Interior Designers: Job, Salary, and School Information from The Riley Guide

Interior Designers

Career and Education Info

Job Numbers and Growth

The count of interior designers working in the US is about 72,000. Unemployment for this career is low compared to other careers.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

A government survey revealed that 17% of employees work only part of the time. Interior designers who work as their own boss represent 26% of the total.

Training and Education

Many employers require an associate degree from job applicants. Bachelor's degrees are held by 55% of employees. People with some college experience but no degree make up 31% of interior designers. The highest level of education for for 14% of workers was a high school diploma. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which, if any, could help you with this career.

Area Job Conditions

There are comparatively more jobs of this type in Sebastian (Florida), Barnstable (Massachusetts), and Naples (Florida), and comparatively fewer in Rochester (New York), Albany (New York), and Worcester (Massachusetts).

The earning potential for interior designers appears to be highest in Anchorage (Alaska), San Francisco (California), and Newark (New Jersey), and lowest (comparatively speaking) in Gary (Indiana), Jackson (Mississippi), and Hot Springs (Arkansas).

Career Overview Video About Interior Designers

Interior Designers: Job and Salary Data by Metropolitan Area

The table below shows data for Interior Designers, as of 2008. The Popularity in Area number tells you how common jobs for Interior Designers are in the area, compared to other US metro areas. A value of 1.0 means an average number of people in the position for area population. Lower numbers mean fewer of these positions in the metro area. The most popular areas for Interior Designers are starred .

State	Area	Positions	Typical Pay	Popularity in Area
Alabama	Birmingham	200	$54,740	1
Alabama	Montgomery	60	$44,670	0.9
Alabama	Tuscaloosa	30	$39,910	0.9
Alaska	Anchorage	30	$66,180	0.5
Arizona	Phoenix	730	$45,940	1
Arizona	Tucson	70	$43,680	0.5
Arkansas	Hot Springs	30	$23,530	2.4
Arkansas	Little Rock	100	$45,040	0.8
California	Fresno	70	$52,580	0.5
California	Oakland	200	$58,530	0.5
California	Oxnard	60		0.5
California	Sacramento	320	$49,500	0.9
California	San Diego	660	$51,080	1.3
California	San Francisco	700	$67,830	1.8
California	San Jose	270	$76,870	0.7
California	Santa Ana	1,300	$54,270	2.2
California	Santa Barbara	30	$70,960	0.5
California	Santa Rosa	70	$65,160	1
Colorado	Colorado Springs	80	$36,360	0.8
Colorado	Denver	810	$42,790	1.6
Colorado	Fort Collins	30	$43,650	0.7
Colorado	Grand Junction	40	$38,250	2
Connecticut	Bridgeport	290	$53,040	1.7
Connecticut	Danbury	40	$41,240	1.6
Connecticut	Hartford	230	$48,320	1
Connecticut	New Haven	60	$46,540	0.6
Delaware	Wilmington	130	$42,130	1
District of Columbia	Washington	1,640	$63,190	1.8
Florida	Cape Coral	110	$38,190	1.4
Florida	Fort Lauderdale	460	$48,480	1.6
Florida	Gainesville	40	$40,290	0.9
Florida	Jacksonville	280	$38,330	1.2
Florida	Miami	990	$49,070	2.5
Florida	Naples	170	$53,530	3.8
Florida	Orlando	510	$52,810	1.2
Florida	Sebastian	70	$38,330	4.3
Florida	Tampa	470	$43,840	1
Florida	West Palm Beach	550	$54,300	2.6
Georgia	Atlanta	1,640	$53,800	1.8
Georgia	Augusta	30	$40,300	0.4
Georgia	Brunswick	40	$49,050	2.8
Georgia	Savannah	40	$35,200	0.7
Hawaii	Honolulu	80	$61,040	0.5
Illinois	Chicago	2,210	$51,980	1.5
Illinois	Peoria	40	$34,410	0.6
Indiana	Elkhart	50	$45,000	1
Indiana	Evansville	30	$34,460	0.5
Indiana	Fort Wayne	60	$36,890	0.7
Indiana	Gary	50	$28,860	0.5
Indiana	Indianapolis	480	$51,220	1.4
Indiana	South Bend	70	$32,660	1.4
Iowa	Cedar Rapids	40	$35,760	0.8
Iowa	Des Moines	170	$37,720	1.3
Kansas	Topeka	40	$41,520	1
Kansas	Wichita	90	$47,340	0.8
Louisiana	Baton Rouge	90	$40,560	0.6
Louisiana	Lafayette	80	$34,430	1.5
Maine	Portland	50	$45,080	0.7
Maryland	Baltimore	590	$57,650	1.1
Maryland	Bethesda	300	$61,450	1.3
Massachusetts	Barnstable Town	150	$40,540	4.1
Massachusetts	Boston	1,340	$63,780	2
Massachusetts	Springfield	50	$49,300	0.4
Massachusetts	Worcester	30		0.3
Michigan	Ann Arbor	110	$51,060	1.8
Michigan	Detroit	150	$52,040	0.5
Michigan	Kalamazoo	50	$35,920	1
Michigan	Warren	490	$57,750	1.1
Minnesota	Minneapolis	1,010	$47,500	1.4
Mississippi	Jackson	190	$28,110	2
Missouri	Kansas City	370	$48,220	0.9
Missouri	St Louis	780	$44,420	1.5
Nebraska	Lincoln	40		0.7
Nebraska	Omaha	150	$56,950	0.8
Nevada	Las Vegas	430	$71,210	1.2
Nevada	Reno	100	$56,410	1.3
New Hampshire	Manchester	40	$53,930	1
New Jersey	Camden	150	$49,460	0.7
New Jersey	Edison	270	$49,860	0.7
New Jersey	Newark	550	$59,420	1.4
New Jersey	Trenton	60	$61,980	0.7
New Mexico	Albuquerque	140	$53,820	0.9
New York	Albany	60		0.4
New York	Nassau	540	$58,940	1.1
New York	New York	2,750	$68,870	1.4
New York	Rochester	70	$49,210	0.4
New York	Syracuse	90	$53,360	0.8
New York	Utica	50	$36,820	1.1
North Carolina	Asheville	110	$44,930	1.6
North Carolina	Charlotte	470	$46,750	1.3
North Carolina	Greensboro	260	$43,320	1.8
North Carolina	Raleigh	240	$40,780	1.2
North Carolina	Winston Salem	150	$43,730	1.8
North Dakota	Fargo	60	$33,290	1.4
Ohio	Akron	50	$45,610	0.4
Ohio	Cincinnati	670	$44,490	1.6
Ohio	Cleveland	450	$35,470	1.1
Ohio	Columbus	370	$48,610	1
Ohio	Dayton	110	$44,440	0.7
Ohio	Toledo	50	$41,050	0.4
Oklahoma	Oklahoma City	80	$33,590	0.4
Oklahoma	Tulsa	100		0.6
Oregon	Portland	720	$52,810	1.8
Pennsylvania	Harrisburg	70	$48,280	0.6
Pennsylvania	Lancaster	130	$42,060	1.4
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	900	$47,320	1.2
Pennsylvania	Pittsburgh	240	$41,250	0.5
Pennsylvania	Scranton	40	$46,830	0.4
Rhode Island	Providence	180	$47,030	0.8
South Carolina	Charleston	140	$33,990	1.2
South Carolina	Columbia	150	$60,450	1.1
South Carolina	Greenville	110	$53,700	0.9
South Carolina	Myrtle Beach	40	$52,660	0.9
South Dakota	Sioux Falls	40	$40,810	0.8
Tennessee	Chattanooga	110	$40,390	1.2
Tennessee	Kingsport	50	$38,080	1.2
Tennessee	Knoxville	110	$47,430	0.8
Tennessee	Memphis	110	$45,460	0.5
Tennessee	Nashville	370	$45,400	1.2
Texas	Austin	570	$41,860	1.9
Texas	Dallas	1,820	$50,840	2.2
Texas	El Paso	60	$35,710	0.6
Texas	Fort Worth	440	$38,770	1.3
Texas	Houston	1,330	$47,900	1.3
Texas	Lubbock	60	$37,220	1.3
Texas	San Antonio	370	$37,870	1.1
Utah	Salt Lake City	640	$56,030	2.6
Vermont	Burlington	40	$45,680	1
Virginia	Richmond	220	$53,070	0.9
Virginia	Virginia Beach	330	$39,810	1.1
Washington	Seattle	800	$53,370	1.4
Washington	Spokane	30	$49,510	0.4
Washington	Tacoma	40	$48,350	0.4
Wisconsin	Appleton	30	$40,150	0.7
Wisconsin	Green Bay	50	$50,580	0.8
Wisconsin	Madison	280	$48,180	2.2
Wisconsin	Milwaukee	320	$47,840	1