Growth in Graphic Designer Employment Concentrated in Portland Area

Graphic designers remain the largest occupation among art and design occupations in Oregon. Even though publishing and printing, key industries of employment for graphic designers, have faced steep employment declines, closures, mergers, and acquisitions that have lessened the demand for graphic designers, employment in this occupation is supposed to grow faster than the statewide average from 2019 to 2029. Demand for graphic designers is driven by the expanding market for Web-based information and expansion of the video entertainment market, including television, movies, video, mobile phones, and made-for-Internet outlets.

There were 4,514 graphic designers employed in Oregon in 2019. Employment is concentrated in the Portland Tri-County area employing 69 percent of workers in 2019. Employment of graphic designers is expected to grow faster than the average growth rate for all occupations in Oregon. Employment of graphic designers is projected to grow by 11.6 percent between 2019 and 2029. The average growth rate for all occupations in Oregon is 8.6 percent. In addition to the 523 new jobs projected for the 10-year period, 4,763 replacement job openings – primarily due to retirements and individuals leaving the labor force – will provide many more job opportunities for workers.

Other facts about graphic designers:

• The median wage for graphic designers in Oregon was $54,329 per year in 2020, which was 28 percent higher than the statewide median of $42,307. 
• The largest industries of employment for graphic designers are specialized design services, publishing (print and software), and computer systems design (20% of employment combined).
• About one out of five (21%) graphic designers were self-employed nationally in 2019 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Learn more about this occupation by reading Workforce Analyst Michael Doughty' s article here.

November 2019 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.1 percent in November 2019. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in November included Washington (3.2%), Hood River (3.3%), and Multnomah (3.4%). These four counties had unemployment rates below the national rate of 3.5 percent. Nine of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide rate of 3.9 percent.

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose in all six of Oregon’s broad regions between November 2018 and November 2019. The largest job gains occurred in Central Oregon (+2.5%). Southern Oregon (+1.7%), the Portland area (+1.0%), the Coast (+0.7%), Eastern Oregon (+0.6%), and the Willamette Valley (+0.6%) saw employment growth over the past year.

Read the full press release here.