Choosing or changing your career is a long-term investment. Obviously, you want that investment to pay off, therefore the potential salary matters. And there’s nothing wrong with that: you can be passionate about something while still wanting to make a comfortable living out of it. So, we’ve collected some tips & data about UX design salaries that’ll help you make the best career moves. Let’s get into it!
The 4 factors of UX designer salary offers
Before negotiating or determining your dream salary, you must understand what it depends on. Salary offers are not just wild estimates. Quite the contrary! Setting salaries is a complex task for professionals. From all the influencing factors, there are 4 that you must be aware of before entering a negotiation:
- Experience / UX portfolio,
- Location,
- Perks, and
- Company.
Experience
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that as a junior UX designer your salary will be lower than that of a medior or senior designer. The good thing is that some companies work with a set framework that determines when and how much they’ll raise their designers’ salaries. This can help you in your decisions.
Location
As you can see from the data below, there’s a huge difference between the salaries of UX designers around the world. There are also differences between cities within a country. When looking at such numbers, you should always consider things like the cost of living. Realistically speaking, you cannot expect to have the salary of a California-based designer in Eastern Europe.
Perks
Many companies offer perks, such as insurance packages, bonus pay, and extra vacations. These all have a monetary value, therefore you need to consider them part of your compensation package.
Company
Finally a startup with little to no backing will usually offer a lower salary, but they’ll compensate with perks, flexibility, culture, room for growth, or even profit sharing. Take these into consideration too!
Negotiating a UX designer salary
If a company wants to hire you, you’ll have the opportunity to negotiate your salary. By the time you’re at that stage in the hiring process, chances are that the company sees you as an ideal candidate. Remember this while you negotiate!
For many, this part is the most awkward one in the hiring process. No wonder! First of all, in many countries, this topic is considered taboo in everyday conversations. We’ve been taught that discussing salaries is not appropriate. Second, you probably want the job, so you’re stressed about making a bad move and blowing your chances.
The best way to alleviate some of the stress that comes with negotiating your UX designer salary is to prepare yourself. And here are some tricks and tips to help you with that:
1. Research UX salary trends in the area
Even before you start applying for jobs, you should research salary trends in the UX design field. What you’re looking for is the average, low, and high salary in your area for a UX designer with your experience and background.
Finding such data is not as hard as it seems. You have articles like the one that you’re reading and you can also conduct some “field research:”
- Check out other job ads in the area for similar positions and see if they’ve included their offer. There are more and more companies that include their base offer in the ad.
- Ask around for a range. The latter part – range – is important. You shouldn’t just message UX designers in your area and ask them about their salary. Instead, you could ask them to give you some pointers as to what’s an acceptable range for a professional with your background.
Once you have all this information, you’ll know your value, which is a good starting point for any negotiation.
2. Consider the perks
Base salary is only part of your compensation package. But, you need to consider the entire package. During negotiations, you might be offered even more perks, such as a company car, home-office days, flexible hours, extra vacations, a sign-on bonus, etc. All of these have a certain value, but it’s up to you to decide whether they’re worth accepting a lower offer.
Think it through even before you start interviewing for jobs. A good technique is to write down your
- Must-haves,
- Would-like-to-haves, and
- Can-live-withouts.
Once you have these set, you’ll be a much tougher and focused negotiator.
Pro tip: Ask for time. If you feel swayed, ask for some time to consider the offer. The way to do this professionally is to specify an exact time when you’ll be back with your answer.
3. Build your case
Negotiation is not simply a back-and-forth of numbers. You need to pitch yourself when you’re revealing your expectation. It’s all about justifying your proposal. So think about this: what do you bring to the table that makes you stand out from the rest of the candidates?
Your UX portfolio can come in handy in your reasoning. Especially if you’ve built it using UXfolio’s features, such as text ideas, stats, and quotes. You might have relevant projects, experience in the methods that the company prefers, stats proving the business value of your design, knowledge of frontend, microcopy writing experience, and the list goes on.
You have to find out what makes you the one and present it to the decision-makers. But remember: make it about them. Your job here is to convince them how your expertise can benefit their company.
Finally, please, don’t go overboard! Confidence is always welcome, but there’s a fine line between boasting and stating facts. Behaving in an unlikeable manner will not help your case and it’ll kill your momentum.
4. It’s not you vs. them
Read the room! In the heat of the moment, it is easy to forget that the person you’re negotiating with is just doing their job. They’re not there to tear you down or to take you for a fool, especially if you’re already at the stage of salary negotiations.
Salary caps exist and the HR manager or design lead cannot change that. If they’re hiring 10 junior UX designers in the same round, chances are they cannot give you a higher salary than the others. So, you need to know when to stop pushing. If you’re not satisfied with the offer, or you can afford it, kindly reject and move on.
The dreaded salary question
You know it’s coming. You’ve googled “salary question” to prepare with the best answer. You’ve probably read articles from reputable publications detailing strategies on how to avoid it or shift the topic. But it all goes out the window. HR managers are all familiar with these tricks, so the question won’t just evaporate. Your refusal to answer will either be noted or they’ll just ask again.
