How much do interior designers make?

Interior Designer salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Interior Designers (SOC 27-1025) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Interior designers in the US earned a median of $67,190 a year ($32.31 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $51,840 to $85,740.

Median annual pay: $67,190; Mean $74,540
Median hourly pay: $32.31; Mean $35.84
Typical range (10th–90th): $41.4K–$114K; $41,420 to $114,140
US jobs: 71,500; +2.7% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become an interior designer: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: Wyoming

Interior Designer pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$41,420
25th percentile$51,840
Median$67,190
75th percentile$85,740
90th percentile$114,140

Half of all interior designers earned more than $67,190 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $41,420; the top 10% made over $114,140. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $51,840 to $85,740.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$41,420	$19.91	$3,452
25th	$51,840	$24.92	$4,320
Median (50th)	$67,190	$32.31	$5,599
75th	$85,740	$41.22	$7,145
90th	$114,140	$54.87	$9,512
Mean (average)	$74,540	$35.84	$6,212

Interior Designer salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for interior designers by state. Darker tiles pay more. A dash means BLS did not publish a figure.

Highest-paying states

1. District of Columbia $98,450
2. Wyoming $96,100
3. California $80,230
4. Massachusetts $80,110
5. Colorado $78,390

Lowest-paying states

49. Mississippi $43,740
48. West Virginia $49,800
47. Iowa $58,040
46. Rhode Island $58,100
45. North Dakota $59,190

Best after cost of living: Wyoming. Its median of $96,100 is worth about $103,678 at national-average prices, more than in District of Columbia once prices are counted.


Alabama	$61,050	37	$68,732	16	$29.35	620	0.29
Alaska	$63,320	26	$61,861	40	$30.44	40	0.12
Arizona	$61,460	33	$61,047	43	$29.55	1,600	0.49
Arkansas	$69,990	12	$80,507	3	$33.65	740	0.57
California	$80,230	3	$72,462	11	$38.57	8,500	0.47
Colorado	$78,390	5	$76,068	6	$37.69	2,300	0.80
Connecticut	$67,330	14	$64,984	34	$32.37	630	0.37
Delaware	$60,360	41	$60,476	44	$29.02	190	0.39
District of Columbia	$98,450	1	$89,581	2	$47.33	620	0.88
Florida	$60,860	38	$58,851	45	$29.26	7,410	0.75
Georgia	$71,760	11	$74,523	8	$34.50	3,050	0.62
Hawaii	$63,780	24	$58,008	46	$30.66	270	0.43
Idaho	—	—	—	—	—	350	0.40
Illinois	$76,290	7	$76,322	5	$36.68	2,570	0.42
Indiana	$62,580	28	$67,053	22	$30.09	1,020	0.32
Iowa	$58,040	47	$66,133	26	$27.90	510	0.33
Kansas	$61,090	36	$67,827	20	$29.37	400	0.28
Kentucky	$59,240	44	$65,706	29	$28.48	490	0.25
Louisiana	$60,610	40	$68,713	17	$29.14	350	0.18
Maine	$63,830	22	$65,770	28	$30.69	230	0.36
Maryland	$65,070	18	$61,996	38	$31.29	1,440	0.52
Massachusetts	$80,110	4	$75,749	7	$38.52	1,580	0.43
Michigan	$59,340	43	$61,673	41	$28.53	1,930	0.44
Minnesota	$73,270	10	$74,295	9	$35.23	1,220	0.41
Mississippi	$43,740	49	$50,303	49	$21.03	330	0.28
Missouri	$59,610	42	$65,637	30	$28.66	1,010	0.34
Montana	$61,770	31	$65,265	31	$29.70	290	0.57
Nebraska	$64,870	19	$71,995	12	$31.19	430	0.42
Nevada	—	—	—	—	—	590	0.38
New Hampshire	$64,140	20	$61,575	42	$30.84	300	0.44
New Jersey	$74,020	9	$68,030	19	$35.59	1,670	0.39
New Mexico	$60,850	39	$65,989	27	$29.25	90	0.10
New York	$75,580	8	$70,033	14	$36.34	5,340	0.55
North Carolina	$61,400	35	$65,093	33	$29.52	2,610	0.53
North Dakota	$59,190	45	$66,536	24	$28.46	160	0.36
Ohio	$61,410	34	$66,193	25	$29.52	2,180	0.39
Oklahoma	$68,520	13	$78,003	4	$32.94	490	0.29
Oregon	$66,350	15	$64,192	35	$31.90	1,030	0.52
Pennsylvania	$62,400	30	$63,953	36	$30.00	1,820	0.30
Rhode Island	$58,100	46	$56,805	47	$27.93	550	1.09
South Carolina	$63,790	23	$68,043	18	$30.67	940	0.41
South Dakota	$65,220	16	$73,623	10	$31.36	150	0.33
Tennessee	$63,660	25	$69,294	15	$30.61	1,530	0.47
Texas	$65,160	17	$67,136	21	$31.33	6,450	0.46
Utah	$61,740	32	$62,449	37	$29.68	1,110	0.64
Vermont	$63,870	21	$65,201	32	$30.71	110	0.35
Virginia	$62,560	29	$61,877	39	$30.08	1,550	0.38
Washington	$76,570	6	$71,552	13	$36.81	1,330	0.37
West Virginia	$49,800	48	$55,644	48	$23.94	90	0.13
Wisconsin	$62,740	27	$66,677	23	$30.17	1,200	0.41
Wyoming	$96,100	2	$103,678	1	$46.20	90	0.33

