These companies are paying entry level designers the most

Most designers know they have to wait a few years until they crack the six-figure ceiling. But at some organizations, they might not have to wait at all.

As Fast Company wrapped up its latest report on the state of the design jobs market, we wondered which companies paid the highest premium for designers who were just starting out in their careers. We looked at the 40,000 job listings we’d gathered from Google’s job search engine between December 2024 and February 2025 and zeroed in on the salaries that companies were offering to prospective employees with up to one year of previous experience. 

Here’s what we found.

Architects

Somewhat surprisingly, the best place to start high in architecture is to go into local and federal government. Los Angeles offers its junior architects the most, at an average of $131,800 a year, followed by the Navy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. And that’s to say nothing of the pensions and health care that comes with working in public service.

Graphic Designers

The American tobacco market has been flagging for years, but the market for nicotine has never been higher. That has left Altria flush with cash for hiring designers to package the pouches flying off the shelves. Other top-paying companies include food conglomerate Danone, a motley assortment of agencies and, curiously, plumbers.

Interior Designers

The government is again a top entry-level payer for interior designers, with the Veterans Health Administration offering $103,000 to its junior designers. But, interestingly, it’s furniture stores that make up the bulk of this list, at least with the salaries they’re promising that designers can make on commission. Li Interiors leads the pack at $112,500 for entry-level talent, rounded out by Furniture Fair, BoConcept, and Ethan Allen. 

Product Designers

As we’ve written elsewhere, product designers can expect to make the highest salaries overall, and that’s just as true for entry-level ones. Ford tops the list with salaries averaging $150,000, followed by insurer Oscar, blockchain startup QuickNode, and Warner Bros. 

Urban Designers

The University of Pittsburgh offers the highest salary for urban designers looking to start out at the top of the income bracket—a planner in its planning, design, and construction department fetches $112,600. Several design firms and municipal governments are offering starting salaries that aren’t far behind.

UX Designers

Topping the list of companies offering high entry-level UX design salaries is marketing agency Lio, which manages to outdo tech giants Agilent and Oracle. Deloitte, unsurprisingly, is also a top payer.

This article is part of Fast Company’s continuing coverage of where the design jobs are, including this year’s comprehensive analysis of 170,000 job listings