Occupational Employment and Wages, November 2004

27-1024 Graphic Designers

Design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos. May use a variety of mediums to achieve artistic or decorative effects.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
168,060 1.4 % $20.15 $41,910 0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $11.14 $14.06 $18.24 $24.37 $31.69
Annual Wage (2) $23,170 $29,250 $37,950 $50,690 $65,910

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Newspaper, book, and directory publishers 24,180 $17.56 $36,530
Specialized design services 23,400 $22.96 $47,760
Advertising and related services 21,800 $21.08 $43,860
Printing and related support activities 17,440 $16.58 $34,490
Architectural and engineering services 6,000 $22.18 $46,130

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Oil and gas extraction 50 $27.72 $57,650
Securities and commodity contracts brokerage 370 $27.08 $56,320
Legal services 140 $26.90 $55,960
Apparel and piece goods merchant wholesalers 1,770 $26.19 $54,470
Machinery and equipment rental and leasing 40 $26.04 $54,170

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Rhode Island 1,030 $20.29 $42,200 0.214%
New York 17,150 $25.05 $52,100 0.207%
Vermont 600 $17.63 $36,670 0.203%
Utah 2,080 $17.70 $36,810 0.193%
Minnesota 4,370 $19.81 $41,200 0.166%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
New York 17,150 $25.05 $52,100 0.207%
District of Columbia 980 $24.45 $50,860 0.161%
Massachusetts 4,810 $23.64 $49,160 0.154%
Connecticut 2,380 $23.10 $48,060 0.145%
California 22,880 $22.20 $46,180 0.157%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Dubuque, IA MSA 280 $17.61 $36,630 0.547%
Stamford-Norwalk, CT PMSA 770 $25.45 $52,940 0.387%
Lawrence, KS MSA 150 $17.08 $35,520 0.308%
New York, NY PMSA 12,020 $27.31 $56,810 0.300%
Topeka, KS MSA 270 $15.61 $32,460 0.279%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
San Jose, CA PMSA 1,270 $27.44 $57,080 0.149%
New York, NY PMSA 12,020 $27.31 $56,810 0.300%
San Francisco, CA PMSA 2,430 $27.02 $56,200 0.255%
Stamford-Norwalk, CT PMSA 770 $25.45 $52,940 0.387%
Oakland, CA PMSA 1,220 $25.26 $52,540 0.121%

About November 2004 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

All Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

November 2004 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2004 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2004 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2004 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download November 2004 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 9, 2005