27 Series · SOC 27-1021
Commercial and Industrial Designers Salary
National pay, percentile range, growth outlook, and state-by-state detail from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey (May 2025).
- $83,910
- Median / year
- $139,770
- Top 10% earn
- +3.2%
- Growth '23–'33
- 33,490
- US workers
Commercial and Industrial Designers earn a median of $83,910 per year.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey, the median annual wage is $83,910, based on the most recent survey of employers. Reported pay ranges from $53,460 (10th percentile) to $139,770 (90th percentile) nationally, across roughly 33,490 US workers. Kansas pays the most ($104,870), since pay varies by state and metro area.
The pay verdict
Commercial and Industrial Designers earn a median of $83,910, putting them among the better-paid US occupations and higher than 76% of the 825 occupations with a published BLS median. Within Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media, it ranks #5 of 36 by median pay. Employment is projected to grow 3.2% by 2033.
- $83,910
- Median annual wage
- Top 24%
- of 825 US occupations with published wages
- #5 of 36
- in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- 2.6×
- 90th-to-10th pay spread
Highest-paying state: Kansas at $104,870. Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
Commercial and Industrial Designers (SOC 27-1021) pays a national median of $83,910 per year according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey released in May 2025. Full-range compensation stretches from $53,460 at the 10th percentile to $139,770 at the 90th, with a mean of $93,260 indicating a right-skew where top earners pull the average above the midpoint. An estimated 33,490 Americans work in this occupation across 41 reporting states and 137 metro areas.
BLS Employment Projections forecast a +3.2% change in employment from 2024 to 2034, which the agency classifies as slower than average relative to the 5% all-occupations baseline. About 2,500 openings are projected per year, combining new positions with replacement needs from retirements and occupation-switchers. Typical entry-level preparation is Bachelor's degree. The BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) and Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) produce a workplace-safety grade of A for this role, with a fatality rate of 0.6 per 100,000 and injury rate of 0.5 per 100.
Geographic variation matters as much as the headline median. Kansas pays the highest state median at $104,870, which is +25% above the national figure. The top metro is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $141,310 - metro premiums typically reflect higher cost of living, industry concentration, or specialized employer demand. When using this page for negotiation or career planning, pair the national median with the state and metro rows below, remember that BLS wages exclude benefits, bonuses, and overtime, and revisit after each May OEWS release since percentiles shift with cost-of-living cycles and industry demand. See our methodology for exactly how these figures are sourced, computed, and verified.
Median Salary
$83,910
per year
Median Hourly
$40.34/hr
per hour
Mean Salary
$93,260
average
Employment
33,490
jobs nationwide
How does this pay compare nationally?
Where Commercial and Industrial Designers pay sits nationally
Median annual wage vs. 825 detailed BLS occupations with a published median
$83,910 Top 24% higher than 76% of 825 US occupations
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · May 2025
Does this job pay well and grow?
Each dot is a 27-series occupation, placed by projected 2024–2034 growth and median pay. The highlighted dot is Commercial and Industrial Designers; the upper-right quadrant is the sweet spot (high pay + fast growth).
Among 24 27-series occupations with growth data, Commercial and Industrial Designers sits on the slower-growing side at +3.2% growth and $83,910 median pay.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS (wages, May 2025) and Employment Projections (2024–2034).
Job Outlook (2024–2034)
Projected Growth
+3.2%
Slower than average
Annual Openings
2,500
per year (projected)
Typical Education
Bachelor's degree
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034
Workplace Safety
All safety ratings →Very Safe
Safety Grade (BLS 2023)
Fatality Rate
0.6/100K
Injury Rate
0.5/100
Danger Index
2.3/100
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) & Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), 2023
Career Intelligence
Skills, knowledge, and tasks most important for Commercial and Industrial Designers roles, ranked by importance. Source: O*NET.
Top Skills
Knowledge Areas
Key Tasks
- ▸ Prepare sketches of ideas, detailed drawings, illustrations, artwork, or blueprints, using drafting instruments, paints and brushes, or computer-aided design equipment.
- ▸ Modify and refine designs, using working models, to conform with customer specifications, production limitations, or changes in design trends.
- ▸ Evaluate feasibility of design ideas, based on factors such as appearance, safety, function, serviceability, budget, production costs/methods, and market characteristics.