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure (2 states). State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for interior designers

183 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$87,460	$75,649	1,810
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$85,140	$77,104	340
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$81,480	$75,259	1,290
Boulder, CO	$80,850	$76,852	90
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$80,640	$72,073	820
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$80,150	$75,769	1,500
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$80,000	$70,444	3,880
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV	$79,720	$79,549	460
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$79,590	$73,096	1,840
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$78,960	$72,575	110

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	5,460	$76,580	$68,033
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	3,880	$80,000	$70,444
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	3,090	$60,860	$53,313
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	2,430	$72,490	$72,448
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	2,420	$65,160	$63,207
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	2,250	$76,570	$73,913
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	1,840	$79,590	$73,096
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	1,810	$87,460	$75,649
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	1,500	$80,150	$75,769
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	1,460	$61,220	$62,071

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves interior designer pay: employers and settings

The type of employer moves interior designer pay the most. Architectural, engineering and related firms pay a median of $78,340 and durable-goods wholesalers pay $75,080. Both lean toward commercial projects with construction drawings and code work. Specialized design firms, the largest employer, pay $67,870. Retail jobs pay less: furniture and home furnishings stores have a median of $52,000 and building material dealers $48,460. In those stores much of the work is helping shoppers choose products. The few government designers earn more, with federal jobs at a $98,920 median.

Location also matters. The District of Columbia, at $98,450, and Wyoming, at $96,100, top the state list, followed by California at $80,230, and Massachusetts at $80,110, while Mississippi sits at $43,740. Wyoming stays on top after living costs, at $103,678.

Pay across the field runs from $41,420, the 10th percentile, to $114,140, the 90th. That spread is wider than the gap between employer types, so the kind of projects you take on, the code-heavy commercial work done at architecture and engineering firms versus product sales in stores, matters as much as the employer's label. Self-employed designers' income depends on how many projects they win.

Where interior designers work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Specialized Design Services	42.1%	$67,870
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	19.6%	$78,340
Furniture and Home Furnishings Retailers	9.3%	$52,000
Residential Building Construction	6.7%	$63,080
Building Material and Supplies Dealers	6.1%	$48,460
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only)	3.6%	$75,080

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	70,760	$66,780
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	410	$98,920
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	260	$77,300
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	60	$84,340

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Interior Designer pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$67.2K $48.8K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $48,840 in 2015 to $67,190 in 2025, up 38% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $66,022 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay grew 2% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What interior designers do

An interior designer plans the inside of a building so it works for the people using it and meets code. That means deciding how a floor is divided, where walls, doors, lighting and outlets go, which finishes and furniture to use, and how people will move through the rooms. On commercial jobs the designer also produces construction drawings and specifications that contractors build from, and checks that exits, corridors and restrooms meet accessibility and fire rules.

Most interior design jobs are in design firms or in architecture and engineering offices, where designers work on offices, hospitals, hotels, schools and stores alongside architects and engineers. Others work for furniture retailers, home builders or building-supply dealers, helping customers choose cabinets, flooring and furnishings. About a quarter are self-employed. Desk time in CAD and BIM software is broken up by client meetings and site visits, and evening or weekend meetings are common when clients cannot meet during the day.

