UX Designer Salary Across the World

Get a presentation design consultation for free! 🎉😍

Introduction
Are you interested in becoming a UX designer and curious about salaries? Or perhaps you’re a UX designer thinking about moving to a new country for better opportunities and higher pay. Maybe you want to know the factors influencing UX design salaries or learn how to negotiate for a higher salary. Well, you’re in the right place!
This article has all the up-to-date information you need, sourced from LinkedIn, PayScale, Glassdoor, Careerfoundry, and more.
Don’t miss out on valuable insights—read the entire post to discover everything you need to know about UX design salaries globally.

UX Designer Salary Overview

The salary of a UX designer depends on a wide range of factors such as Demand, Experience, Location, Company size and type, desired skills, and knowledge. (1) Luckily, the demand for UX designers has increased since the birth of the UX industry, as indicated by McKinsey’s research (2). Their research shows that design-led businesses rival their competitors in terms of overall performance and revenue (3). In the next section, we will explore the UX designer salaries in different countries and prominent cities.

What Affects a UX Designer’s Salary? 

. Demand for UX Designer:

The research indicates that the demand for UX designers has increased due to the growing importance of user-centric design across various industries. Reports from LinkedIn and Glassdoor indicate that UX design was listed as one of the top five in-demand skills by LinkedIn in 2020 and included as one of the top 50 careers by Glassdoor in 2022 (3). Five points that influence this trend are as follows: Tech Companies, Healthcare, Finance, Education, and Retail (4).

. Years of Experience:

Generally, the amount of salary earned by the Junior UX designer is lower than the Senior UX designer. In other words, to get greater pay, you have to promote yourself to a higher role, such as management. According to Glassdoor (5) as of December 26, 2023, the salary range for a senior UX designer is between $120,000 and $180,000 per year, while this amount for a Junior UX designer is $ 94,654.

. Location:

Believe it or not, the location is an important factor influencing salary. The results in Section 3 indicate that the salary is influenced not only by the country of residence but also by the specific cities within that country.

. Company Size and Type:

You may change your location or company during your UX designer career.

As mentioned above, UX designers can take on various roles based on their skills, experiences, and abilities. Therefore, before starting a new role in a different company or country, it’s crucial to conduct thorough research, as your payment may vary depending on your role and, of course, the size of the company. In my experience in the role of UX writer and collaboration with UX and UI designers in my company, I’ve observed that in smaller companies, a UX designer may have various responsibilities, such as functioning as both a UX and UI designer. However, in larger companies, individuals tend to focus on specific tasks. (3)

For your convenience, we have listed the salaries of UX designers for some companies. Based on the reports from three websites the average salaries of UX designers at Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are as follows:

Amazon: $154.260

Google: $140.36

Microsoft: $137.136

. Skills and Certifications:

To work as a UX designer, you need a combination of technical and workplace skills. Gaining expertise in some of these areas may result in a higher salary (8). If you decide to work as a UX designer, the following skills are essential for success in the field: (9)

  • Analytical skills
  • Empathy
  • Research
  • Communication skills
  • Knowledge of UX fundamentals
  • Prototyping skills
  • Experience with Figma, Adobe XD, or similar software
  • Basic coding skills (depending on the employer) (10)

Some employers may prefer a candidate who has certifications in specialized areas of expertise. By achieving the certifications, not only you can fill the gap between your experiences, but also you can show your abilities.

Here, we have listed some self-paced courses that are 100% online and provide learners with a shareable certificate for their resumes (11).

 

How Much Does a UX Designer Make in Different Countries?

As a UX designer, maybe you find yourself curious about the range of payments for UX designers in different countries. All the data used in the tables were gathered from the following websites: Payscale, Glassdoor, Indeed BuiltIn,  ZipRecruiter, Talent.com, JobsDB, and Levels. FYI. The average salary was computed, and the mean of these averages is presented in the tables (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19).

 

Table 1: The average salary by Country per year

Country Average per Year City Average per Year
United State $112,000 San Francisco, CA $151,000
New York, NY $144,389

 

Country Average Per Year City Average Per Year
Germany US$69,616 Berlin € 68,578

 

Country Average Per Year City Average Per Year
United Kingdom US$66,333 London €75,177
Manchester €57,006

 

Country Average Per Year City Average Per Year
France US$51,923 Paris €50,987

 

Country Average Per Year City Average Per Year
New Zealand US$69,563 Auckland $77,000

 

Country Average Per Year City Average Per Year
China $85,000 Hong Kong HK$408,000

 

Country Average Per year City Average Per Year
Australia US$78,372 Sydney AUD$74,965

 

Country Average Per Year City Average Per Year
Canada US$84,700 Vancouver CA$87,629
Toronto CA$75,245

 

How to Negotiate a Higher UX Designer’s Salary?

