Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 27-1027

Set and Exhibit Designers

The published band from $41,750 to $135,410 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Technical Writers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Set and Exhibit Designers: Technical Writers ($90K) , Artists and Related Workers, All Other ($71K) , Public Relations Specialists ($75K) , Fashion Designers ($81K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Set and Exhibit Designers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 27-1027 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Develop set designs, based on evaluation of scripts, budgets, research information, and available locations
  2. 2. Prepare rough drafts and scale working drawings of sets, including floor plans, scenery, and properties to be constructed
  3. 3. Prepare preliminary renderings of proposed exhibits, including detailed construction, layout, and material specifications, and diagrams r…
  4. 4. Read scripts to determine location, set, and design requirements
  5. 5. Submit plans for approval, and adapt plans to serve intended purposes, or to conform to budget or fabrication restrictions
  6. 6. Attend rehearsals and production meetings to obtain and share information related to sets
  7. 7. Confer with clients and staff to gather information about exhibit space, proposed themes and content, timelines, budgets, materials, or p…
  8. 8. Research architectural and stylistic elements appropriate to the time period to be depicted, consulting experts for information, as neces…
  9. 9. Observe sets during rehearsals in order to ensure that set elements do not interfere with performance aspects such as cast movement and c…
  10. 10. Collaborate with those in charge of lighting and sound so that those production aspects can be coordinated with set designs or exhibit la…
  11. 11. Select set props, such as furniture, pictures, lamps, and rugs
  12. 12. Design and build scale models of set designs, or miniature sets used in filming backgrounds or special effects

Set and Exhibit Designers: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 27-1027 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 3.9 ; lead knowledge Fine Arts. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 3.9
  2. 2. Active Listening 3.9
  3. 3. Speaking 3.8
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.8
  5. 5. Operations Analysis 3.8
  6. 6. Time Management 3.8
  7. 7. Coordination 3.5
  8. 8. Complex Problem Solving 3.4

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Fine Arts 5.0
  2. 2. Design 4.9
  3. 3. Computers and Electronics 3.8
  4. 4. Building and Construction 3.5
  5. 5. History and Archeology 3.4
  6. 6. English Language 3.2
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$41,750 to $135,410
median $75,240 · ~3.2× spread
$75K
National median
↑ +2%
Growth 2024-2034
2,500
Annual openings
10,630
Estimated US jobs
Technical Writers
Highest-pay peer · $90K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Set and Exhibit Designers

1. California $105,030
2. Nebraska $73,980
3. Maryland $80,540
4. Indiana $72,200
5. Georgia $67,210
6. Massachusetts $74,540
7. Minnesota $66,090
8. District of Columbia $76,900
9. New Jersey $76,380
10. Washington $77,230

Other Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles

  1. 1. Public Relations Specialists $74,750
  2. 2. Fashion Designers $80,960
  3. 3. Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film $74,990
  4. 4. Artists and Related Workers, All Other $71,240
  5. 5. Film and Video Editors $75,420
  6. 6. Technical Writers $90,390

The OEWS band for Set and Exhibit Designers runs from $41,750 (10th) to $135,410 (90th), about 3.2× wide, with median $75,240. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +2% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 2,500 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: California at $105,030. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Technical Writers at $90,390. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Set and Exhibit Designers pay-rank #10 in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

Among 36 detailed Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations with a published OEWS median, Set and Exhibit Designers is pay-rank #10, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Set and Exhibit Designers is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Set and Exhibit Designers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 27-1027

California · top state for Set and Exhibit Designers

$105K published median

Nebraska · #2 state pay

$74K · behind California

Technical Writers

Highest-pay peer vs Set and Exhibit Designers · $90K

Artists and Related Workers, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Set and Exhibit Designers · $71K

Compare Set and Exhibit Designers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Set and Exhibit Designers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles sit near Set and Exhibit Designers at the top of the pay table? ▼
Set and Exhibit Designers is pay-rank #10 of 36 detailed Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Film and Video Editors ($75K), Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film ($75K), Public Relations Specialists ($75K), Writers and Authors ($77K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do set and exhibit designers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Set and Exhibit Designers. Leading ones include: Develop set designs, based on evaluation of scripts, budgets, research information, and available locations; Prepare rough drafts and scale working drawings of sets, including floor plans, scenery, and properties to be constructed; Prepare preliminary renderings of proposed exhibits, including detailed construction, layout, and material specifications, and diagrams r…; Read scripts to determine location, set, and design requirements. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for set and exhibit designers? ▼
For SOC 27-1027, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (3.9), Active Listening (3.9), Speaking (3.8), Critical Thinking (3.8). Knowledge areas emphasize Fine Arts, Design, Computers and Electronics. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Set and Exhibit Designers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $41,750 and the 90th at $135,410 for Set and Exhibit Designers (3.2× spread). The national median is $75,240. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Set and Exhibit Designers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Set and Exhibit Designers is +2%. Projected annual openings: about 2,500. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Set and Exhibit Designers? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Set and Exhibit Designers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Set and Exhibit Designers? ▼
California ($105,030), Nebraska ($73,980), Maryland ($80,540) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Set and Exhibit Designers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 27-1027. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Set and Exhibit Designers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics