Graphic Designers Salary
The median pay for a graphic designers in St. Louis, MO-IL is $61,000/year ($29.33/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $40K at the entry level to $89K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.09), that's roughly $64,150 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,218/month, about 30.4% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $61K get you in St. Louis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Louis’s Regional Price Parity (95.09). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About graphic designers
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What this looks like in St. Louis
Graphic designers pay in St. Louis tracks closely to the national median, $61K locally vs. $63K nationwide, a 3% difference. Rent runs $1,218/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 29.9% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 95.09) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for graphic designers in metros near St. Louis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | $60K | $65K |
| Springfield | $48K | $54K |
| Columbia | $49K | $55K |
| Jefferson City | $48K | $55K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Louis, MO-IL
Entry-level graphic designers (10th percentile) start around $40K. Mid-career wages sit at $61K. Top earners bring in $89K or more, a $49K spread from bottom to top.
Graphic Designers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Graphic Designers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $88K | +40% | 1,150 |
| Rhode Island | $78K | +24% | 750 |
| New York | $77K | +23% | 14,530 |
| Massachusetts | $77K | +22% | 4,450 |
| California | $75K | +19% | 27,390 |
| Maryland | $75K | +19% | 3,050 |
| New Jersey | $74K | +17% | 5,670 |
| Washington | $73K | +15% | 3,960 |
| Connecticut | $73K | +15% | 1,930 |
| Virginia | $72K | +15% | 4,740 |
| Colorado | $66K | +5% | 4,200 |
| Oregon | $66K | +5% | 4,140 |
| Vermont | $66K | +4% | 410 |
| Minnesota | $64K | +1% | 5,570 |
| Nevada | $63K | -0% | 1,570 |
| Alaska | $63K | -1% | 180 |
| Illinois | $63K | -1% | 8,960 |
| Utah | $62K | -1% | 2,720 |
| Florida | $62K | -2% | 12,660 |
| Pennsylvania | $61K | -4% | 8,150 |
| New Hampshire | $60K | -4% | 790 |
| Georgia | $60K | -4% | 5,920 |
| Texas | $60K | -4% | 13,670 |
| Delaware | $60K | -4% | 360 |
| Ohio | $60K | -5% | 7,280 |
| Maine | $60K | -5% | 560 |
| Wisconsin | $60K | -5% | 4,130 |
| Arizona | $59K | -7% | 3,560 |
| North Carolina | $58K | -7% | 5,660 |
| Hawaii | $58K | -8% | 520 |
| Michigan | $57K | -9% | 6,070 |
| Tennessee | $57K | -9% | 3,880 |
| South Carolina | $57K | -9% | 1,930 |
| Montana | $57K | -10% | 610 |
| Missouri | $57K | -10% | 4,500 |
| New Mexico | $57K | -10% | 850 |
| Nebraska | $57K | -10% | 1,670 |
| North Dakota | $56K | -10% | 460 |
| Indiana | $55K | -12% | 3,450 |
| Kansas | $54K | -15% | 1,730 |
| Oklahoma | $54K | -15% | 2,040 |
| Kentucky | $53K | -16% | 2,060 |
| Alabama | $51K | -19% | 1,760 |
| Idaho | $50K | -20% | 920 |
| Iowa | $50K | -20% | 2,100 |
| Louisiana | $50K | -21% | 1,750 |
| South Dakota | $48K | -23% | 470 |
| Arkansas | $46K | -27% | 1,390 |
| Mississippi | $46K | -28% | 830 |
| Wyoming | $45K | -28% | 240 |
| West Virginia | $40K | -36% | 520 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track graphic designers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when St. Louis numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a graphic designer afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
Yes — at the median salary of $61K, rent takes 29.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,218/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for graphic designers in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new graphic designers typically earn — is $40K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,396/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 51% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is graphic designer a high-paying job in St. Louis?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $61K locally vs. $63K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for graphic designers?
St. Louis pays $61K median vs. the U.S. average of $63K — that’s -3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $64K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do graphic designers make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $61,000 a year, that works out to about $29 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $39,930, and experienced graphic designers can clear $88,740. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $61K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,078/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 29.9% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a graphic designers salary go in St. Louis?
St. Louis has a Regional Price Parity of 95.09 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median graphic designers salary is worth about $64,150 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do graphic designers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.