SOC 27-1024 · Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro

Graphic Designers Salary in Riverside, CA

The average salary for graphic designers in Riverside, California is $74,730 a year ($35.93 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $65,900: half of the 1,370 people in this job in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 5% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($71,400).

$74,730average per year

$35.93 / hourMedian $65,900Take-home ≈ $58,497

  • $42K10th
  • $51K25th
  • $66KMedian
  • $82K75th
  • $106K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

1,370people in this job
+5%vs U.S. metro average
#10 of 20California metros
106cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Graphic Designers pay range in Riverside

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $41,540 a year or less, while the top 10% make $105,810 or more. The middle half of graphic designers in Riverside earn between $50,550 and $81,790.

  • $42K10th
  • $51K25th
  • $66KMedian
  • $82K75th
  • $106K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$74,730$6,228$35.93
Median$65,900$5,492$31.68
Entry level (25th percentile)$50,550$4,212$24.30
Experienced (75th percentile)$81,790$6,816$39.32

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.

Graphic Designers salary after taxes in Riverside

On the average salary of $74,730, a single filer in Riverside takes home about $58,497 a year, or $4,875 a month and $2,250 every two weeks. Taxes take 22% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.

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Is Riverside a good place for graphic designers? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Riverside area are 6% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 106.4), so the average $74,730 buys what about $70,207 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.4 times the median wage of all jobs in Riverside ($48,400). A typical home costs $585,378, or 7.8 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $74,730 is worth in another city

Graphic Designers salary in other California cities

Riverside ranks 10th of 20 California metro areas for this job; San Jose pays the most ($107,360).

All Graphic Designers salaries in California

Highest-paying cities for graphic designers

San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($107,360).

Graphic Designers salary by city

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Reviewed before it counts. Graphic Designers in Riverside, CA.

Graphic Designers salary in Riverside: questions

How much do graphic designers make an hour in Riverside?

$35.93 an hour on average, and $31.68 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level graphic designers salary in Riverside?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $41,540 a year and the 25th percentile is $50,550, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the graphic designers take-home pay in Riverside?

About $58,497 a year ($4,875 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $74,730. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.

Do graphic designers earn more in Riverside than elsewhere?

The average here is 5% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($71,400).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 27-1024; area Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA (40140). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 5.5%.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
  • Job concentration: location quotient 0.63, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.63).

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