Graphic Designers salary in Los Angeles, CA

Median pay for graphic designers in Los Angeles, CA: $74,050/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $41,240 – $121,440 · about 14,140 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($50,005) by +$24,045 (+48%).

What it's really worth in Los Angeles

With Los Angeles's cost of living at 115 (US=100), that $74,050 has the buying power of about $64,532 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $89,105 · median home $968,608 · median rent $2,909/mo.

Full Los Angeles cost of living & taxes →

How Los Angeles ranks for this job

On raw pay, Los Angeles, CA is 6th of the 186 metros we hold graphic designers wages for. Once Los Angeles's cost of living is applied, it ranks 7th.

Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Los Angeles sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.

What that salary buys in Los Angeles

A median home in Los Angeles, CA costs $968,608 — about 13.1× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $2,909/mo works out at 47% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.

Where graphic designers earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Los Angeles.

Metro	Median pay	vs Los Angeles	Rent vs Los Angeles
San Jose, CA	$96,260	+30%	1.2×
San Francisco, CA	$92,380	+25%	1.1×
Washington, DC	$80,100	+8%	0.8×
New York, NY	$75,900	+2%	1.2×

Same job elsewhere in CA

Metro	Median pay	vs Los Angeles	Rent vs Los Angeles
San Jose, CA	$96,260	+30%	1.2×
San Francisco, CA	$92,380	+25%	1.1×
Santa Maria, CA	$72,480	−2%	1.1×
Santa Cruz, CA	$68,660	−7%	1.2×

Staying in CA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Other jobs in Los Angeles