Graphic Designers salary in Rockford, IL

Median pay for graphic designers in Rockford, IL: $49,440/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $31,390 – $75,160 · about 100 employed locally

Below the typical metro median ($50,005) by −$565 (-1%).

What it's really worth in Rockford

With Rockford's cost of living at 90 (US=100), that $49,440 has the buying power of about $54,832 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $63,834 · median home $221,368 · median rent $1,319/mo.

Full Rockford cost of living & taxes →

How Rockford ranks for this job

On raw pay, Rockford, IL is 107th of the 186 metros we hold graphic designers wages for. Once Rockford's cost of living is applied, it ranks 76th.

Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Rockford 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 Rockford

A median home in Rockford, IL costs $221,368 — about 4.5× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,319/mo works out at 32% 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 Rockford.

Metro	Median pay	vs Rockford	Rent vs Rockford
San Jose, CA	$96,260	+95%	2.7×
San Francisco, CA	$92,380	+87%	2.5×
Washington, DC	$80,100	+62%	1.8×
New York, NY	$75,900	+54%	2.7×

Same job elsewhere in IL

Metro	Median pay	vs Rockford	Rent vs Rockford
Chicago, IL	$59,160	+20%	1.7×
Peoria, IL	$48,080	−3%	0.9×

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

Other jobs in Rockford