As of May 01, 2026, the average annual salary for Lighting Designer in Los Angeles, CA is $51,006, equivalent to $25 per hour, $981 weekly, or $4,251 monthly. These figures, sourced from Salary.com’s real-time job posting scans, highlight competitive earning potential for Lighting Designer in cities like San Jose, Santa Clara, and San Francisco.

Annually Salaries for Lighting Designer in Los Angeles, CA vary widely, spanning from $44,016 to $63,109. Most professionals fall between the 25th percentile ($47,347) and 75th percentile ($57,342), while top earners (90th percentile) make $63,109 per year. This $9,995 pay gap underscores opportunities for salary growth through certifications, specialized skills like Attention to Detail or Housekeeping, or targeting high-paying regions like District of Columbia or California.

Location and experience significantly influence earnings. For example, Los Angeles Lighting Designer often earn 0.2% higher than national averages. However, Los Angeles currently ranks 69 statewide for Lighting Designer job salary. Professionals are advised to focus on high-growth sectors like to offset market challenges.

Based on HR-reported data: a national average with a geographic differential
Lighting Designer Salaries by Percentile
Percentile Salary Location Last Updated
10th Percentile Lighting Designer Salary $44,016 Los Angeles, CA May 01, 2026
25th Percentile Lighting Designer Salary $47,347 Los Angeles, CA May 01, 2026
50th Percentile Lighting Designer Salary $51,006 Los Angeles, CA May 01, 2026
75th Percentile Lighting Designer Salary $57,342 Los Angeles, CA May 01, 2026
90th Percentile Lighting Designer Salary $63,109 Los Angeles, CA May 01, 2026
25% $47,347 10% $44,016 90% $63,109 75% $57,342 $51,006 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click
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What is a Lighting Designer ?

A theatre lighting designer (or LD) works with the director, choreographer, set designer, costume designer, and sound designer to create the lighting, atmosphere, and time of day for the production in response to the text, while keeping in mind issues of visibility, safety, and cost. The LD also works closely with the stage manager or show control programming, if show control systems are used in that production. Outside stage lighting, the job of a Lighting Designer can be much more diverse and they can be found working on rock and pop tours, corporate launches, art installation and on massi...

Source: Wikipedia (as of 04/17/2019). Read more from Wikipedia

See user submitted job responsibilities for Lighting Designer.

Job Openings for Lighting Designer in Los Angeles, CA

Career Path for this job

  1. This Job:

    Lighting Designer

    1 - 3 years experience
    Associate's Degree

  2. Up a level:

    Creative Production Manager

    5 + years experience
    Bachelor's Degree

Understand the total compensation opportunity for a Lighting Designer, base salary plus other pay elements

Average Base Salary

Core compensation

 
 
 
47347
57342
51006

Average Total Cash Compensation

Includes base and annual incentives

 
 
 
50348
67125
57701
These charts show the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of Lighting Designer in Los Angeles, CA. The base salary for Lighting Designer ranges from $47,347 to $57,342 with the average base salary of $51,006. The total cash compensation, which includes base, and annual incentives, can vary anywhere from $50,348 to $67,125 with the average total cash compensation of $57,701.

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47347
57342

 

About Los Angeles, California    Los Angeles (/lɔːs ˈændʒələs/ (listen);[a] Spanish: Los Ángeles), officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L.A., is the most....More

Los Angeles, California  area prices were up 3.2% from a year ago

Lighting Designer Salary in popular cities: San DiegoSan JoseSan Francisco

Skills associated with Lighting Designer: Design

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