The median salary for interior designer professionals can depend on a wide range of factors, such as state or years of experience. Generally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the interior design annual salary is $48,840, with the interior designer’s salary per hour of $23.48. Naturally, the interior design assistant salary will be lower than this, while the senior interior designer salary will be higher. Find out what you need to take into consideration when studying interior design salaries below.
Interior designers working in Canada earn an annual median salary of C$45,506 ($34,585 USD), while for the same position in Australia, the mean salary is around AU$51,328 ($39,523USD). Interior designers in the United Kingdom make about £24,514 ($30.6425USD) per year, while those working in Norway earn NOK 302,400 ($36,288USD) annually. These professionals working in Switzerland earn a median yearly salary of CHF 67,759 ($66,878USD).
Interior Designer Salary Influencers
1. Industry
A great number of interior designers choose to work independently, while others work in specific industries. Most interior designers work in the specialized design services industry (30%), while some in the architectural, engineering and related services field (15%) and a few in furniture stores (8%). The median interior designer salary strongly depends on your employer or the industry you work in. For example, Indeed points out some types of interior designer salaries depending on specific fields:
- Senior Medical Interior Designer – $198,000
- Interior Designer Project Manager – $81,000
- Creative Interior Space Designer – $56,000
2. Geographic Area
| Interior designer Salary | US | Canada | UK | Australia | Switzerland | Norway |
| Hourly Wage | $23.48 | C$20 | £12 | AU$25 | CHF32.57 | NOK145.385 |
| Annual Wage | $48,840 | C$45,506 | £24,514 | AU$51,328 | CHF67,759 | NOK302,400 |
Interior Designer Salary in the US
Even more significant than the industry is the location, as far as the mean salary of an interior designer is concerned. In some states, you can make double the national interior designer salary median, while in others you barely pass $35k. In the United States, the state that offers the highest salary for interior designers is the District of Columbia – $86,410. It surpasses all other states by at least $15k. A few other states that have top interior design job salary ranges are:
- Rhode Island interior design salary – $71,060
- Interior designer salary NYC – $66,300
- Texas interior designer salary – $65,070
- Interior design salary in California – $64,410
If you want to increase your chances of getting hired and finding openings for interior designer jobs, you should also look into California, Texas, Florida, New York and Illinois, as these states have the highest employment rates in the country.
The states that offer the lowest salary interior designer estimates are:
- Interior designing salary in Mississippi – $35,040
- Puerto Rico interior design jobs salary – $35,720
- Interior design career salary in Montana – $35,840
- Arkansas interior designer annual salary – $36,920
- Median interior design salary in West Virginia – $39,160
Interior Designer Salary by State
| State | Annual mean wage ($) |
| Alabama | 63,010 |
| Alaska | 47,660 |
| Arizona | 51,990 |
| Arkansas | 36,920 |
| California | 64,410 |
| Colorado | 50,650 |
| Connecticut | 63,770 |
| Delaware | 50,940 |
| District of Columbia | 86,410 |
| Florida | 47,730 |
| Georgia | 49,110 |
| Hawaii | 52,170 |
| Idaho | 39,780 |
| Illinois | 55,210 |
| Indiana | 54,410 |
| Iowa | 39,860 |
| Kansas | 41,660 |
| Kentucky | 48,740 |
| Louisiana | 42,520 |
| Maine | 46,180 |
| Maryland | 55,640 |
| Massachusetts | 63,890 |
| Michigan | 45,200 |
| Minnesota | 49,070 |
| Mississippi | 35,040 |
| Missouri | 53,940 |
| Montana | 35,840 |
| Nebraska | 46,460 |
| Nevada | 51,780 |
| New Hampshire | 48,540 |
| New Jersey | 57,950 |
| New Mexico | 51,200 |
| New York | 66,300 |
| North Carolina | 47,570 |
| North Dakota | 45,150 |
| Ohio | 46,590 |
| Oklahoma | 40,980 |
| Oregon | 49,360 |
| Pennsylvania | 49,950 |
| Puerto Rico | 35,720 |
| Rhode Island | 71,060 |
| South Carolina | 42,310 |
| South Dakota | 51,900 |
| Tennessee | 41,560 |
| Texas | 65,070 |
| Utah | 61,020 |
| Vermont | 44,710 |
| Virginia | 54,480 |
| Washington | 54,120 |
| West Virginia | 39,160 |
| Wisconsin | 40,970 |
| Wyoming | 48,380 |
Interior Designer Salary in Canada
PayScale reports that the median hourly wage for an interior designer is about C$20, therefore, an annual salary of around C$45,506.
Interior Designer Salary in the UK
The annual salary for a beginner Interior designer in the UK ranges around £24,514 per year, however, after experience, the pay for this job might even go up to £36,613.
Interior Designer Salary in Australia
According to PayScale, in Australia, the pay is around AU$ 25.00 per hour. So, it translates to AU$51,328 per year. Usually, interior designers in Australia earn between AU$40,332 and AU$81,670 per year.
Interior Designer Salary in Switzerland
In Switzerland, the hourly salary is CHF32.57, so, it is around CHF67,759 per year for an interior designer.
Interior Designer Salary in Norway
The Interior designer hourly salary in Norway is NOK145,385, which translates into about NOK302,400 per year.
3. Experience
You can expect a pretty big gap between the junior interior designer salary or entry-level interior design salary and the senior interior designer salary. Data extracted from surveys by Salary.com concludes that the lowest 10% of interior designers made $25,633, the top 75% – $46,510 and the top 90% – $50,261. Therefore, if we interpret this data, we can conclude that the interior design starting salary is situated among the lowest 10% and seniors fall under the 75% and 90% categories.
We recommend that you look into specific companies when job hunting as an interior designer. Renowned companies that have been on the market for years will offer a more attractive interior designer salary range, while start-ups might have lower salaries. Also, if you are a beginner in the field, work for at least a few years before expecting a high interior designer salary per month.
Working Hours
The majority of interior designers work full time, but this aspect depends on whether you work for a company or you are self-employed and work on your own schedule. The interior designer job description usually involves traveling on location to the space that will be designed, but the usual working environment for interior designers is an office.
Bonuses & Benefit Packages
As far as bonuses, insurance plans and other benefits are concerned, Salary.com provides an accurate description for the complete interior designer salary package. The source cited above estimates that the base median salary for an interior designer is about 67.4% of the total compensation, while healthcare represents 10.5%. Out of the final compensation package, we can also identify the following benefits and values:
- Time off – 8.4%
- Social security – 5.2%
- Pension – 4.3%
- 401K/403B – 2.5%
- Bonuses – 1.2%
- Disability – 0.6%
You might not have these benefits if you are self-employed, or you have to take care of them on your own. Salary.com says that, together with these benefits, the interior designer salary can reach $62,998. However, it all depends on the company you work for.
Job Outlook
Even though the interior design salary range is quite pleasing, the job outlook isn’t as promising for professionals in this field. In the 2014-2024 period, there will most likely be only a 4% increase in employment. This is quite slow, considering the fact that the percent change in employment for all jobs in the U.S. economy is 7% for the same timeframe. Nevertheless, interior designers who live in upper-class cities and neighborhoods can expect more opportunities for work.
Conclusion
To put it in a nutshell, the interior designer salary is quite an attractive aspect for job candidates. Unfortunately, statistics show that there might not be that many job openings in the year to come. However, you can always sharpen your skills and relocate to lucrative areas so you can pursue this career. If you are interested in this field you can check out the architect salary as well.
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