- ▸ Confer with engineering, marketing, production, or sales departments, or with customers, to establish and evaluate design concepts for manufactured products.
- ▸ Present designs and reports to customers or design committees for approval and discuss need for modification.
- ▸ Develop industrial standards and regulatory guidelines.
- ▸ Research production specifications, costs, production materials, and manufacturing methods and provide cost estimates and itemized production requirements.
- ▸ Coordinate the look and function of product lines.
- ▸ Direct and coordinate the fabrication of models or samples and the drafting of working drawings and specification sheets from sketches.
- ▸ Investigate product characteristics such as the product's safety and handling qualities, its market appeal, how efficiently it can be produced, and ways of distributing, using, and maintaining it.
Source: O*NET Online, National Center for O*NET Development. Data represents typical importance ratings for this occupation.
Salary Range
Annual Salary Distribution
Hourly Rate Distribution
10th Percentile
$53,460
25th Percentile
$66,450
Median
$83,910
75th Percentile
$109,050
90th Percentile
$139,770
Salary by State
Highest Paying States
Lowest Paying States
View all 41 states →
| # | State | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | $104,870 | +25% above national |
| 2 | Michigan | $102,160 | +22% above national |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $101,720 | +21% above national |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $101,140 | +21% above national |
| 5 | California | $100,770 | +20% above national |
| 6 | Louisiana | $98,040 | +17% above national |
| 7 | Minnesota | $94,370 | +12% above national |
| 8 | Washington | $94,280 | +12% above national |
| 9 | Arkansas | $92,540 | +10% above national |
| 10 | Georgia | $91,360 | +9% above national |
| 11 | Colorado | $90,590 | +8% above national |
| 12 | New Jersey | $90,310 | +8% above national |
| 13 | New York | $89,640 | +7% above national |
| 14 | Indiana | $88,040 | +5% above national |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $82,610 | 2% below national |
| 16 | Virginia | $82,230 | 2% below national |
| 17 | Connecticut | $81,300 | 3% below national |
| 18 | Idaho | $80,730 | 4% below national |
| 19 | Vermont | $80,690 | 4% below national |
| 20 | North Carolina | $80,620 | 4% below national |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $80,590 | 4% below national |
| 22 | Ohio | $79,470 | 5% below national |
| 23 | Florida | $78,720 | 6% below national |
| 24 | South Carolina | $77,300 | 8% below national |
| 25 | Oregon | $76,970 | 8% below national |
| 26 | Nevada | $76,680 | 9% below national |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $76,640 | 9% below national |
| 28 | Arizona | $76,420 | 9% below national |
| 29 | Kentucky | $76,100 | 9% below national |
| 30 | Missouri | $75,440 | 10% below national |
| 31 | New Hampshire | $74,050 | 12% below national |
| 32 | West Virginia | $73,030 | 13% below national |
| 33 | Montana | $72,990 | 13% below national |
| 34 | Nebraska | $71,570 | 15% below national |
| 35 | Tennessee | $71,230 | 15% below national |
| 36 | Maryland | $70,870 | 16% below national |
| 37 | Iowa | $70,420 | 16% below national |
| 38 | Alabama | $63,640 | 24% below national |
| 39 | New Mexico | $62,710 | 25% below national |
| 40 | Utah | $62,620 | 25% below national |
| 41 | South Dakota | $60,110 | 28% below national |
Salary by Metro Area
Highest Paying Metros
View all 137 metro areas →
| # | Metro Area | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $141,310 | +68% above national |
| 2 | Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | $119,490 | +42% above national |
| 3 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $112,950 | +35% above national |
| 4 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $108,180 | +29% above national |
| 5 | Boulder, CO | $107,990 | +29% above national |
| 6 | Wichita, KS | $105,180 | +25% above national |
| 7 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $104,980 | +25% above national |
| 8 | Baton Rouge, LA | $104,210 | +24% above national |
| 9 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $104,000 | +24% above national |
| 10 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $102,530 | +22% above national |
| 11 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $100,520 | +20% above national |
| 12 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $99,650 | +19% above national |
| 13 | West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area | $99,210 | +18% above national |
| 14 | New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $98,260 | +17% above national |
| 15 | Colorado Springs, CO | $98,220 | +17% above national |
| 16 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $96,260 | +15% above national |
| 17 | Reno, NV | $96,060 | +14% above national |
| 18 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $95,800 | +14% above national |
| 19 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $95,170 | +13% above national |
| 20 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $95,160 | +13% above national |
| 21 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $94,890 | +13% above national |
| 22 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $94,680 | +13% above national |
