Know your market value with insights across roles — from individual contributors to executive pay and overall company compensation trends.
Access a suite of powerful calculators to make data-driven career decisions.
Automate pay cycles, manage job architectures, and ensure pay equity with AI-powered compensation platforms.
Access validated salary benchmarks, labor market trends, and minimum wage data to stay competitive.
Participate in and purchase industry-specific salary surveys to obtain the most accurate, peer-reported pay data.
As of August 01, 2026, the average salary for a Design Director in Maryland is $145,404 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $70.
However, a Design Director's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Compensation Planning
Develop a Job Description
Pay Equity
2026 Compensation Trend
AI-Powered HR
Smart Recruiting
Design Director Salaries by Percentile
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $158,773 | $13,231 | $3,053 | $76 |
| Average | $145,404 | $12,117 | $2,796 | $70 |
| 25th Percentile | $126,745 | $10,562 | $2,437 | $61 |
Celebree School - Calvert, MD
Johns Hopkins Medicine - Baltimore, MD
Closets by Design Atlanta - PEACHTREE CORNERS, GA
Lyft - NEW YORK CITY, NY
A Design Director'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.
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 Directors. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
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:
For Design Director roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 125% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Pharmaceuticals and Aerospace & Defense sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 60% above the average. In contrast, Design Director positions in Transportation or Telecom typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Design Director as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
| Industry Sector | Average Annual Salary | Average Hourly Rate | Pay vs.Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmaceuticals | $232,646 | $112.0 | 60% |
| Aerospace & Defense | $218,105 | $105.0 | 50% |
| Healthcare | $196,295 | $94.0 | 35% |
| Biotechnology | $189,025 | $91.0 | 30% |
| Media | $181,755 | $87.0 | 25% |
Understanding how a Design Director'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.
| Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75th Percentile | $158,773 | $13,231 | $3,053 | $76 |
| Average | $145,404 | $12,117 | $2,796 | $70 |
| 25th Percentile | $126,745 | $10,562 | $2,437 | $61 |
Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Design Director job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.
Piedmont Healthcare
BOGART, GA
Piedmont Healthcare
AUGUSTA, GA
Kitchen Tune-Up
ROSWELL, GA
Kitchen Tune-Up | ROSWELL, GA
Responsive recruiter We are looking for A-Players who have residential in-home sales experience in the kitchen and/or bathroom remodeling space and are loo... more
2 Days Ago
Bristol Myers Squibb
TAMPA, FL
Bristol Myers Squibb | TAMPA, FL
Working with Us Challenging. Meaningful. Life-changing. Those aren’t words that are usually associated with a job. But working at Bristol Myers Squibb is a... more
2 Days Ago
Renewal Inc
TALLAHASSEE, FL
Renewal Inc | TALLAHASSEE, FL
Renewal by Andersen is a High-End Window and Door Replacement Company � the Elite Product in the Industry. We offer our customers a signature service exper... more
2 Days Ago
Kingland
FLORIDA, FL
Kingland | FLORIDA, FL
COMPANY SUMMARY Since 1992, Kingland has been a leading provider of enterprise software products, using innovative problem solving to address many of the m... more
3 Days Ago
Get a Salary Increase
Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.
Search Job Openings
Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.
Adjust Employee Salary
Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.
Price My Industry Jobs
Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.
Use Salary.com's Cost of Living Calculator to find out what income you need to maintain your standard of living in a different city and how much more or less money you need to budget for basic expenses.
Explore Cost of Living CalculatorSalary.com experts will help you thrive your workplaces.
Salary.com provides salary survey data for thousands of industry Jobs.
Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources. We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.
Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:
