Entry Level Graphic Design Salary in the United States

How much does an Entry Level Graphic Design make in the United States?

As of August 01, 2026, the average salary for an Entry Level Graphic Design in the United States is $58,700 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $28.

However, an Entry Level Graphic Design's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $70,055
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $50,653 to $64,643
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $43,327
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View as table View as graph 25% $50,653 10% $43,327 90% $70,055 75% $64,643 $58,700 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Entry Level Graphic Design Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $64,643 $5,387 $1,243 $31
Average $58,700 $4,892 $1,129 $28
25th Percentile $50,653 $4,221 $974 $24
Check out Entry Level Graphic Design Job Openings in the United States
Chief AI Officer

Confidential - Columbus, OH

Associate Vice President Internal Communications

Confidential - Columbus, OH

Vice President Credit Risk Strategy&Data Science

Confidential - Columbus, OH

Regional Truck Driver Company

KreilKamp Trucking - Columbus, OH

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Key Factors That Influence Entry Level Graphic Design Salaries

An Entry Level Graphic Design'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 Entry Level Graphic Design Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of an Entry Level Graphic Design'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:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $60,376
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $70,741
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $85,882
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $106,059
  • Expert (over 8 years): $124,682
Levels Salary
Entry Lev... Level Entry Level Graphic Design$60,376
Graphic D... Level Entry Level Graphic Design$70,741
Graphic D... Level Entry Level Graphic Design$85,882
Graphic D... Level Entry Level Graphic Design$106,059
Graphic D... Level Entry Level Graphic Design$124,682
$60,376 0 yr
$70,741 < 2 yrs
$85,882 2-4 yrs
$106,059 5-8 yrs
$124,682 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Entry Level Graphic Designs

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: $74,038
  • San Francisco: $73,227
  • Oakland: $71,684

What Skills Can Increase an Entry Level Graphic Design'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 an Entry Level Graphic Design'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
$64,570
10%
Collaboration
$62,222
6%
Storytelling
$61,048
4%
Digital Marketing
$61,048
4%
Animation
$61,048
4%
Insight
$61,048
4%
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Entry Level Graphic Design Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Entry Level Graphic Design 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, Entry Level Graphic Design positions in Biotechnology or Transportation typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Entry Level Graphic Design as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for an Entry Level Graphic Design

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Aerospace & Defense$70,440$34.020%

Entry Level Graphic Design Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how an Entry Level Graphic Design'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

Salary Trends for Entry Level Graphic Design

Salaries for an Entry Level Graphic Design can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $58,624 in 2023 to around $57,948 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Entry Level Graphic Design salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Entry Level Graphic Design Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$58,624
2024
$58,406
2025
$57,948
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $58,624
2024 $58,406
2025 $57,948
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Entry Level Graphic Design

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Entry Level Graphic Design

Here are companies hiring for Entry Level Graphic Design and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Entry Level Graphic Design Job

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

United States
  • Confidential

    Columbus, OH

    Confidential | Columbus, OH

    Vice President, Payments Engineering. About the Company. Globally-recognized provider of corporate payment solutions. Industry. Financial Services. Type. P... more

    22 Days Ago

  • Confidential

    Columbus, OH

    Confidential | Columbus, OH

    Senior Vice President of Project Delivery. About the Company. A multi-billion-dollar construction organization with collaborative, servant-minded leadershi... more

    22 Days Ago

  • Confidential

    Columbus, OH

    Confidential | Columbus, OH

    Chief of Staff. About the Company. Innovative travel platform for booking & managing work trips. Industry. Computer Software. Type. Privately Held, VC-back... more

    22 Days Ago

  • McDonalds

    Columbus, OH

    McDonalds | Columbus, OH

    McDonald’s is seeking Crew Team Members to assist with daily restaurant operations including customer service, food preparation, and maintaining restaurant... more

    29 Days Ago

  • Amazon Flex

    Columbus, OH

    Amazon Flex | Columbus, OH

    Amazon Flex Delivery Drivers use their own vehicle to deliver Amazon packages to customers on scheduled delivery blocks. Drivers are responsible for pickin... more

    29 Days Ago

  • Confidential

    Columbus, OH

    Confidential | Columbus, OH

    Vice President, Commercial. About the Company. Globally-recognized manufacturer of packaging components & delivery systems for injectable drugs. Industry. ... more

    1 Month Ago

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FAQ about Entry Level Graphic Design

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Entry Level Graphic Design?

The Aerospace & Defense industry offers the highest average compensation for Entry Level Graphic Design roles, with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.

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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