Creative pay 2026
Graphic designer salary in North Carolina (2026)
Graphic designers in North Carolina earn a median $58,450 a year ($28.10 an hour), according to BLS wage data for May 2025. That is close to the US median for the job ($62,960), 29th of 53 states and territories. The median for every job in North Carolina is $47,970, so this pays 22% more than the typical job there.
- $58,450median a year in North Carolina
- $28.10median an hour
- −7%vs the US median ($62,960)
- 5,660employee jobs (BLS estimate)
What is the salary range for a graphic designer in North Carolina?
Half of graphic designers in North Carolina earn between $46,710 and $74,410. The gap between the top and bottom 10% (2.5 times) is about the national spread.
| 10th percentile | $37,680 | $39,520 | $18.12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | $46,710 | $49,040 | $22.46 |
| Median | $58,450 | $62,960 | $28.10 |
| 75th | $74,410 | $81,830 | $35.78 |
| 90th percentile | $95,380 | $104,910 | $45.86 |
The mean (average) is $63,250, above the median, pulled up by the highest earners.
How does North Carolina compare with other states?
North Carolina sits 29th of 53, between Arizona ($58,510) and Hawaii ($58,070).
| Georgia | $60,250 | +3% | 5,920 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | $57,170 | −2% | 1,930 |
| Tennessee | $57,270 | −2% | 3,880 |
| Virginia | $72,310 | +24% | 4,740 |
Which cities in North Carolina pay graphic designers best?
Of the 8 metro areas in North Carolina where BLS publishes a median for the job, Durham-Chapel Hill pays most, at $63,580, 9% above the state median.
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 1,640 | $59,810 | $28.75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | 1,040 | $61,700 | $29.67 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 570 | $60,150 | $28.92 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | 470 | $55,240 | $26.56 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 370 | $63,580 | $30.57 |
| Winston-Salem, NC | 270 | $49,920 | $24.00 |
| Wilmington, NC | 260 | $54,720 | $26.31 |
| Asheville, NC | 240 | $56,760 | $27.29 |
How many graphic designers work in North Carolina?
BLS estimates 5,660 employee jobs, 1.15 in every 1,000 jobs in the state. It is about as common here as nationally (location quotient 0.90).
Employees only. BLS does not count the self-employed, who are a large share of several creative jobs.
What do other creative jobs pay in North Carolina?
5 of the 6 other creative jobs below pay a higher median in North Carolina.
| UX/UI designer | $97,990 | 3,400 |
|---|---|---|
| Motion designer | $88,350 | 370 |
| Copywriter | $63,660 | 1,810 |
| Videographer | $62,720 | 380 |
| Video editor | $60,020 | 400 |
| Photographer | $37,120 | 2,130 |
What do freelance graphic designers charge?
Upwork, graphic designers list $15 to $35 an hour, worldwide. North Carolina's employee median of $28.10 an hour is inside that range. The rate calculator works out an hourly rate from the salary you want.
Questions
What is the average graphic designer salary in North Carolina?
The median is $58,450 a year and the mean is $63,250, from BLS data for May 2025 covering about 5,660 employee jobs.
How much does a graphic designer make an hour in North Carolina?
The median hourly wage is $28.10. The bottom 10% earn under $18.12 and the top 10% over $45.86.
What does a starting graphic designer earn in North Carolina?
BLS does not publish pay by experience. The lowest-paid quarter of graphic designers in North Carolina earn under $46,710 a year and the lowest-paid tenth under $37,680, which is the nearest guide to starting pay.
Get the Slice Weekly
One free email every Friday: tools for creators and the best advice we found from people who make things.
Where do these numbers come from?
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (published 15 May 2026). Occupation 27-1024, Graphic Designers. Employees only; annual figures are hourly times 2,080.
n = 5,660 jobs in the North Carolina estimate. Last updated 2 October 2026.
Get the data
Free · CSV and JSON · 2 files
This page’s own figures as a CSV, and the full files behind What creative jobs pay in 2026. One email unlocks every download on Slice’s data pages.
- This page’s figures (CSV) Every table and figure on this page, with its source line.
- Every role, country and source (CSV) One row per role, country and measure: percentiles for employees and every published freelance rate, with its source.
- The full dataset (JSON) Everything above plus every US state and metro table, the outlook figures and the source records.
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: credit “Slice (tryslicemedia.com)” and link to this page. Leave the box unticked and we send you nothing. Everything on this page stays free to read without an email.
Graphic designer pay in other states
- District of Columbia $87,920
- Rhode Island $78,220
- New York $77,340
- Massachusetts $76,710
- California $75,130
- Maryland $75,120
- New Jersey $73,790
- Washington $72,710
- Connecticut $72,700
- Virginia $72,310
- Colorado $66,330
- Oregon $66,040