Your refusal to answer will either be noted or they’ll just ask again.
The best strategy is to give a range that’s aligned with the rates in the field and your expectations. So, determine the average salary for someone with your background, then determine your ideal, or dream pay. And, voilá, you’ve found the range.
UX designer salaries around the world
Now let’s take a look at some of the actual numbers. All this data was retrieved from UXdesignersalaries.com in 2021.
UX salaries in the EU
| Country | Average | Junior | Medior | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | $74,222 | $41,869 | $73,260 | $73,367 |
| Denmark | $71,248 | $60,585 | $82,205 | $101,323 |
| Luxembourg | $69,066 | $66,231 | $66,140 | $67,532 |
| Germany | $60,379 | $49,656 | $60,864 | $74,199 |
| Finland | $59,304 | $44,806 | $53,287 | $74,425 |
| Austria | $54,819 | $46,370 | $61,657 | $58,646 |
| Sweden | $54,204 | $44,426 | $59,495 | $59,878 |
| France | $52,669 | $44,618 | $57,651 | $70,739 |
| Netherlands | $52,254 | $39,203 | $55,741 | $68,602 |
| Belgium | $49,580 | $40,086 | $59,019 | $57,676 |
| Malta | $45,616 | $44,084 | $45,999 | n/a |
| Spain | $39,612 | $30,168 | $42,300 | $44,309 |
| Italy | $37,978 | $31,886 | $38,238 | $44,155 |
| Estonia | $36,885 | $39,865 | $36,781 | n/a |
| Czech Republic | $35,246 | $24,944 | $35,556 | $47,100 |
| Bulgaria | $32,577 | $40,369 | $24,419 | $39,768 |
| Hungary | $32,080 | $24,646 | $28,271 | $41,935 |
| Cyprus | $31,773 | $6,500 | $58,502 | $30,316 |
| Latvia | $30,558 | $18,305 | $33,250 | $44,228 |
| Portugal | $29,587 | $22,904 | $33,686 | $33,459 |
| Slovakia | $29,553 | $21,571 | $23,769 | $30,622 |
| Slovenia | $29,234 | $19,722 | $38,302 | $36,905 |
| Romania | $28,782 | $20,225 | $26,531 | $34,027 |
| Poland | $26,919 | $18,429 | $29,768 | $36,662 |
| Lithuania | $23,397 | $18,366 | $26,412 | $21,772 |
| Croatia | $23,043 | $11,745 | $23,121 | $33,000 |
| Greece | $20,619 | $17,441 | $24,094 | $18,256 |
| EU Average | $41,896 | $32,927 | $44,382 | $49,716 |
UX designer salary differences in the EU
The European Union is a political and economic union, but there are huge social and economic differences between its members. These differences are also reflected in the UX designer salaries within the EU. Let’s check out a few examples:
| Country | Average | +/- EU Average |
|---|---|---|
| EU Average | $41,896 | – |
| Germany | $60,379 | +44% |
| France | $52,669 | +26% |
| Italy | $37,978 | -9% |
| Spain | $39,612 | -5% |
| Poland | $26,919 | -35% |
These selected examples show how big the salary gap is between EU members. However, we’ve pointed out before that the differences align with the cost of living:
- Berlin (Germany) is 77% more expensive than Kraków (Poland).
- The average UX designer salary in Germany is 76.6% more than the average in Poland.
We’ve used the following sites for our comparisons: Numbeo, Expatistan.
Entry-level UX salaries
While a junior UX designer with 0-3 years of experience can make $49,656 annually in Germany, the same designer will make $31,886 in Italy and $17,441 in Greece. As you can see, these are significant differences. But why does this matter? Because you should take this into account if you have the option to choose where you’ll be studying.
You need experience to build an impressive UX portfolio and you need an impressive UX portfolio to advance your career.
Your portfolio and experience matter the most in your UX career. You need experience to build an impressive UX portfolio and you need an impressive UX portfolio to advance your career. Therefore, if possible, you should start a UX design internship or a junior UX design job while you’re studying. And you deserve to be compensated well even as an intern or junior. So, the salary matters.
