Industrial designers held about 30,600 jobs in the United States in 2024. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects 3% employment growth from 2024 to 2034, with about 2,500 openings per year on average. The detailed geographic and industry figures below use the BLS occupational series officially titled Commercial and Industrial Designers (SOC 27-1021), the closest official statistical series for industrial designers.
Contents
- National employment and outlook
- Wage distribution
- Where designers work
- Industry concentration and highest pay
- State employment and specialization
- Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan markets
National employment and outlook
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook counted about 30,600 industrial designer jobs in the United States in 2024. Its forecast calls for employment to grow 3% between 2024 and 2034. That outlook is a projection, rather than a measurement of jobs already filled. The same forecast anticipates about 2,500 openings for industrial designers each year, on average, during 2024–2034.
For pay, the BLS reported a May 2024 median annual wage of $79,450. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $49,390, while the highest-paid 10% earned more than $134,840. These figures describe different points in the national wage distribution: the median divides the workforce in half, while the 10th and 90th percentiles mark the lower and upper ends of the measured distribution.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook source is Industrial Designers: Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Its employment outlook covers 2024–2034, and its wage figures are for May 2024.
Wage distribution
The BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program estimated 30,810 commercial and industrial designers nationally in May 2023. The OEWS mean hourly wage was $39.36, and the mean annual wage was $81,870. The May 2023 median annual wage was $76,250, so the mean was higher than the median for that measurement period.
The May 2023 annual wage percentiles show how pay varied across the occupation:
| Annual wage point | May 2023 estimate |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,530 |
| 25th percentile | $59,170 |
| Median | $76,250 |
| 75th percentile | $99,290 |
| 90th percentile | $126,010 |
The 10th-percentile estimate was $46,530, while the 90th-percentile estimate was $126,010. The 25th-percentile wage was $59,170 and the 75th-percentile wage was $99,290. Together, these measurements show a broad spread between lower, middle, and upper wage levels in May 2023. They should not be treated as a salary progression for an individual designer.
The detailed source is Commercial and Industrial Designers – Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023. OEWS estimates exclude self-employed workers. The annual OEWS wages are BLS-reported annual estimates, not calculations made from the hourly figure here. Because the Occupational Outlook Handbook and OEWS use different measurement periods and reporting products, the May 2024 and May 2023 figures should be read as separate snapshots.
Where designers work
May 2023 OEWS data show industrial design employment spread across design firms, business services, manufacturing, and wholesale businesses. Specialized design services employed 3,130 commercial and industrial designers, with an annual mean wage of $77,860. Merchant wholesalers of durable goods employed 2,660, with an $82,070 annual mean wage.
Architectural, engineering, and related services employed 2,490 designers and reported an $84,700 annual mean wage. Management of companies and enterprises employed 2,430, with an $89,290 annual mean wage. Furniture and related product manufacturing employed 1,570 designers, with a $66,500 annual mean wage.
These industry measurements provide both an employment and pay view. Specialized design services had the largest employment count among the listed industries, while management of companies and enterprises had a higher annual mean wage than the other listed employment groups. Furniture and related product manufacturing had the lowest annual mean wage among these five examples.
Industry concentration and highest pay
The occupational share of an industry indicates how concentrated industrial design employment was within that industry in May 2023. Industrial designers represented 2.02% of employment in specialized design services. They represented 0.47% of employment in furniture and related product manufacturing, 0.45% in other miscellaneous manufacturing, 0.38% in fabric mills, and 0.36% in textile furnishings mills.
The BLS industry data also identify several industries with high annual mean wages for commercial and industrial designers:
| Industry | Annual mean wage, May 2023 |
|---|---|
| Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing | $128,920 |
| Motor vehicle manufacturing | $125,000 |
| Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing | $123,140 |
| Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services | $118,740 |
| Software publishers | $117,970 |
Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing reported the highest annual mean wage in this listed group, at $128,920. Motor vehicle manufacturing reported $125,000, and semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing reported $123,140. The annual mean wage was $118,740 in accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services and $117,970 in software publishers.
The industry figures are annual mean estimates for May 2023, not medians. A mean wage for an industry is not the same measure as the national median or the percentile figures in the preceding section.
State employment and specialization
California had 4,980 commercial and industrial designers in May 2023, the highest state employment level shown by the BLS. New York had 3,050 and an $83,610 annual mean wage. Michigan had 2,090 and a $77,500 annual mean wage. Florida had 2,050 and a $70,480 annual mean wage, while Ohio had 1,620 and a $70,760 annual mean wage.
Employment concentration looked different from total employment. Rhode Island had the highest state location quotient shown, at 3.21. A location quotient compares an area’s occupational concentration with the national average; it is a relative specialization measure, not a job count. Iowa had 790 designers and a 2.51 location quotient, Utah had 830 and a 2.44 location quotient, and Vermont had 120 and a 1.89 location quotient.
The highest state-level annual mean wages shown in the May 2023 BLS data were concentrated in a different set of places. The District of Columbia reported $120,570, Washington state reported $110,400, and Kansas reported $106,760. Arizona reported a $93,950 annual mean wage.
The comparison below places selected state employment, concentration, and pay measures side by side. Not every state listed has all three measures supplied in the BLS figures above.
| Area | Employment or specialization | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|
| California | 4,980 designers | — |
| New York | 3,050 designers | $83,610 |
| Rhode Island | Location quotient 3.21 | — |
| Iowa | 790 designers; location quotient 2.51 | — |
| Utah | 830 designers; location quotient 2.44 | — |
| District of Columbia | — | $120,570 |
| Washington | — | $110,400 |
| Kansas | — | $106,760 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan markets
New York–Newark–Jersey City had 3,370 commercial and industrial designers in May 2023, the largest metropolitan employment level shown by the BLS. Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim had 2,550 designers and an $89,040 annual mean wage. Detroit–Warren–Dearborn had 1,140 designers and a 2.97 location quotient.
Other large metropolitan employment counts included Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach with 830 designers and a $69,090 annual mean wage; Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington with 690 and $85,570; Boston–Cambridge–Nashua with 580 and $93,540; San Francisco–Oakland–Hayward with 570 and $114,670; and Chicago–Naperville–Elgin with 560 and $71,160.
The highest metropolitan annual mean wages shown were not necessarily in the markets with the largest employment counts. San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara reported $137,210. Santa Cruz–Watsonville reported $117,160, Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue reported $113,540, and Baton Rouge reported $111,420. Raleigh reported $100,210, while Phoenix–Mesa–Scottsdale reported $95,460.
These metropolitan figures are May 2023 annual mean estimates. The location quotient for Detroit–Warren–Dearborn describes occupational concentration relative to the national average, whereas the employment counts describe the number of designers estimated in each metropolitan area. Neither measure alone describes the full availability of product design work.
The BLS source for the industry, state, and metropolitan figures is Commercial and Industrial Designers – Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023. The official occupation name is important when comparing sources: “industrial designers” is the reader-facing term, while the BLS detailed series is titled “Commercial and Industrial Designers.”