services Specialist I Salary in the United States

How much does a Design Services Specialist I make in the United States?

As of August 01, 2026, the average salary for a Design Services Specialist I in the United States is $59,800 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $29.

However, a Design Services Specialist I's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $70,690
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $52,400 to $65,500
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $45,663
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View as table View as graph 25% $52,400 10% $45,663 90% $70,690 75% $65,500 $59,800 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Design Services Specialist I Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $65,500 $5,458 $1,260 $31
Average $59,800 $4,983 $1,150 $29
25th Percentile $52,400 $4,367 $1,008 $25
Check out Design Services Specialist I Job Openings in the United States
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Department of the Air Force - Columbus, OH

FLIGHT SERVICES SPECIALIST

US Government Jobs - Columbus, OH

Search More Design Services Specialist I Jobs in the United States

Key Factors That Influence Design Services Specialist I Salaries

A Design Services Specialist I's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Design Services Specialist Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Design Services Specialist I's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Design Services Specialist I (0-2 years): $59,725
  • Design Services Specialist II (2-4 years): $69,978
  • Design Services Specialist III (4-7 years): $84,956
  • Design Services Specialist IV (7+ years): $104,915
  • Design Services Specialist V (7-10 years): $123,338
Job Role Years of Experience Average Salary
Design Services Specialist I0-2 years$59,725
Design Services Specialist II2-4 years$69,978
Design Services Specialist III4-7 years$84,956
Design Services Specialist IV7+ years$104,915
Design Services Specialist V7-10 years$123,338
$59,725 Design Se...
$69,978 Design Se...
$84,956 Design Se...
$104,915 Design Se...
$123,338 Design Se...
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What Am I Worth?

How Do Design Services Specialist I Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Design Services Specialist Is. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

  • District of Columbia: $66,200.
  • California: $65,900.
  • Massachusetts: $65,000.

Top Paying Cities for Design Services Specialist Is

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $75,400
  • San Francisco: $74,600
  • Oakland: $73,000

What Skills Can Increase a Design Services Specialist I's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Presentation (Mentioned in 4.45% Job Postings): Presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience. Presentations are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product.
  • Typography (Mentioned in 2.77% Job Postings): Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing (leading), and letter-spacing (tracking), and adjusting the space between pairs of letters (kerning). The term typography is also applied to the style, arrangement, and appearance of the letters, numbers, and symbols created by the process. Type design is a closely related craft, sometimes considered part of typography; most typographers do not design typefaces, and some type designers do not consider themselves typographers. Typography also may be used as a decorative device, unrelated to communication of information. Typography is the work of typesetters (also known as compositors), typographers, graphic designers, art directors, manga artists, comic book artists, graffiti artists, and, now, anyone who arranges words, letters, numbers, and symbols for publication, display, or distribution, from clerical workers and newsletter writers to anyone self-publishing materials. Until the Digital Age, typography was a specialized occupation. Digitization opened up typography to new generations of previously unrelated designers and lay users. As the capability to create typography has become ubiquitous, the application of principles and best practices developed over generations of skilled workers and professionals has diminished. So at a time when scientific techniques can support the proven traditions (e.g., greater legibility with the use of serifs, upper and lower case, contrast, etc.) through understanding the limitations of human vision, typography as often encountered may fail to achieve its principal objective: effective communication.
  • Animation (Mentioned in 2.01% Job Postings): Animation is a method in which pictures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most animations are made with computer-generated imagery (CGI). Computer animation can be very detailed 3D animation, while 2D computer animation can be used for stylistic reasons, low bandwidth or faster real-time renderings. Other common animation methods apply a stop motion technique to two and three-dimensional objects like paper cutouts, puppets or clay figures. Commonly the effect of animation is achieved by a rapid succession of sequential images that minimally differ from each other. The illusion—as in motion pictures in general—is thought to rely on the phi phenomenon and beta movement, but the exact causes are still uncertain. Analog mechanical animation media that rely on the rapid display of sequential images include the phénakisticope, zoetrope, flip book, praxinoscope and film. Television and video are popular electronic animation media that originally were analog and now operate digitally. For display on the computer, techniques like animated GIF and Flash animation were developed.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Presentation 4.45%
Typography 2.77%
Animation 2.01%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Design Services Specialist I's salary.
  • UI: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
  • Collaboration: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
  • Storytelling: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
UI
$65,780
10%
Collaboration
$63,388
6%
Storytelling
$62,192
4%
Digital Marketing
$62,192
4%
Animation
$62,192
4%
Insight
$62,192
4%
Get Latest Data

Design Services Specialist I Salary by Company Size: Startups vs. Enterprise

Design Services Specialist I salary potential scales significantly with company size. Data shows that Enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) pay the highest average salary at around $66,943. While startup companies pay approximate $56,632.

