Many of the world’s biggest tech brands are based in the US and if you’re thinking about working there as a UX designer, you’ll want to know how much you can make.
Where you live and work will impact on how much money you can earn but your salary as a UX Designer will depend on a variety of other factors too.
We analysed data on UX salaries from Payscale.com for three major cities right across the US to give you an insight into how much you can get paid as a UX designer.
Location and UX Designer Salary in the US – at a glance
| City | Junior: 1-3 years | Mid: 3-5 years | Senior: 5-7 years |
| Boston | $64,000-$95,000 | $62,000-$99,000 | $82,000-$117,000 |
| San Francisco | $65,000-$132,000 | $67,000-$149,000 | $84,000-$176,000 |
| Austin | $54,000-$98,000 | $56,000-$106,000 | $67,000-$114,000 |
UX Salaries in Boston
Already home to the world’s most prestigious technological university MIT, Boston is also building a solid reputation as a technology hub. Well-known tech employers include Trip Advisor, HubSpot, iRobot alongside social media giant LinkedIn. Junior designers with 1-3 years experience can get paid $64,000-$95,000 here. And with just a couple more years of experience, mid-range designers (3-5 years) will see that number jump to $62,000-$99,000. Senior UX designers in Boston can expect to earn somewhere in the range of $82,000-$117,000.
UX Salaries in San Francisco
The undisputed home of technology is Silicon Valley and nearby San Francisco hosts many of the biggest names in the industry, including Google, Twitter, and Apple. Junior designers who start their career in San Francisco can expect to make $65,000-$132,000 while mid-range designers will average $67,000-$149,000. Senior designers in Silicon Valley will earn about $184,000-$176,000.
UX Salaries in Austin
Austin is now developing a reputation for its tech start-up scene, while also having a strong tech heritage with long term residents Dell and Oracle. Last year Forbes ranked it as one of the top-10 cities in which to start a business. Research tells us that junior designers in Austin can make $54,000-$98,000 and mid-range UX designers will take home $56,000-$106,000. And for senior designers, that figure increases to $67,000-$114,000.
The indicators are that UX will continue to be a fast-growing discipline in the US in the years to come. According to US careers expert Zippia, between 2018 and 2028, UX is expected to grow by 3% and produce 8,800 job opportunities across the country.
UX salaries in other countries
To see how UX salaries in the US compare to other countries, please see our guides for the following markets:
UX Designer salary in Ireland in 2023
UX Designer salary in the UK in 2023
UX Designer salary in Canada in 2023
UX Designer salary in Australia and New Zealand in 2023
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