Best US Cities for UX Designers
Top US cities for UX Designers ranked by estimated median salary, with cost-of-living-adjusted earning power.
| # | City | Estimated salary | Cost mult. | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York City, NY | $111,100 | 1.32× | +$21,100 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $110,500 | 1.45× | +$20,500 |
| 3 | Los Angeles, CA | $107,600 | 1.22× | +$17,600 |
| 4 | Oakland, CA | $107,100 | 1.35× | +$17,100 |
| 5 | Irvine, CA | $105,500 | 1.30× | +$15,500 |
| 6 | San Diego, CA | $102,400 | 1.21× | +$12,400 |
| 7 | Frisco, TX | $101,700 | 1.05× | +$11,700 |
| 8 | Seattle, WA | $101,400 | 1.18× | +$11,400 |
| 9 | Anaheim, CA | $101,400 | 1.18× | +$11,400 |
| 10 | Scottsdale, AZ | $101,400 | 1.18× | +$11,400 |
| # | City | Salary | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York City, NY | $111,100 | $53/hr |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $110,500 | $53/hr |
| 3 | Los Angeles, CA | $107,600 | $52/hr |
| 4 | Oakland, CA | $107,100 | $51/hr |
| 5 | Irvine, CA | $105,500 | $51/hr |
| 6 | San Diego, CA | $102,400 | $49/hr |
| 7 | Frisco, TX | $101,700 | $49/hr |
| 8 | Seattle, WA | $101,400 | $49/hr |
| 9 | Anaheim, CA | $101,400 | $49/hr |
| 10 | Scottsdale, AZ | $101,400 | $49/hr |
| 11 | Honolulu, HI | $99,500 | $48/hr |
| 12 | Portland, OR | $98,800 | $48/hr |
| 13 | Sacramento, CA | $98,800 | $48/hr |
| 14 | Denver, CO | $98,100 | $47/hr |
| 15 | Austin, TX | $97,100 | $47/hr |
| 16 | Boston, MA | $96,900 | $47/hr |
| 17 | Las Vegas, NV | $96,800 | $47/hr |
| 18 | Chandler, AZ | $96,800 | $47/hr |
| 19 | Yonkers, NY | $96,300 | $46/hr |
| 20 | Anchorage, AK | $96,300 | $46/hr |
| 21 | Reno, NV | $96,000 | $46/hr |
| 22 | Gilbert, AZ | $96,000 | $46/hr |
| 23 | Salt Lake City, UT | $96,000 | $46/hr |
| 24 | Long Beach, CA | $95,700 | $46/hr |
| 25 | Raleigh, NC | $95,400 | $46/hr |
| 26 | Boise, ID | $95,400 | $46/hr |
| 27 | Dallas, TX | $95,100 | $46/hr |
| 28 | Nashville, TN | $95,100 | $46/hr |
| 29 | Chula Vista, CA | $94,700 | $46/hr |
| 30 | Glendale, AZ | $94,000 | $45/hr |
| 31 | Miami, FL | $93,800 | $45/hr |
| 32 | Arlington, TX | $93,700 | $45/hr |
| 33 | Albuquerque, NM | $93,400 | $45/hr |
| 34 | Newark, NJ | $93,200 | $45/hr |
| 35 | Riverside, CA | $93,200 | $45/hr |
| 36 | Columbus, OH | $92,800 | $45/hr |
| 37 | Kansas City, MO | $92,800 | $45/hr |
| 38 | Chicago, IL | $91,600 | $44/hr |
| 39 | Baltimore, MD | $91,600 | $44/hr |
| 40 | Stockton, CA | $91,600 | $44/hr |
| 41 | Aurora, CO | $91,600 | $44/hr |
| 42 | Hialeah, FL | $91,600 | $44/hr |
| 43 | Minneapolis, MN | $91,300 | $44/hr |
| 44 | Plano, TX | $91,300 | $44/hr |
| 45 | Phoenix, AZ | $90,600 | $44/hr |
| 46 | Philadelphia, PA | $90,600 | $44/hr |
| 47 | Atlanta, GA | $90,600 | $44/hr |
| 48 | Tampa, FL | $90,600 | $44/hr |
| 49 | Henderson, NV | $90,600 | $44/hr |
| 50 | Charleston, SC | $90,600 | $44/hr |
| 51 | Orlando, FL | $90,300 | $43/hr |
| 52 | Wilmington, DE | $90,000 | $43/hr |
| 53 | Virginia Beach, VA | $90,000 | $43/hr |
| 54 | St. Paul, MN | $90,000 | $43/hr |
| 55 | Chesapeake, VA | $90,000 | $43/hr |
| 56 | North Las Vegas, NV | $90,000 | $43/hr |
| 57 | Fresno, CA | $90,000 | $43/hr |
| 58 | Worcester, MA | $90,000 | $43/hr |