United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada
| Country | Average | Junior | Medior | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $60,758 | $46,482 | $58,969 | $73,563 |
| United Kingdom | $62,137 | $42,729 | $59,067 | $78,908 |
| Australia | $76,194 | $56,030 | $81,905 | $87,941 |
UX designer salaries in the US
| State | Average | Junior | Medior | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $124,000 | $65,000 | $140,667 | $133,000 |
| California | $118,018 | $98,661 | $120,332 | $147,761 |
| New York | $110,235 | $86,600 | $102,660 | $127,932 |
| Washington | $109,306 | $73,570 | $124,038 | $115,417 |
| Massachusetts | $104,291 | $90,250 | $101,111 | $106,210 |
| Georgia | $103,517 | $75,469 | $104,100 | $117,125 |
| Utah | $100,754 | $72,829 | $96,807 | $117,275 |
| Colorado | $96,954 | $59,300 | $98,327 | $100,958 |
| Minnesota | $94,579 | $65,500 | $89,333 | $103,000 |
| District of Columbia | $91,283 | $78,029 | $101,000 | n/a |
| Texas | $91,039 | $68,388 | $95,075 | $117,763 |
| Illinois | $89,927 | $73,481 | $92,500 | $103,167 |
| Virginia | $89,810 | $57,856 | $85,321 | $110,100 |
| New Jersey | $84,778 | $70,000 | $87,500 | $98,000 |
| Michigan | $83,303 | $72,883 | $90,930 | $90,500 |
| Pennsylvania | $82,914 | $59,167 | $91,983 | $76,600 |
| Arkansas | $81,800 | $93,000 | $65,000 | $83,667 |
| Nevada | $81,500 | n/a | $81,500 | n/a |
| Kansas | $80,667 | n/a | $72,000 | $85,000 |
| North Carolina | $80,483 | $61,433 | $84,500 | $125,000 |
| Maryland | $80,188 | $82,900 | $83,500 | $60,000 |
| Connecticut | $80,000 | $40,000 | n/a | $120,000 |
| Idaho | $79,900 | n/a | n/a | $74,600 |
| Indiana | $79,250 | $69,250 | $65,500 | $97,500 |
| Oregon | $79,021 | $65,667 | $83,750 | $82,500 |
| Ohio | $72,685 | $47,800 | $87,167 | $90,333 |
| New Hampshire | $72,150 | n/a | $71,800 | n/a |
| Rhode Island | $71,500 | n/a | $71,500 | n/a |
| South Carolina | $70,000 | n/a | $70,000 | n/a |
| Florida | $69,619 | $53,988 | $76,587 | $79,500 |
| Nebraska | $68,875 | $63,500 | $85,000 | n/a |
| Iowa | $67,762 | $67,762 | n/a | n/a |
| Missouri | $67,316 | $60,526 | $70,200 | $70,500 |
| Wisconsin | $67,288 | $62,575 | $81,500 | $62,500 |
| Tennessee | $66,413 | $68,640 | $73,505 | $50,000 |
| Oklahoma | $64,333 | $80,000 | $65,000 | $48,000 |
| Kentucky | $63,700 | n/a | $63,700 | n/a |
| West Virginia | $53,000 | n/a | $53,000 | n/a |
| Luisiana | $48,500 | $54,000 | $43,000 | n/a |
| Alabama | $47,333 | $47,333 | n/a | n/a |
| Vermont | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| US Average | $81,700 | $68,292 | $85,261 | $96,342 |
UX designer salary differences in the US
It won’t surprise you, that there are big differences between UX designer salary averages within the United States as well. It’s well known that states, such as California, attract more tech companies, which means more opportunities, more competition, and higher salaries. Let’s see the averages in the most populated states:
| State | Average | +/- Average |
|---|---|---|
| US Average | $81,700 | – |
| California | $118,018 | +46% |
| New York | $110,235 | +36% |
| Texas | $91,039 | +13% |
| Pennsylvania | $82,914 | +3% |
| Florida | $69,619 | -14% |
Asian & Middle Eastern Countries
| Country | Average | Junior | Medior | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | $47,270 | $27,604 | $53,042 | $94,724 |
| Hong Kong | $55,285 | $35,808 | $68,656 | $46,284 |
| Japan | $71,346 | $47,760 | $79,208 | n/a |
| South Korea | $30,966 | $28,787 | n/a | $41,860 |
| Taiwan | $33,265 | $26,668 | $46,912 | $19,167 |
| Indonesia | $10,594 | $6,981 | $11,486 | $23,772 |
| Malaysia | $19,433 | $12,160 | $22,769 | $23,938 |
| Philippines | $12,417 | $12,084 | $10,263 | $19,385 |
| Singapore | $51,684 | $47,182 | $50,164 | $46,035 |
| Thailand | $23,734 | $15,435 | $31,826 | $32,817 |
| Vietnam | $13,777 | $12,928 | $14,418 | $10,000 |
| Pakistan | $10,746 | $6,823 | $10,154 | $25,468 |
| India | $21,539 | $15,227 | $20,951 | $33,892 |
| Bangladesh | $8,561 | $6,825 | $12,254 | $16,800 |
| Egypt | $6,859 | $3,972 | $6,225 | $11,649 |
| Israel | $63,383 | $44,264 | $64,179 | $83,919 |
| Jordan | $32,247 | $6,806 | $30,466 | $84,910 |
| Lebanon | $36,667 | n/a | $35,000 | $40,000 |
| Palestine | $20,167 | $10,000 | $23,850 | $15,600 |
| Qatar | $74,982 | $59,327 | $71,961 | $76,081 |
| Saudi Arabia | $35,788 | $36,596 | $15,998 | $43,835 |
| Turkey | $19,584 | $12,497 | $21,063 | $21,457 |
| United Arab Emirates | $64,143 | $44,923 | $35,956 | $81,920 |
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