Graphic Designers salary in Hickory, NC

Median pay for graphic designers in Hickory, NC: $49,980/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $28,860 – $77,560 · about 180 employed locally

Below the typical metro median ($50,005) by −$25 (+0%).

What it's really worth in Hickory

With Hickory's cost of living at 89 (US=100), that $49,980 has the buying power of about $55,922 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $57,943 · median home $271,739 · median rent $1,496/mo.

Full Hickory cost of living & taxes →

How Hickory ranks for this job

On raw pay, Hickory, NC is 94th of the 186 metros we hold graphic designers wages for. Once Hickory's cost of living is applied, it ranks 63rd.

Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Hickory is one of the places where graphic designers gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.

What that salary buys in Hickory

A median home in Hickory, NC costs $271,739 — about 5.4× 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 $1,496/mo works out at 36% 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 Hickory.

Metro	Median pay	vs Hickory	Rent vs Hickory
San Jose, CA	$96,260	+93%	2.4×
San Francisco, CA	$92,380	+85%	2.2×
Washington, DC	$80,100	+60%	1.6×
New York, NY	$75,900	+52%	2.3×

Same job elsewhere in NC

Metro	Median pay	vs Hickory	Rent vs Hickory
Raleigh, NC	$61,800	+24%	1.1×
Durham, NC	$58,390	+17%	1.1×
Charlotte, NC	$55,110	+10%	1.2×
Greensboro, NC	$53,000	+6%	1×

Staying in NC keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Other jobs in Hickory