| 59 | Colorado Springs, CO | $89,700 | $43/hr |
| 60 | Bakersfield, CA | $89,700 | $43/hr |
| 61 | St. Petersburg, FL | $89,700 | $43/hr |
| 62 | Madison, WI | $89,700 | $43/hr |
| 63 | Norfolk, VA | $89,400 | $43/hr |
| 64 | Jacksonville, FL | $89,100 | $43/hr |
| 65 | Charlotte, NC | $89,100 | $43/hr |
| 66 | Mesa, AZ | $89,100 | $43/hr |
| 67 | Houston, TX | $88,700 | $43/hr |
| 68 | Fort Worth, TX | $88,700 | $43/hr |
| 69 | Tucson, AZ | $88,700 | $43/hr |
| 70 | Garland, TX | $88,700 | $43/hr |
| 71 | Spokane, WA | $88,700 | $43/hr |
| 72 | Pittsburgh, PA | $88,400 | $43/hr |
| 73 | Tallahassee, FL | $88,400 | $43/hr |
| 74 | Milwaukee, WI | $88,100 | $42/hr |
| 75 | New Orleans, LA | $88,100 | $42/hr |
| 76 | San Antonio, TX | $87,800 | $42/hr |
| 77 | Grand Rapids, MI | $87,800 | $42/hr |
| 78 | Detroit, MI | $87,500 | $42/hr |
| 79 | Cincinnati, OH | $87,500 | $42/hr |
| 80 | Lexington, KY | $87,500 | $42/hr |
| 81 | Corpus Christi, TX | $87,500 | $42/hr |
| 82 | Buffalo, NY | $87,500 | $42/hr |
| 83 | Greensboro, NC | $87,500 | $42/hr |
| 84 | Knoxville, TN | $87,500 | $42/hr |
| 85 | El Paso, TX | $87,200 | $42/hr |
| 86 | Cleveland, OH | $87,200 | $42/hr |
| 87 | St. Louis, MO | $87,200 | $42/hr |
| 88 | Winston-Salem, NC | $87,200 | $42/hr |
| 89 | Indianapolis, IN | $86,900 | $42/hr |
| 90 | Louisville, KY | $86,900 | $42/hr |
| 91 | Omaha, NE | $86,900 | $42/hr |
| 92 | Memphis, TN | $86,500 | $42/hr |
| 93 | Oklahoma City, OK | $86,500 | $42/hr |
| 94 | Lincoln, NE | $86,500 | $42/hr |
| 95 | Birmingham, AL | $86,200 | $41/hr |
| 96 | Toledo, OH | $86,200 | $41/hr |
| 97 | Lubbock, TX | $86,200 | $41/hr |
| 98 | Wichita, KS | $85,600 | $41/hr |
| 99 | Fort Wayne, IN | $85,600 | $41/hr |
| 100 | Mobile, AL | $85,600 | $41/hr |
Does location actually decide UX Designer pay?
Before the ranking: UX Designer work can be done fully remotely, which makes this list less binding than it looks. The spread from Mobile at $85,600 to New York City at $111,100 is 30%, but a remote role lets you take a high-metro salary while paying low-metro housing — usually worth more than moving for the top of this list.
Highest-paying is not the same as best-off
The number that ranks these metros is not the number you live on. In New York City, $111,100 against $3,200/month rent leaves roughly $72,700 a year after housing. In Mobile, $85,600 against $850 leaves about $75,400. The bottom of the pay list beats the top once rent is subtracted — which is the whole reason to look past headline salary.
New York City also charges about 3.88% local income tax on top of state and federal — roughly $4,306 a year at this salary, deducted before you see it.
Why these metros and not others
The metros at the top are not simply the expensive ones; they are where the hiring is. New York City (JPMorgan Chase, NYC Health + Hospitals); San Francisco (Salesforce, Google); Los Angeles (Walt Disney Company, Netflix). Depth of demand for design work is what lifts pay above the local baseline, and it is why two equally costly cities can pay this role differently.
Salaries are modelled from BLS national medians adjusted for local price level at a wage elasticity below 1 — pay rises with local costs but not proportionally. See our methodology.