Graphic Design Industry • Inflation-Adjusted Growth Rates • 2015-2024
Despite COVID-19 causing a 6.7% job loss in 2020, the industry recovered with 8.5% total growth over the decade, averaging 0.8% annual growth.
Despite 35.4% nominal wage growth over the decade, most percentiles lost purchasing power due to 35.6% cumulative inflation. Only the 25th percentile maintained near-parity.
High inflation (7.0%) severely impacted real wage growth across all percentiles, with the median experiencing -12.0% real decline despite nominal increases.
Lower percentiles saw exceptional real growth (13-14%) as wages adjusted upward, while higher percentiles experienced slight real declines.
All percentiles experienced real wage declines as the market corrected from 2022's dramatic increases, with losses ranging from -5% to -7%.
Lower percentiles achieved modest real gains (0.3-1.2%) while higher percentiles remained relatively flat, indicating market stabilization.
| Year | Inflation Rate | 10th Percentile | 25th Percentile | 50th Percentile | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Mean Wage |
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Real Annual Wage Growth = (Year-over-Year Nominal Wage Change %) - (Annual Inflation Rate %). This shows how much purchasing power actually increased or decreased for each salary level after accounting for rising prices. Positive values indicate real wage gains; negative values indicate purchasing power losses.