Wisconsin Statistics
4,550 Estimated Graphic Designers Employed in 2022, in Wisconsin. This estimate does not include self-employed or other job titles that may also include graphic design work.
550 Estimated Art Directors Employed in 2022, in Wisconsin.
$55,180 Annual Mean Income: Graphic Designers working in Wisconsin.
$97,350 Annual Mean Income: Art Directors working in Wisconsin.
$120,000 - $190,000+ Annual Mean Income: Creative Directors working in Wisconsin.
In 2021, Wisconsin women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings of $950, or 89.4 percent of the $1,063 median usual weekly earnings of their male counterparts, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the 2021 women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio of 89.4 percent compared to 86.5 percent in 2020. Nationwide, women earned $912 per week, or 83.1 percent of the $1,097 median for men. The earnings comparisons in this release are on a broad level and do not control for many factors that can be important in explaining earnings differences, such as job skills and responsibilities, work experience, and specialization.
In Wisconsin, the women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio has ranged from a low of 68.5 percent in 1997 to a high of 89.4 percent in 2021. (Data for the states began in 1997.)
National Statistics
211,890 Estimated Graphic Designers Employed in 2022, in the United States. This estimate does not include self-employed or other job titles that may also include graphic design work.
54,470 Estimated Art Directors Employed in 2022, in the United States.
$64,500 Annual Mean Income: Graphic Designers working in the United States.
$124,310 Annual Mean Income: Art Directors working in the United States.
$146,016 - $195,000+ Annual Mean Income: Creative Directors working in the United States.
Survey Results
Income
Education
Why did you choose a career in Graphic Design?
4 responses
I've always enjoyed art and music. When I took an ad layout class in college, I knew "visual storytelling" was something I wanted to learn more about.
I've always loved art and going to school for graphic design was a way to make myself more marketable
Pragmatism and affordability, to be honest. My parents drilled into me the advantages of graduating with as little debt as possible. They could not afford to give me or my siblings any money towards tuition, but told us that if we went to school locally, they would let us live at home for free and continue to cover various expenses like food and other necessities (I did not own a car while in school, so while I did bike and walk to campus pretty regularly, my mom also gave me lots of rides). As a result, my siblings and I all attended SNC, like our parents did. Studying graphic design allowed me to kickstart a creative career in an in-demand industry, making it possible for me to work a day job I enjoy while pursuing illustrative passion projects in my free time. I just like *making* things, and graphic design lets me do that while being reliably paid for it.
I love solving problems and building things
Influences:
Course I took in high school and playing on the computer
Professor Miller and Professor Yeohyun Ahn.
Always new she wanted to be a designer, interior design was her first passion.
Mom was an artist and educator. Grew up with an IBM computer in the home. The first in college art department to have access to the computer lab.
I think it was my love for art and being crafty that ultimately influenced my career choice.
Creative college courses such as Ad & Layout, Drawing & Coloring, and Creative Writing. My heart was my biggest influencer...I followed my passion and what made me happy.
Creative family members, SNC professors, Jessica Hische, Saul Bass, Paul Rand, Robert Longo, Wayne Thiebaud
Many things led me to pursue a career in graphic design, but probably the biggest factor was my parents. Exploring the arts was highly encouraged in our household, but so was practicality and the idea of me and my siblings being able to reliably support ourselves. So while we were never discouraged from pursuing careers in the arts, we were always strongly encouraged to do so in a fiscally responsible way and to always have a backup plan. Granted, most people wouldn’t look at getting an English degree as a backup plan, but those people don’t know what an English degree prepares you for and what skills it provides (answers: a lot, and a great many).
Mentors, other cultures, traveling
A day in the life.
Working hybrid as a Graphic Designer.
“I switch to working in the office or from home every week on Wednesdays. I really like working from home, so I took the hybrid option. I do have to bring home a large monitor, a second monitor, a computer, and a backup system. All my binders. A co-worker lives down the street from me, so if I get a package he’ll drop it off so I can continue to work.”
