Pay by state · 48 states
Video Game Designer Salary by State (2026)
Video Game Designers earn the most in California at $136,110 a year and the least in Guam at $31,200 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $104,000. All 48 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $136,110California
- National median
- $104,000BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $31,200Guam
- States reporting
- 48of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Video Game Designer salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of video game designers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CACalifornia | $136,110 | $91,600 | $191,960 | 27,090 | $122,932 |
| 2 | WAWashington | $130,480 | $75,570 | $170,400 | 11,580 | $121,929 |
| 3 | NYNew York | $120,990 | $94,620 | $167,590 | 16,560 | $112,110 |
| 4 | MAMassachusetts | $113,540 | $86,420 | $157,510 | 2,740 | $107,359 |
| 5 | NHNew Hampshire | $111,150 | $69,990 | $145,580 | 430 | $106,706 |
| 6 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $107,650 | $85,040 | $136,480 | 480 | $97,952 |
| 7 | RIRhode Island | $105,990 | $76,350 | $137,110 | 240 | $103,627 |
| 8 | PAPennsylvania | $104,160 | $74,230 | $129,220 | 2,820 | $106,752 |
| 9 | GAGeorgia | $103,810 | $81,950 | $142,110 | 2,800 | $107,806 |
| 10 | TXTexas | $102,650 | $78,480 | $138,430 | 5,910 | $105,763 |
| 11 | OROregon | $102,220 | $77,110 | $140,370 | 1,230 | $98,896 |
| 12 | UTUtah | $99,990 | $79,130 | $131,430 | 1,060 | $101,139 |
| 13 | AZArizona | $98,070 | $76,540 | $145,620 | 810 | $97,411 |
| 14 | NCNorth Carolina | $97,990 | $63,920 | $133,860 | 3,400 | $103,884 |
| 15 | MDMaryland | $96,760 | $68,890 | $130,470 | 1,310 | $92,188 |
| 16 | COColorado | $95,880 | $78,450 | $132,620 | 3,250 | $93,040 |
| 17 | WIWisconsin | $95,340 | $71,020 | $103,530 | 880 | $101,323 |
| 18 | NJNew Jersey | $95,310 | $71,160 | $130,590 | 2,170 | $87,597 |
| 19 | CTConnecticut | $94,660 | $67,250 | $100,060 | 1,060 | $91,362 |
| 20 | DEDelaware | $93,880 | $66,520 | $106,190 | 130 | $94,061 |
| 21 | ILIllinois | $85,710 | $67,580 | $129,810 | 2,050 | $85,746 |
| 22 | OHOhio | $83,360 | $60,490 | $125,600 | 2,520 | $89,853 |
| 23 | MNMinnesota | $82,650 | $63,100 | $100,360 | 1,520 | $83,806 |
| 24 | MIMichigan | $81,010 | $58,000 | $113,120 | 1,750 | $84,195 |
| 25 | SCSouth Carolina | $80,930 | $57,870 | $101,740 | 800 | $86,326 |
| 26 | NVNevada | $80,120 | $63,990 | $120,050 | 1,180 | $80,137 |
| 27 | FLFlorida | $77,730 | $60,880 | $108,800 | 4,620 | $75,164 |
| 28 | VAVirginia | $77,140 | $54,790 | $102,370 | 1,990 | $76,298 |
| 29 | MTMontana | $77,030 | $63,520 | $138,520 | 100 | $81,388 |
| 30 | KYKentucky | $77,000 | $67,540 | $93,460 | 590 | $85,405 |
| 31 | OKOklahoma | $76,440 | $51,140 | $90,040 | 340 | $87,019 |
| 32 | WVWest Virginia | $71,880 | $52,580 | $133,360 | 200 | $80,316 |
| 33 | AKAlaska | $71,300 | $60,650 | $87,410 | 30 | $69,657 |
| 34 | MOMissouri | $70,970 | $52,200 | $90,920 | 1,210 | $78,146 |
| 35 | KSKansas | $70,620 | $55,380 | $93,100 | 200 | $78,407 |
| 36 | IAIowa | $69,060 | $48,330 | $84,220 | 670 | $78,690 |
| 37 | LALouisiana | $68,790 | $50,030 | $91,090 | 170 | $77,987 |
| 38 | WYWyoming | $67,020 | $51,710 | $94,420 | 110 | $72,305 |
| 39 | NENebraska | $65,520 | $51,710 | $83,170 | 720 | $72,717 |
| 40 | NDNorth Dakota | $64,260 | $59,050 | $80,500 | 40 | $72,236 |
| 41 | IDIdaho | $64,250 | $49,850 | $98,960 | 340 | $67,282 |
| 42 | TNTennessee | $63,510 | $57,890 | $63,510 | 3,610 | $69,130 |
| 43 | INIndiana | $63,430 | $58,980 | $85,100 | 1,160 | $67,964 |
| 44 | NMNew Mexico | $53,300 | $43,040 | $79,620 | 200 | $57,802 |
| 45 | ALAlabama | $51,860 | $48,730 | $96,450 | 130 | $58,386 |
| 46 | PRPuerto Rico | $48,700 | $36,680 | $68,780 | 230 | N/A |
| 47 | MSMississippi | $48,550 | $48,260 | $69,780 | 230 | $55,835 |
| 48 | GUGuam | $31,200 | $22,710 | $39,850 | 30 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Video Game Designers, that changes the ranking: California leads on raw pay at $136,110, while California leads once prices are taken into account at $122,932.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Video Game Designer pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Video Game Designers the most?
California reports the highest median wage for Video Game Designers at $136,110 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Washington ($130,480) and New York ($120,990).
Which state pays Video Game Designers the least?
Guam reports the lowest median for Video Game Designers at $31,200 a year, $104,910 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Video Game Designers earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts California first at $122,932 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $136,110. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.