Interior designers

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

85.9k

Average Age

42.2

Estimated Job Growth

−4.88%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$57,923

Average Male Salary

$67,985

Average Female Salary

$55,869

About

Interior designers are most often employed by the Specialized design services industry. The average yearly wage for Interior designers was $57,923 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Interior designers by wage are Artists & related workers, Judicial law clerks, and Electricians.

Interior designers are part of the Arts, design, entertainment, sports, & media occupations, along with Artists & related workers, Commercial and industrial designers, Fashion designers, Floral designers, Graphic designers, and 25 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Interior designers are Washington & Ozaukee Counties PUMA, WI, Upper East Side PUMA, NY, and Battery Park City, Greenwich Village & Soho PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Interior designers are North Hempstead Town (North) PUMA, NY, Sarasota County (Central & Gulf Coast) PUMA, FL, and Dallas (West Central), University Park Cities & Highland Park Town PUMA, TX.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Interior designers and on wages and locations for those in the field. Specialized design services is the industry that employs the most Interior designers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Interior designers, by average wage, is Software publishing. Interior designers are paid most in North Hempstead Town (North) PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in North Hempstead Town (North) PUMA, NY.

Yearly Wage

$57,923

AVERAGE SALARY

± $5,057

In 2020, Interior designers earned an average of $57,923, $1,970 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Artists & related workers make somewhat more than Interior designers while Electricians make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Interior designers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.393

WAGE GINI

In 2019, Interior designers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.393, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Interior designers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Interior designers.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Interior designers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Interior designers.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Interior designers, by number of employees, are Specialized design services, Architectural, engineering & related services, Furniture & home furnishings stores, Construction, Building material & supplies dealers, Retail florists, Advertising, public relations & related services, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Printing & related support activities, Furniture & related product manufacturing, and Clothing stores.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Interior designers, by average wage, are Software publishing, Electronic component & product manufacturing, n.e.c. , and Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing.

Industries by Share

85.9k

2020 Workforce

± 7,192

7.81%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 11.2%

The number of people employed as Interior designers has been growing at a rate of 7.81%, from 79,642 people in 2019 to 85,861 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Interior designers employed by various industries. Specialized design services employs the largest share of Interior designers at 41.4%, followed by Architectural, engineering & related services with 9.77% and Furniture & home furnishings stores with 7.82%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Interior designers in the US. The average age of male Interior designers in the workforce is 44.8 and of female Interior designers is 41.7, and the most common race/ethnicity for Interior designers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

14.6k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 2,962

71.3k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 6,554

83% of Interior designers are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Interior designers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Interior designers

White (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

77.4% of Interior designers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 5.73% of Interior designers, Asian (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Interior designers.

Age by Sex

44.8

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 2.92

41.7

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.33

The median age of Interior designers is 42.2, and Male employees are generally 3.11 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Interior designers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Interior designers is Visual & Performing Arts but a relatively high number of Interior designers hold a major in Visual & Performing Arts.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Projections

Projections on job growth for Interior Designers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Interior Designers are expected to see a growth of −4.88% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

−4.88%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Interior Designers. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.