Design Services Specialist I Salary by Company Size

Company Size Employees Average Salary
Startup1~50$56,632
Growth Stage51~500$59,895
Established501~5000$64,645
Enterprise5000+$66,943

Design Services Specialist I Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Design Services Specialist I roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Aerospace & Defense and Business Services sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average. In contrast, Design Services Specialist positions in Biotechnology or Transportation typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Design Services Specialist I as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for a Design Services Specialist I

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Aerospace & Defense$71,760$34.020%

Design Services Specialist I Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Design Services Specialist I's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on August 01, 2026

Design Services Specialist I Salary Growth & Career Path

Promotions are the fastest way to increase your earnings. As a Design Services Specialist I, you have the following paths for advancement. The table below compares the salary raises for common next-step roles. By comparing these figures, you can choose the career path that best meets your financial goals.

Design Services Specialist I Salary Growth and Career Path
Next Step Role Estimate Salary Projected Raise
Design Services Specialist II $70,000 17%
Package Art Designer II $74,400 24%

Salary Trends for Design Services Specialist I

Salaries for a Design Services Specialist I can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $57,992 in 2023 to around $57,323 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Design Services Specialist I salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Design Services Specialist I Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$57,992
2024
$57,777
2025
$57,323
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $57,992
2024 $57,777
2025 $57,323
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Design Services Specialist I

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Design Services Specialist I

Here are companies hiring for Design Services Specialist I and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Design Services Specialist I Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Design Services Specialist I job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

United States
  • JLL

    Columbus, OH

    JLL | Columbus, OH

    Operating Engineer 2 JLL. Our people at JLL are shaping the future of real estate for a better world by combining world class services, advisory and techno... more

    9 Days Ago

  • Columbus Metropolitan Library

    Columbus, OH

    Columbus Metropolitan Library | Columbus, OH

    Customer Services Specialist (20/24 hr./Non-Exempt/Part-time)Location:Northern Lights BranchStarting Pay Range:$18.01 $23.26 hourly (commensurate with expe... more

    8 Days Ago

  • Healthy Connection LLC

    Columbus, OH

    Healthy Connection LLC | Columbus, OH

    Job Description. Job Description. Job Title. Direct Support Specialist – Senior Healthcare Services. Location: Columbus and surrounding areas. Job Type: [F... more

    7 Days Ago

  • Nationwide Childrens Hospital

    Columbus, OH

    Nationwide Childrens Hospital | Columbus, OH

    Job Title. Develops, implements, and evaluates evidence-based practice assessments and interventions to address the psychosocial, developmental, and physio... more

    10 Days Ago

  • MD Staff, LLC

    Columbus, OH

    MD Staff, LLC | Columbus, OH

    Emergency Medicine Physician Needed near Columbus, Ohio. An excellent opportunity for a full-time EM Physician to join an Emergency Department team near Co... more

    6 Days Ago

  • eviCore healthcare

    Columbus, OH

    eviCore healthcare | Columbus, OH

    Provides timely expert medical review for requests to evaluate the medical necessity of services that do not meet utilization review criteria while located... more

    6 Days Ago

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FAQ about Design Services Specialist I

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Design Services Specialist I?

The Aerospace & Defense industry offers the highest average compensation for Design Services Specialist I roles, with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.

2. How much do specialists make in the US?

The estimated total pay for a Design Services Specialist in the US ranges from $55,100 to $69,000 per year, with a mid-salary of $61,300. These figures reflect the typical salary range for this role, providing a clear picture of potential earnings in the field.

3. Do you need a degree to be a CAD designer?

While many CAD Designers hold a four-year degree in engineering, architecture, or a related field, hiring managers often prioritize experience and proven skills over formal education. Thus, it is possible to become a CAD Designer without a degree. The salary for a Design Services Specialist typically ranges from $55,100 to $69,000, with a median salary of $61,300.

4. Can you make 6 figures as a designer?

While the salary data for a Design Services Specialist shows a range from $55,100 to $69,000, reaching a six-figure income as a designer is possible with dedication and strategic career moves. It takes time and effort, but with the right skills and experience, you can elevate your earnings significantly. Stay focused on your goals and keep improving your craft.

5. Do CAD designers need a degree?

A relevant bachelor's degree is important for a career in CAD design, although some companies may prioritize experience and training. The salary for a Design Services Specialist typically ranges from $55,100 to $69,000, with a median salary of $61,300, reflecting the value of education and skills in this field.

6. Do designers make good money?

Designers can earn a competitive salary, with Design Services Specialists making between $55,100 and $69,000 annually. The median salary is around $61,300. Freelance designers often have the potential to earn more, with hourly rates varying significantly based on experience and project scope.

7. Is design a good career option?

Design is a promising career option, offering a wide range of specializations and abundant job opportunities. With salaries ranging from $55,100 to $69,000, it provides a rewarding financial outlook. The field is dynamic and continually evolving, making it an exciting choice for creative individuals seeking a fulfilling profession.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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