Interior Designers: Career Overview
Plan, design, and furnish the internal space of rooms or buildings. Design interior environments or create physical layouts that are practical, aesthetic, and conducive to the intended purposes. May specialize in a particular field, style, or phase of interior design.
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The Daily Work of Interior Designers Take On?
The core tasks performed by interior designers cover:
- Design plans to be safe and to be compliant with the American Disabilities Act (ADA).
- Use computer-aided drafting (CAD) and related software to produce construction documents.
- Research health and safety code requirements to inform design.
- Confer with client to determine factors affecting planning of interior environments, such as budget, architectural preferences, purpose, and function.
- Advise client on interior design factors, such as space planning, layout and use of furnishings or equipment, and color coordination.
- Coordinate with other professionals, such as contractors, architects, engineers, and plumbers, to ensure job success.
- Review and detail shop drawings for construction plans.
- Inspect construction work on site to ensure its adherence to the design plans.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Effective interior designers combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The abilities most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Types of Interior Designers Jobs
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Bathroom Designer (Bath Designer)
- Certified Kitchen Designer
- Color and Materials Designer
- Commercial Interior Designer
- Decorating Consultant
- Decorator
- Design Consultant
- Designer
Employment and Demand
There are about 188,628 interior designers working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to decline by -1.3% over the projection horizon.
Interior Designers Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $55,861 |
| Hourly median | $26.86 |
| 10th percentile | $31,023 |
| 25th percentile | $43,442 |
| 75th percentile | $68,280 |
| 90th percentile | $80,699 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Interior Designers Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Washington | $79,490 |
| District of Columbia | $79,060 |
| California | $77,360 |
| Massachusetts | $77,190 |
| Wyoming | $75,120 |
| New York | $73,630 |
| Colorado | $72,740 |
| Maryland | $70,810 |
| Nevada | $68,620 |
| New Jersey | $67,290 |
| Minnesota | $67,070 |
| Virginia | $66,450 |
| Illinois | $66,300 |
| Pennsylvania | $64,680 |
| Oregon | $64,250 |
| Arizona | $63,950 |
| Arkansas | $63,670 |
| Michigan | $62,760 |
| South Dakota | $62,140 |
| Vermont | $62,130 |
| Georgia | $61,810 |
| Texas | $61,620 |
| Wisconsin | $61,360 |
| Rhode Island | $61,080 |
| New Hampshire | $60,650 |
| Hawaii | $60,600 |
| Indiana | $60,590 |
| Florida | $60,200 |
| Utah | $60,170 |
| Idaho | $59,580 |
| Connecticut | $59,490 |
| South Carolina | $59,450 |
| Missouri | $58,830 |
| Tennessee | $58,730 |
| Ohio | $58,720 |
| Nebraska | $58,300 |
| Iowa | $57,790 |
| Alabama | $57,290 |
| Louisiana | $57,150 |
| North Dakota | $56,640 |
| Delaware | $55,230 |
| Maine | $54,720 |
| Kansas | $54,400 |
| Montana | $53,230 |
| North Carolina | $53,180 |
| Oklahoma | $52,240 |
| New Mexico | $50,400 |
| Kentucky | $50,220 |
| West Virginia | $45,090 |
| Mississippi | $44,120 |
| Puerto Rico | $32,900 |
Where Interior Designers Earn the Most
Compensation for interior designers differ across the country. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $75,684 | 16.8% | 1.01 |
| Middle Atlantic | $70,710 | 15.9% | 1.10 |
| New England | $67,537 | 4.9% | 1.07 |
| Rocky Mountains | $67,118 | 6.9% | 1.85 |
| Great Lakes | $62,364 | 12.6% | 0.89 |
| Southwest | $61,377 | 10.5% | 0.86 |
| Plains States | $60,749 | 6.1% | 0.91 |
| Southeast | $59,552 | 26.0% | 1.23 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Interior Designers
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading, PA | PA | $85,680 | 50 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | CA | $83,580 | 40 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $80,720 | 1,100 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $79,800 | 300 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | MA | $79,350 | 90 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | CA | $79,350 | 100 |
| Rochester, MN | MN | $79,290 | 40 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | CA | $78,990 | 580 |
Top Industries Employing Interior Designers
The bulk of interior designers work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 43,100 | $70,810 |
| Retail Trade | 11,280 | $49,770 |
| Construction | 5,830 | $60,170 |
| Wholesale Trade | 3,600 | $71,750 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 1,590 | $80,600 |
| Manufacturing | 960 | $58,500 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 820 | $65,280 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 610 | $66,750 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Software Interior Designers Use
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk Revit (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Project management software: Microsoft Project (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
Daily working conditions for interior designers reflects the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Contact With Others
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
Getting Started in This Career
Typical interior designers positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Architects, Except Landscape and Naval (Supplemental)
- Landscape Architects (Primary-Short)
- Architectural and Civil Drafters (Primary-Long)
- Mechanical Drafters (Primary-Long)
- Art Directors (Primary-Long)
- Craft Artists (Primary-Short)
- Commercial and Industrial Designers (Primary-Short)
- Fashion Designers (Primary-Short)
Where to Study
Students preparing for interior designers commonly pursue programs in:
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
3 programs across 2 majors
Architecture and Related Services
2 programs across 2 majors
Visual and Performing Arts
1 programs across 1 majors
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 27-1025.00 (Interior Designers).
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