Set and Exhibit Designers Salary: $105,707 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 10,850 set and exhibit designers nationally earn a mean of $105,707. Employment in the series shown fell about 5% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.5% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Set and Exhibit Designers: what the data shows
Common questions about set and exhibit designers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a set and exhibit designers?
Set and Exhibit Designers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 27-1027.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 10,850 workers.
What does a set and exhibit designers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Thinking Creatively, Getting Information, Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a set and exhibit designers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $66,280 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $105,707 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $51,071 |
| 25th percentile | $78,014 |
| Median (50th) | $102,738 |
| 75th percentile | $131,643 |
| 90th percentile | $146,095 |
What education do you need?
For Set and Exhibit 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 Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Time Management, Speaking, Operations Analysis, and knowledge areas including Fine Arts, Design, Computers and Electronics, Building and Construction. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is set and exhibit designers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.5% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 18.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 41.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 10,850.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do set and exhibit designerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 10,850 | 19.2% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 9,990 | 17.7% |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 4,430 | 7.8% |
| Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries | 3,280 | 5.8% |
| Information | 3,010 | 5.3% |
| Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries | 2,850 | 5.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Set and Exhibit 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Floral Designers | 40,160 | $36,120 |
| Artists and Related Workers, All Other | 7,370 | $72,760 |
| Fashion Designers | 20,910 | $80,690 |
| Graphic Designers | 214,260 | $61,300 |
| Interior Designers | 69,580 | $63,490 |
| Designers, All Other | 9,680 | $66,220 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Set and Exhibit Designers workforce.
Employment Over Time
10,850 Workforce in 2023
The Set and Exhibit Designers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Set and Exhibit Designers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$105,707 Average Wage
In 2023, Set and Exhibit Designers earned an average of $105,707.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Set and Exhibit Designers.
Salary distribution for Set and Exhibit Designers.
Employment Growth Projections
3.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
12,881 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 18.8%
15,308 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 41.2%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.5% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Set and Exhibit Designers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Set and Exhibit Designers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Set and Exhibit Designers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Set and Exhibit Designers.
Wage Trends by Industry
2.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Set and Exhibit Designers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Set and Exhibit 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: 2,650 employees, $105,232 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Set and Exhibit Designers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 1,910 employees, $112,087 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 190 employees, $104,910 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 160 employees, $96,096 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 100 employees, $75,405 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 80 employees, $102,349 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 50 employees, $107,823 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 40 employees, N/A avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 40 employees, $70,095 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 20 employees, N/A avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 20 employees, $98,876 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Set and Exhibit Designers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Set and Exhibit Designers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Set and Exhibit Designers in 2023 was 10,850 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Set and Exhibit 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 Set and Exhibit Designers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Set and Exhibit Designers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Set and Exhibit Designers in 2023 were Business Administration, Visual Arts, Design.
Common majors for Set and Exhibit Designers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Set and Exhibit Designers workers.
Education level distribution for Set and Exhibit Designers.
Skills
Set and Exhibit Designers need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Time Management, Speaking.
Required skills for Set and Exhibit Designers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Set and Exhibit Designers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Set and Exhibit Designers include Fine Arts, Design, Computers and Electronics, Building and Construction, History and Archeology.
Knowledge areas required for Set and Exhibit Designers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Set and Exhibit Designers include Fluency of Ideas, Oral Comprehension, Visualization, Written Comprehension, Originality.
Required abilities for Set and Exhibit Designers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Set and Exhibit Designers.
Daily Activities
Set and Exhibit Designers spend their time on activities such as Thinking Creatively, Getting Information, Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.
Most important work activities for Set and Exhibit Designers.
About
Set and Exhibit Designers
The average yearly wage for Set and Exhibit Designers was $105,707 in 2023.
SOC Code
27-1027 - Set and Exhibit Designers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Set and Exhibit Designers reports an average salary of $105,707, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 10,850 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.5%, 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.