A typical day

Meet clients to pin down budget, schedule, how the space will be used and the look they want
Measure existing rooms and draw floor plans, furniture layouts and lighting plans in CAD or BIM software
Check plans against building codes, fire exits and ADA clearances
Pick finishes, fixtures and furniture, and put together sample boards and 3D views for approval
Price materials and labor, then place orders and track deliveries
Mark up shop drawings and answer contractor questions during construction
Walk the site to confirm the work matches the drawings and build a punch list

Also called: interior design, interior designers, certified kitchen designer, color and materials designer, commercial interior designer, decorating consultant, designer, interior decorator.

How to become an interior designer

Full guide

Most interior designers earn a bachelor's degree in interior design, ideally from a CIDA-accredited program, which takes 4 years. To be licensed or registered in states that regulate the profession, you also need about 2 years of supervised work and the three-part NCIDQ Exam.

Typical time: 4 years to start; about 6 years to NCIDQ certification; Fastest: About 2 years
Minimum education: Bachelor's degree, typically in interior design (CIDA-accredited programs give the shortest path to NCIDQ eligibility)
License: Licensed or title-protected in some states only; requirements range from a practice license to title registration to no regulation
Typical training cost: $44.3K–$49.4K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming an interior designer: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 4 years to start; about 6 years to NCIDQ certification; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $44.3K–$49.4K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $67,190; $16,210 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 66–73%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($16,210 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in about 2.7–3.0 years after training ends (4 years to start; about 6 years to ncidq certification in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for interior designers

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +2.7%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 97,100; 99,700 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 7,700; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 26.4%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects interior designer jobs to grow 2.7% from 2025 to 2035, from 97,100 to 99,700. That is a little below the 3.5% average for all occupations. Even so, about 7,700 openings are expected each year, mostly because designers retire or switch fields. Demand comes from homeowners and businesses renovating, and from tighter attention to building codes and accessibility, which favors designers who can produce code-compliant drawings. With 26.4% self-employed, much of the work depends on construction and remodeling budgets, so jobs track the economy.

Related careers and their pay

Graphic Designer$62,960
Architect$99,280
Carpenter$60,580
Commercial and Industrial Designers$83,910
Craft Artists$46,080

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Interior Designer salary FAQ

How much do interior designers make an hour?

The median hourly wage for interior designers was $32.31 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $19.91 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $54.87. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays interior designers the most?

District of Columbia has the highest median pay for interior designers, $98,450 a year, followed by Wyoming ($96,100) and California ($80,230). After adjusting for each state's price level, Wyoming comes out ahead at about $103,678 in national-average dollars.

Do interior designers make six figures?

Some do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 10% and 25% of interior designers earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $67,190, and the top 10% earn more than $114,140. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

What is the difference between an interior designer and an interior decorator?

A decorator works with surfaces and contents: paint, fabrics, furniture and accessories. An interior designer also plans the space itself, moves non-structural walls, lays out lighting and power, and prepares drawings that must meet building and accessibility codes. Some states let only licensed or registered designers use the title "interior designer" or do regulated interior design work. Decorating that stays clear of code-regulated design work generally needs no license.

Do interior designers work from home?

Some do, especially self-employed residential designers who meet clients at the client's house and draft at home. Most interior designers work in a firm's office, though, because commercial projects mean team reviews, sample libraries and coordination with architects and engineers. Every designer still travels to job sites to measure rooms and check construction, so the job is never fully remote.

What kind of interior designer makes the most?

In our data, designers at architectural and engineering firms earn a median of $78,340 compared with $67,870 at specialized design firms and $52,000 at furniture stores. Those firms mostly handle commercial work such as offices, healthcare and hospitality, where designers prepare construction documents. Federal government jobs pay more ($98,920), but there are very few of them.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 27-1025
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (27-1025.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Interior Designers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
About the Exams, Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ) · checked October 28, 2026
NCIDQ Candidate Handbook, Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ) · checked October 28, 2026
CIDA: Council for Interior Design Accreditation, Council for Interior Design Accreditation · checked October 28, 2026
Work Experience Minimums, Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ) · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026
Eligibility, Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ) · checked October 28, 2026

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