| 23 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $94,390 | +12% above national |
| 24 | Worcester, MA | $93,680 | +12% above national |
| 25 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $93,220 | +11% above national |
| 26 | Spartanburg, SC | $91,270 | +9% above national |
| 27 | Richmond, VA | $89,360 | +6% above national |
| 28 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $89,190 | +6% above national |
| 29 | Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $88,880 | +6% above national |
| 30 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | $88,190 | +5% above national |
| 31 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | $88,040 | +5% above national |
| 32 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | $87,620 | +4% above national |
| 33 | Rochester, NY | $87,570 | +4% above national |
| 34 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $86,920 | +4% above national |
| 35 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $86,120 | +3% above national |
| 36 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $86,090 | +3% above national |
| 37 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $85,660 | +2% above national |
| 38 | St. Louis, MO-IL | $85,530 | +2% above national |
| 39 | Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | $85,480 | +2% above national |
| 40 | Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | $85,280 | +2% above national |
| 41 | Pittsburgh, PA | $84,760 | +1% above national |
| 42 | Tulsa, OK | $84,690 | +1% above national |
| 43 | Central East New York nonmetropolitan area | $84,660 | +1% above national |
| 44 | Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | $84,540 | +1% above national |
| 45 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $84,230 | same as national |
| 46 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $84,080 | same as national |
| 47 | Madison, WI | $83,840 | same as national |
| 48 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $83,770 | same as national |
| 49 | Burlington-South Burlington, VT | $82,720 | 1% below national |
| 50 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $82,020 | 2% below national |
| 51 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | $81,740 | 3% below national |
| 52 | York-Hanover, PA | $81,690 | 3% below national |
| 53 | Syracuse, NY | $81,650 | 3% below national |
| 54 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $81,620 | 3% below national |
| 55 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $81,450 | 3% below national |
| 56 | Asheville, NC | $81,070 | 3% below national |
| 57 | Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area | $81,010 | 3% below national |
| 58 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $80,690 | 4% below national |
| 59 | Winston-Salem, NC | $80,640 | 4% below national |
| 60 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | $80,590 | 4% below national |
| 61 | Kansas City, MO-KS | $80,450 | 4% below national |
| 62 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $80,440 | 4% below national |
| 63 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $80,300 | 4% below national |
| 64 | Jacksonville, FL | $80,240 | 4% below national |
| 65 | Lansing-East Lansing, MI | $80,160 | 4% below national |
| 66 | Kalamazoo-Portage, MI | $80,150 | 4% below national |
| 67 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $79,820 | 5% below national |
| 68 | Akron, OH | $79,640 | 5% below national |
| 69 | Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area | $79,560 | 5% below national |
| 70 | Stockton-Lodi, CA | $79,540 | 5% below national |
| 71 | Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | $79,410 | 5% below national |
| 72 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $78,890 | 6% below national |
| 73 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $78,360 | 7% below national |
| 74 | Cleveland, OH | $78,270 | 7% below national |
| 75 | Elkhart-Goshen, IN | $78,240 | 7% below national |
| 76 | Reading, PA | $78,230 | 7% below national |
| 77 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | $78,140 | 7% below national |
| 78 | Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | $78,010 | 7% below national |
| 79 | Greensboro-High Point, NC | $77,820 | 7% below national |
| 80 | Toledo, OH | $77,720 | 7% below national |
| 81 | Columbus, OH | $77,640 | 7% below national |
| 82 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | $77,570 | 8% below national |
| 83 | Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area | $77,370 | 8% below national |
| 84 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $77,350 | 8% below national |
| 85 | Omaha, NE-IA | $77,120 | 8% below national |
| 86 | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | $76,790 | 8% below national |
| 87 | El Paso, TX | $76,630 | 9% below national |
| 88 | Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | $76,320 | 9% below national |
| 89 | Boise City, ID | $76,300 | 9% below national |
| 90 | Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area | $75,870 | 10% below national |
| 91 | Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area | $75,790 | 10% below national |
| 92 | Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | $75,400 | 10% below national |
| 93 | North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) | $75,130 | 10% below national |
