Commercial and Industrial Designers
Commercial and Industrial Designers earn an average annual salary of $106,220, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. While facing some shifts, the field is adapting to changes in the job market. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Commercial and Industrial Designers workforce.
Employment Over Time
4,530 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.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 4,230 employees, $105,629 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 1,230 employees, $103,899 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 600 employees, $107,036 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 470 employees, $109,487 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 400 employees, $101,917 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 350 employees, $116,840 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 330 employees, $127,380 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 320 employees, $92,836 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 110 employees, $94,069 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 90 employees, $93,268 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 60 employees, $79,781 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 4,530 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 4,530 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.