In this section, we will address the question ‘How to Increase a UX Designer’s Salary.’ This is difficult to answer because it is closely tied to the policies, abilities, and future career path of the UX designer Nevertheless, we’ve listed some of the most common factors influencing UX designer salaries.

. Create a Powerful Portfolio:

A purposeful portfolio provides a brief representation that showcases your skills and expertise. If your portfolio is arranged logically and displays your most relevant works, it will present you and your abilities better than the traditional CV. The portfolio should not only cover your identity, capabilities, UX specialization, and cultural fit for employers but also provide a captivating and memorable introduction in a brief timeframe (20).

Don’t forget, if your portfolio directly indicates a UX designer’s best work and projects, it can help you stand out to potential employers and command a higher salary.

 

. Negotiate Effectively:

This stage involves understanding the value of your skills and experience. Research industry standards and strive to present the best version of yourself to your employer. Emphasize your abilities, related experiences, and skills, and provide a brief overview of the company’s future outlook with your presence.

 

Tips for Increasing the UX Designer’s Salary:

. Stay Updated With Industry Trends

Nowadays, for solving people’s problems, a deep understanding of the obstacles they face and the various situations they are in is crucial, so technological advancements, political shifts, global health concerns, and evolving communication methods guide designers to create impactful products. These dynamic changes not only influence the design landscape but also the daily habits of the UX designer. Being curious about cutting-edge technologies and current events is vital for both newcomers and expert UX designers. In this way, they stay up-to-date and can implement effective strategies in their field. (21)

. Look for Mentorship and Leadership Opportunities

One of the most important keys that can help you not only increase your salary but also enhance your skills and abilities is taking on leadership roles or mentoring junior designers.

In this case, you can demonstrate your abilities as a UX designer to take on more responsibility and contribute to the growth of your company, which can lead to salary increases. For instance based on the LinkedIn report, typically, a lot of career ladders follow this:

People will start as a Junior or Associate Designer. As their experience grows, they will have titles like UX Designer or Product Designer. The next title people typically move toward is Senior Designer or Lead Designer. After that comes Manager, Senior Manager, and Director, before climbing into the upper echelons of leadership with titles like VP, CDO (Chief Design Officer), or CXO (Chief Experience Officer) (22).

So, by considering the above ladder, you can make your pathway for increasing your salary.

 

Conclusion

 In this article, we’ve outlined key factors impacting a UX designer’s salary. If you’re a UX designer or considering this profession, reading this article will provide answers to your questions about the influencing factors on salaries.

In summary, considering the demand for UX designers, choosing this job is a good idea if you are still uncertain. The finding of this article indicates that UX designer salaries vary across countries and cities. This variance might be related to differences in the cost of living. Other influential factors include company size, as well as your skills and experiences.

We address another important question here, about the way to increase our salary as a UX designer. You can reach it by considering these steps. First, attain the relevant certification and skills, then arrange an eye-catching portfolio. As a UX designer try to stay up-to-date. Synchronizing yourself with people’s obstacles and various situations they are in represents the best version of yourself to the employer in negotiations by considering the value of your skills and experience. Once you attain your position, don’t forget to elevate yourself to a higher rank by taking on more responsibilities and contributing to the growth of your company.

 

“Good luck in your UX design position”

 

FAQ:

1. Is UX design a good career choice?

By considering the increasing demand for this job, it seems like a good choice.

2. What is an average UX designer’s salary?

The average salary varies significantly between different countries, cities, and experience levels. In the USA, for example, the average salary for someone with approximately 2 or 3 years of experience is $112,000 per year.

3. Do UX designers need a degree?

It’s closely tied to the employer. Certainly, having certifications will enhance your chances.

4. Is UX design a stable career?

As the demand for hiring UX professionals increases across various industries, and considering the growing importance of developing digital products that are easy to use and intuitive, the need for skilled UX designers is expected to remain strong.

5. Can a graphic designer become a UX designer?

However there is a gap between graphic designers and UX designers, but it’s not difficult to deal with it. Both groups speak the language of design, but the Graphic designer just needs to brush up their skills into the skills that are unique to UX design.

6. What’s the difference between UI designers and UX designers?

The responsibility of a UI designer includes working on individual pages, buttons, and interactions, and ensuring that they are both polished and functional. UX designers make sure the overall user flow of a website, service, or app is fully realized and consistent by taking a higher-level perspective on the product or service.

Subscribe our newsletter !
Email Address
Related articles

How to Become a Motion Graphic Designer?

read more

A Brief Overview of Lean UX

read more

UX Strategy and Its Components

read more
Let's have a free consultation!