Graphic Designers salary in Albuquerque, NM
Median pay for graphic designers in Albuquerque, NM: $47,500/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $34,360 – $76,740 · about 470 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($50,005) by −$2,505 (-5%).
What it's really worth in Albuquerque
With Albuquerque's cost of living at 94 (US=100), that $47,500 has the buying power of about $50,733 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $63,971 · median home $352,894 · median rent $1,502/mo.
How Albuquerque ranks for this job
On raw pay, Albuquerque, NM is 133rd of the 186 metros we hold graphic designers wages for. Once Albuquerque's cost of living is applied, it ranks 131st.
Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Albuquerque sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.
What that salary buys in Albuquerque
A median home in Albuquerque, NM costs $352,894 — about 7.4× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,502/mo works out at 38% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
Where graphic designers earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Albuquerque.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Albuquerque | Rent vs Albuquerque |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $96,260 | +103% | 2.4× |
| San Francisco, CA | $92,380 | +94% | 2.2× |
| Washington, DC | $80,100 | +69% | 1.6× |
| New York, NY | $75,900 | +60% | 2.3× |
Who hires graphic designers around Albuquerque
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Intel Rio Rancho · Tech
Other jobs in Albuquerque
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.