Commercial and Industrial Designers Salary: $106,220 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 30,250 commercial and industrial designers nationally earn a mean of $106,220. Employment in the series shown fell about 9% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.4% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Commercial and Industrial Designers: what the data shows
Common questions about commercial and industrial designers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a commercial and industrial designers?
Commercial and Industrial Designers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 27-1021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 30,250 workers.
What does a commercial and industrial designers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information, Thinking Creatively, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a commercial and industrial designers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $79,450 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $106,220 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $60,110 |
| 25th percentile | $75,456 |
| Median (50th) | $95,836 |
| 75th percentile | $131,725 |
| 90th percentile | $166,475 |
What education do you need?
For Commercial and Industrial Designers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Time Management, and knowledge areas including Design, Engineering and Technology, Mechanical, Production and Processing. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is commercial and industrial designers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.4% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 7.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 14.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 30,250.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do commercial and industrial designerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 30,250 | 19.9% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 29,930 | 19.7% |
| Manufacturing | 10,250 | 6.8% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 7,130 | 4.7% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 7,130 | 4.7% |
| Wholesale Trade | 4,610 | 3.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Commercial and Industrial Designers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial Engineers | 350,230 | $101,140 |
| Public Relations Managers | 76,060 | $138,520 |
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | 1,050 | $109,840 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanics | 421,940 | $63,760 |
| Public Relations Specialists | 280,590 | $69,780 |
| Photographers | 51,230 | $42,520 |
| Commercial Divers | 3,430 | $61,130 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Commercial and Industrial Designers workforce.
Employment Over Time
30,250 Workforce in 2023
The Commercial and Industrial Designers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$106,220 Average Wage
In 2023, Commercial and Industrial Designers earned an average of $106,220.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Salary distribution for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Employment Growth Projections
1.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
18,775 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 7.2%
20,120 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 14.8%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.4% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Commercial and Industrial Designers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Commercial and Industrial Designers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Wage Trends by Industry
-9.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 4,530 employees, $103,410 avg wage
- MI: 2,580 employees, $86,890 avg wage
- NY: 2,140 employees, $95,540 avg wage
- FL: 1,800 employees, $74,770 avg wage
- TX: 1,630 employees, $85,670 avg wage
- VA: 1,480 employees, $76,960 avg wage
- NC: 1,220 employees, $81,980 avg wage
- OH: 1,060 employees, $73,750 avg wage
- NJ: 1,030 employees, $86,510 avg wage
- MA: 1,020 employees, $104,020 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 2,140 employees, $95,930 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 1,820 employees, $102,150 avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 1,600 employees, $91,860 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 850 employees, $109,410 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 830 employees, $106,480 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 720 employees, $83,700 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 560 employees, $75,480 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 490 employees, $85,060 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 430 employees, $83,570 avg wage
- Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN: 400 employees, $65,470 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Commercial and Industrial Designers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Commercial and Industrial Designers in 2023 was 30,250 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Commercial and Industrial Designers in 2023 were Engineering, Visual Arts, Design.
Common majors for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Commercial and Industrial Designers workers.
Education level distribution for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Skills
Commercial and Industrial Designers need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Speaking.
Required skills for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Commercial and Industrial Designers include Design, Engineering and Technology, Mechanical, Production and Processing, Computers and Electronics.
Knowledge areas required for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Commercial and Industrial Designers include Originality, Near Vision, Fluency of Ideas, Written Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Daily Activities
Commercial and Industrial Designers spend their time on activities such as Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
About
Commercial and Industrial Designers
The average yearly wage for Commercial and Industrial Designers was $106,220 in 2023.
SOC Code
27-1021 - Commercial and Industrial Designers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Commercial and Industrial Designers reports an average salary of $106,220, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 30,250 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.4%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.