Design Manager Salaries in California
How Much Does a Design Manager Make in California?
Updated March 01, 2025
As of March 01, 2025,
the average annual pay of Design Manager in California is $136,539.
While Salary.com is seeing that Design Manager salary in CA can go up to $176,284
or down to $100,130, but most earn between $117,481 and $157,343.
Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors,
including education, certifications, additional skills, and your experience levels.
With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.
Related Job Titles to Design Manager
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Similar Job Salaries to Design Manager by Company
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| Company | average base salary in (usd) | range |
|---|---|---|
|
sweetgreen
Design Manager, Store Design
|
$117,862/yr
|
RANGE: $97,244 - $138,480
|
|
Mediabistro
Design Manager (Design Build)
|
$214,219/yr
|
RANGE: $182,439 - $245,999
|
|
Tesla
Design Manager, Infrastructure Design
|
$139,679/yr
|
RANGE: $124,185 - $155,173
|
|
Avsar Construction Development, Inc.
Design Manager
|
$137,381/yr
|
RANGE: $115,631 - $159,132
|
|
Arcadis
Design Manager
|
$182,745/yr
|
RANGE: $158,208 - $207,282
|
|
Element Consulting, Inc.
Design Manager
|
$157,258/yr
|
RANGE: $133,489 - $181,027
|
|
STV, Inc.
Design Manager
|
$121,949/yr
|
RANGE: $106,809 - $137,089
|
|
Balfour Beatty
Design Manager
|
$130,878/yr
|
RANGE: $110,412 - $151,345
|
|
SmartBug
Design Manager
|
$124,058/yr
|
RANGE: $106,588 - $141,527
|
Top 10 Highest Paying Cities For Design Manager Jobs in California
It is important to understand how location impacts your career prospects in the United States.
There are some cities where a Design Manager can find a job easily with a greater salary paid then achieve a higher standard of living.
Below is the top cities list for Design Manager job salaries in California.
Some cities can pay higher salaries for Design Manager jobs, which can indicate that there is a large demand for Design Manager positions in this city.
The following table shows top 10 cities where the Design Manager salary is higher than other cities in California.
San Jose takes first place in this list, followed by Santa Clara, Fremont.
The Design Manager salary is $155,355 in San Jose,
which is higher than the national average. There are 76 cities' Design Manager salary higher than national average in California.
The average salary for a Design Manager in California is $136,539,
but we found that the city with the highest salary for Design Manager jobs is San Jose, CA, and it is higher than Santa Clara.
Design Manager jobs in San Jose can have the opportunity to earn higher salaries than in other cities in California.
| CITY | ANNUAL SALARY | MONTHLY PAY | WEEKLY PAY | HOURLY WAGE |
| San Jose | $155,355 | $12,946 | $2,988 | $75 |
| Santa Clara | $155,355 | $12,946 | $2,988 | $75 |
| Fremont | $155,107 | $12,926 | $2,983 | $75 |
| San Francisco | $154,736 | $12,895 | $2,976 | $74 |
| Daly City | $154,736 | $12,895 | $2,976 | $74 |
| Berkeley | $151,022 | $12,585 | $2,904 | $73 |
| Oakland | $151,022 | $12,585 | $2,904 | $73 |
| Hayward | $150,775 | $12,565 | $2,900 | $72 |
| Antioch | $142,605 | $11,884 | $2,742 | $69 |
| Vallejo | $139,262 | $11,605 | $2,678 | $67 |
What Does a Design Manager Do?
To do so, Design Manager tracks every component of every room, for every project, from start to finish.
Updated December 20, 2021
Design management is the effective deployment by line managers of the design resources available to an organization in the pursuance of its corporate objectives.
Updated December 17, 2021
– working with other teams to implement changes to a product’s design, design managers influence others, leading them to understand why certain design aspects matter more than others.
Updated December 04, 2021
Design managers work with a wide variety of tools throughout their day, most often using these tools:.
Updated November 29, 2021
Provided a background introduction to the wide scope of design within industry and commerce, an appreciation of the power of design as a management resource, and advocated the teaching of design to managers.
Updated November 27, 2021
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Explore JobArchitectFrequently Asked Questions About a Design Manager Salaries
What is the average of a Design Manager in California?
The Design Manager salary range is from $117,481 to $157,343, and the average Design Manager salary is $136,539/year in California.
The Design Manager's salary will change in different locations.
Which location pays the highest Design Manager salary in the United States?
The Design Manager salary in San Jose, CA is $155,355
which is the highest in the US.
What kinds of reasons will influence the Design Manager's salary?
Besides the location, employees' education degree, related skills, and work experience also will influence the salary.
Try to improve your skills and experience to get a higher salary for the position of Design Manager.
What is the growth rate of the Design Manager's salary?
If you are thinking of becoming a Design Manager or planning the next step in your career, find the detailed salary report of a Design Manager.