| 94 | Columbia, SC | $74,960 | 11% below national |
| 95 | Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $74,950 | 11% below national |
| 96 | Dalton, GA | $74,660 | 11% below national |
| 97 | Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA | $74,640 | 11% below national |
| 98 | Portland-South Portland, ME | $74,480 | 11% below national |
| 99 | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | $74,150 | 12% below national |
| 100 | South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area | $73,830 | 12% below national |
| 101 | Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | $72,370 | 14% below national |
| 102 | Eastern North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | $72,340 | 14% below national |
| 103 | Roanoke, VA | $71,920 | 14% below national |
| 104 | Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | $71,760 | 14% below national |
| 105 | Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | $70,980 | 15% below national |
| 106 | North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | $70,380 | 16% below national |
| 107 | Knoxville, TN | $70,200 | 16% below national |
| 108 | Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH | $70,150 | 16% below national |
| 109 | Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL | $69,290 | 17% below national |
| 110 | Lancaster, PA | $68,110 | 19% below national |
| 111 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $68,020 | 19% below national |
| 112 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $67,830 | 19% below national |
| 113 | Fort Wayne, IN | $67,810 | 19% below national |
| 114 | Fresno, CA | $67,650 | 19% below national |
| 115 | Northwestern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area | $67,500 | 20% below national |
| 116 | Chattanooga, TN-GA | $66,500 | 21% below national |
| 117 | Cedar Rapids, IA | $66,400 | 21% below national |
| 118 | Albuquerque, NM | $65,810 | 22% below national |
| 119 | Oklahoma City, OK | $65,250 | 22% below national |
| 120 | Bend, OR | $64,990 | 23% below national |
| 121 | Salem, OR | $64,790 | 23% below national |
| 122 | Dubuque, IA | $64,690 | 23% below national |
| 123 | Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $64,610 | 23% below national |
| 124 | Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area | $64,390 | 23% below national |
| 125 | Birmingham, AL | $63,650 | 24% below national |
| 126 | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | $62,990 | 25% below national |
| 127 | West Tennessee nonmetropolitan area | $62,820 | 25% below national |
| 128 | Ogden, UT | $62,060 | 26% below national |
| 129 | Mid Michigan nonmetropolitan area | $62,020 | 26% below national |
| 130 | Upper East Mississippi nonmetropolitan area | $61,660 | 27% below national |
| 131 | Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT | $61,090 | 27% below national |
| 132 | Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area | $60,060 | 28% below national |
| 133 | Charleston-North Charleston, SC | $58,690 | 30% below national |
| 134 | Sioux Falls, SD-MN | $58,310 | 31% below national |
| 135 | Kansas nonmetropolitan area | $57,990 | 31% below national |
| 136 | East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $57,390 | 32% below national |
| 137 | Logan, UT-ID | $47,840 | 43% below national |
Similar Occupations in the Same Category
Other roles in SOC major group 27 (arts design entertainment sports and media) with comparable pay and career paths.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Commercial and Industrial Designers make? ▼
What state pays Commercial and Industrial Designers the most? ▼
What education do you need to become a Commercial and Industrial Designers? ▼
How dangerous is being a Commercial and Industrial Designers? ▼
Is Commercial and Industrial Designers a good career? ▼
How does Commercial and Industrial Designers pay vary by state? ▼
Which metro areas pay the most for Commercial and Industrial Designers? ▼
What to do with this data
How to use Commercial and Industrial Designers pay figures in a real decision
- For an experienced offer, anchor on the 75th percentile (about $109,050/year), not the median. The median marks the middle worker; the upper quartile is the realistic target with strong experience. Salary calculator
- Location moves pay significantly: Kansas leads at $104,870/year for this role. Weigh state pay against local cost of living before relocating or negotiating remote. Pay by state
- Compare this occupation against similar roles before you decide, so you are reading the pay band in context rather than in isolation. Compare jobs
These are BLS survey estimates for the occupation, not a salary offer or a prediction for any individual. Your pay depends on experience, employer, exact role, and location.
Every figure on WageDex is rendered directly from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, no number is typed in by an editor. This occupation's figures are computed directly from the BLS OEWS and Employment Projections datasets, nothing is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2025.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. Actual pay for a specific role, employer, or offer may differ from these national/state figures, consult a qualified career counselor, recruiter, or financial advisor before making decisions based on this data.