Commercial and Industrial Designers: salary, outlook & degrees
Design and develop manufactured products, such as cars, home appliances, and children's toys. Combine artistic talent with research on product use, marketing, and materials to create the most functional and appealing product design.
Middle half $66,450–$109,050. 33,490 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
83% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $76,144.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 2,800 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Considerable preparation (usually a bachelor's).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial Art And Graphic Design | 43% | Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design |
| Mechanical Engineering | 7% | Mechanical Engineering |
| Fine Arts | 6% | — |
| Studio Arts | 5% | Studio Art |
| Finance | 5% | Finance · Insurance |
| Computer Science | 5% | Computer Science |
| General Engineering | 2% | Engineering |
| Civil Engineering | 2% | Civil Engineering |
| Psychology | 2% | Psychology |
| Architecture | 2% | Architecture · Architectural Sciences and Technology |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| Kansas | $104,870 |
| Michigan | $102,160 |
| Massachusetts | $101,720 |
| Rhode Island | $101,140 |
| California | $100,770 |
| Louisiana | $98,040 |
| Minnesota | $94,370 |
| Washington | $94,280 |
| Arkansas | $92,540 |
| Georgia | $91,360 |
| Colorado | $90,590 |
| New Jersey | $90,310 |
| New York | $89,640 |
| Indiana | $88,040 |
| Pennsylvania | $82,610 |
| Virginia | $82,230 |
| Connecticut | $81,300 |
| Idaho | $80,730 |
| Vermont | $80,690 |
| North Carolina | $80,620 |
| Wisconsin | $80,590 |
| Ohio | $79,470 |
| Florida | $78,720 |
| South Carolina | $77,300 |
| Oregon | $76,970 |
| Nevada | $76,680 |
| Oklahoma | $76,640 |
| Arizona | $76,420 |
| Kentucky | $76,100 |
| Missouri | $75,440 |
| New Hampshire | $74,050 |
| West Virginia | $73,030 |
| Montana | $72,990 |
| Nebraska | $71,570 |
| Tennessee | $71,230 |
| Maryland | $70,870 |
| Iowa | $70,420 |
| Alabama | $63,640 |
| New Mexico | $62,710 |
| Utah | $62,620 |
| South Dakota | $60,110 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$80,690
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$77,350
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$78,890
- Jacksonville$80,240
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$69,290
- Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville$76,790
- Lakeland-Winter Haven$75,400
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$70,380
Virginia metro areas
- Richmond$89,360
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$85,660
- Roanoke$71,920
- Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford$74,640
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$96,260
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$104,000
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$99,650
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$141,310
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$80,300
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$86,120
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura$95,800
- Fresno$67,650
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Writing
Knowledge used
- Design
- Engineering and Technology
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical
- Computers and Electronics
Work styles
- Innovation
- Attention to Detail
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Achievement Orientation
- Adaptability
People in this job tend to have Artistic (creative), Realistic (hands-on), Investigative (analytical) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Commercial and Industrial Designers: questions
How much do commercial and Industrial Designers make?
Commercial and Industrial Designers earn a U.S. median $83,910 a year; the middle half earn $66,450 to $109,050 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $74,512 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is commercial and Industrial Designers a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 2.4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,800 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a commercial and Industrial Designer?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 68% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is commercial Art And Graphic Design (43%).
How much do commercial and Industrial Designers make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $78,720 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $83,910 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 27-1021. Method
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Cite this: “Commercial and Industrial Designers: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/commercial-and-industrial-designers.