- Home >
- Startup hiring data >
- Designer Salary and Equity Compensation in Startups 2026
Designer Salary and Equity in 2026
How much do Designers expect to make at US-based startups? The average expected salary for Designers in a startup is 95k per year, with a range from 45k to 205k. The salary range for Designers varies depending on factors such as location, industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.
95.3k
Average Salary
3 years
Average years of experience
Salary
The average Designer salary is $95,292, which is 26.1% lower than the average startup salary of $129,000. Designer salaries are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: location, years of experience, title, size of company, skill-set, and industry.
Top of market
$160,667/yr
Range $106k - $205k
Average
$95,292/yr
Range $90k - $110k
Below Average
$76,458/yr
Range $45k - $93k
Top Locations
The highest average salary a Designer can get in Chicago, that is $200,000. This pay is 109.9% higher than the average Designer salary in startups, which is $95,292. Salaries will vary based on your location. The top-paying markets in the US, on average, are currently: Chicago (avg $200,000 per year), Minneapolis (avg $200,000 per year), San Francisco Bay Area (avg $165,000 per year). Remote jobs often pay based on the location you reside in.
Chicago
$200k
Minneapolis
$200k
Toronto
$150k
Remote
$135k
Denver
$92.5k
San Diego
View SalariesSydney
View SalariesMelbourne
View SalariesLondon
View SalariesSanta Monica
View SalariesBoston
View SalariesAustin
View SalariesNew York
View SalariesIndustries
The highest average salary a Designer can get in Social Commerce, that is $490,000. This pay is 99.1% higher than the average Designer salary, which is $246,100. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Social Commerce (avg $490,000 per year), Online Shopping (avg $262,500 per year), Internet Infrastructure (avg $232,500 per year).
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary a Designer can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $102,000. This pay is 7.0% higher than the average Designer salary, which is $95,292. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.
Popular roles
Software EngineerMobile DeveloperAndroid DeveloperiOS DeveloperFrontend EngineerBackend EngineerFull-Stack EngineerSoftware ArchitectMachine Learning EngineerEmbedded EngineerData EngineerDevOpsEngineering ManagerQA EngineerData ScientistDesignerUI/UX DesignerUser ResearcherVisual DesignerCreative DirectorGraphic Designer Product DesignerProduct ManagerOperationsFinance/AccountingH.R.Office ManagerRecruiterCustomer ServiceOperations ManagerSalesBusiness DevelopmentSales Development RepresentativeAccount ExecutiveBD ManagerAccount ManagerSales ManagerCustomer Success ManagerMarketingGrowth HackerMarketing ManagerContent CreatorCopywriterSocial Media ManagerManagementCEOCFOCMOCOOCTOOther EngineeringHardware EngineerMechanical EngineerSystems EngineerOtherBusiness AnalystProject ManagerAttorneyData AnalystInvestorLimited PartnerStrategic InvestorInstitutional InvestorVenture DebtVCSeed FundIndividual InvestorAngelFounder
Popular skills
Tech Hubs for Designer
Industries for Designer
Blockchain / CryptocurrencyWeb DesignBig DataFashionRetailManufacturingMarketplacesSmall and Medium BusinessesDigital MarketingAdvertisingMobile ApplicationArtificial IntelligenceFinancial ServicesDigital MediaWeb DevelopmentSoftwareTechnologySocial MediaB2BSaaSE-CommerceConsumer InternetHealthcareEnterprise SoftwareMobile