Which state pays interior designers the most?

District of Columbia, at a median of $98,450. After adjusting for prices, Wyoming is highest, at $103,678 in US-average prices.

What education do interior designers need?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists bachelor's degree as the typical education to start. The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links 2 programs here to interior designers: Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's) and Design and Applied Arts (Associate's).

Interior Designers: Pay by State and the Programs That Lead There

71,500 jobs in the US
Typical education to start: bachelor's degree
Occupation code 27-1025

BLS wages May 2025 · BLS projections 2025 to 2035 · BEA price parities 2024

The short answer

Interior designers earn a median of $67,190 a year in the US, across all experience levels. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($98,450) and lowest in Puerto Rico ($32,150). After adjusting for prices, Wyoming is highest ($103,678) and Mississippi lowest ($50,303). Jobs are projected to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,700 openings a year across the US.

Median pay$67,190US, all experience levels

Bottom 10% earn under$41,420US

Top 10% earn over$114,140US

Projected job growth3%2025 to 2035, about 7,700 openings a year

Pay for interior designers by state

Median pay across all experience levels. "After prices" divides it by the state's price level (US average = 100), so states can be compared by what the pay buys.

#	State	Median pay	After prices	Jobs	Bottom 10%	Top 10%
1	District of Columbia	$98,450	$89,581	620	$66,930	$140,870
2	Wyoming	$96,100	$103,678	90	$21,290	$145,600
3	California	$80,230	$72,462	8,500	$50,940	$131,770
4	Massachusetts	$80,110	$75,749	1,580	$52,230	$123,100
5	Colorado	$78,390	$76,068	2,300	$48,830	$133,810
6	Washington	$76,570	$71,552	1,330	$48,050	$109,820
7	Illinois	$76,290	$76,322	2,570	$44,620	$131,990
8	New York	$75,580	$70,033	5,340	$35,990	$125,620
9	New Jersey	$74,020	$68,030	1,670	$46,890	$134,780
10	Minnesota	$73,270	$74,295	1,220	$41,280	$103,010
11	Georgia	$71,760	$74,523	3,050	$45,190	$123,820
12	Arkansas	$69,990	$80,507	740	$45,390	$137,160
13	Oklahoma	$68,520	$78,003	490	$38,460	$105,380
14	Connecticut	$67,330	$64,984	630	$44,320	$117,610
15	Oregon	$66,350	$64,192	1,030	$48,570	$104,040
16	South Dakota	$65,220	$73,623	150	$46,650	$124,490
17	Texas	$65,160	$67,136	6,450	$39,430	$103,850
18	Maryland	$65,070	$61,996	1,440	$45,850	$99,330
19	Nebraska	$64,870	$71,995	430	$43,840	$100,200
20	New Hampshire	$64,140	$61,575	300	$38,330	$97,070
21	Vermont	$63,870	$65,201	110	$43,600	$136,150
22	Maine	$63,830	$65,770	230	$34,280	$93,840
23	South Carolina	$63,790	$68,043	940	$40,720	$101,360
24	Hawaii	$63,780	$58,008	270	$45,930	$121,480
25	Tennessee	$63,660	$69,294	1,530	$40,240	$101,460
26	Alaska	$63,320	$61,861	40	$44,980	$114,740
27	Wisconsin	$62,740	$66,677	1,200	$35,740	$99,940
28	Indiana	$62,580	$67,053	1,020	$40,860	$94,750
29	Virginia	$62,560	$61,877	1,550	$43,230	$100,030
30	Pennsylvania	$62,400	$63,953	1,820	$44,470	$97,820
31	Montana	$61,770	$65,265	290	$31,540	$86,070
32	Utah	$61,740	$62,449	1,110	$48,130	$96,590
33	Arizona	$61,460	$61,047	1,600	$48,380	$97,850
34	Ohio	$61,410	$66,193	2,180	$47,080	$103,530
35	North Carolina	$61,400	$65,093	2,610	$39,870	$100,450
36	Kansas	$61,090	$67,827	400	$43,040	$94,380
37	Alabama	$61,050	$68,732	620	$32,560	$103,030
38	Florida	$60,860	$58,851	7,410	$39,050	$96,930
39	New Mexico	$60,850	$65,989	90	$41,480	$90,540
40	Louisiana	$60,610	$68,713	350	$37,500	$81,280
41	Delaware	$60,360	$60,476	190	$48,770	$86,890
42	Missouri	$59,610	$65,637	1,010	$44,360	$103,440
43	Michigan	$59,340	$61,673	1,930	$32,800	$97,400
44	Kentucky	$59,240	$65,706	490	$38,690	$97,470
45	North Dakota	$59,190	$66,536	160	$39,100	$84,960
46	Rhode Island	$58,100	$56,805	550	$50,270	$99,990
47	Iowa	$58,040	$66,133	510	$39,510	$118,770
48	West Virginia	$49,800	$55,644	90	$38,130	$77,510
49	Mississippi	$43,740	$50,303	330	$31,660	$88,710
50	Puerto Rico	$32,150	Not available	130	$27,650	$46,520

State names link to the state's college page. Puerto Rico has no BEA price level, so its pay is not adjusted. BLS publishes no median pay for interior designers in Idaho and Nevada.

Programs that lead to this job

The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links these programs to interior designers. Figures are medians across each program type's US programs. Program names link to the national ranking.

Program	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's)	297	$33,536	$27,000
Design and Applied Arts (Associate's)	83	$26,602	$14,657

Program figures are first-year pay for new graduates. The job's median pay covers every experience level.

Common questions

Interior designers earn a median of $67,190 a year in the US, across all experience levels (May 2025). The bottom 10% earn less than $41,420, and the top 10% more than $114,140.

About this data

Pay is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025. It covers all experience levels and all industries, and leaves out self-employed workers.
Projections are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections for 2025 to 2035, for the whole US.
Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.
Program figures are College Scorecard medians across programs, and only include students who received federal financial aid.

Sources

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study files, June 2026 release