graphic design in asheville, salary question (Boone: job market, university, designer)

[bulletproof]

Hello all. Is anyone out there either a graphic designer or a client of a graphic designer? If so, can you tell me the going hourly rate for such a job in Asheville? I was a designer/production artist in nyc and am applying for jobs doing the same work here in Asheville. A potential employer asked me what my rate is, and I'm stumped.

[MidlifeMom]

I moved to western NC from Long Island and took a huge pay cut, but I am not in your field. Jobs in the Asheville area definitely pay less than in NY.

[gigimac]

You could just put what you made in NYC. The employer might not set aside interviewing a qualified worker on account of what you made there; in fact, it may help you get a better salary. Nevertheless, I can appreciate the need to be competitive with the Asheville market. I used to work with some graphics people here and they were not paid very well, about ten years ago it was $20,000 per year, but you could add in inflation now, and of course different places pay different amounts. For example, advertising agencies, both free-standing and within prominent area companies, pay more than smaller design groups. There is an online resource, I think it's a dot-gov website, where it lists what people make on the average in the U.S. for various occupations. So, you could put down the government average, which at least is arguably fair.

Another good idea is to contact Appalachian State University for advice, they are part of the University of North Carolina system, it's up in Boone a few hours' drive from here. They have a well-known graphics department, and the staff there or student job market people there will be well-apprised as to what is acceptable pay in the mountain region.

While you're looking at those government listings online, see can you find related graphics work, that makes more money in a little different field than you were in, and then look into those job areas here, too.