Fashion Designers: salary, outlook & degrees
Design clothing and accessories. Create original designs or adapt fashion trends.
Middle half $51,940–$106,470. 21,450 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
72% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $59,662.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 2,500 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Medium preparation.
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 | 39% | Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design |
| Marketing And Marketing Research | 8% | Marketing · Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations |
| Studio Arts | 4% | Studio Art |
| Fine Arts | 4% | — |
| Psychology | 4% | Psychology |
| Business Management And Administration | 4% | Business Administration |
| Sociology | 4% | Sociology |
| Drama And Theater Arts | 3% | Theatre · Arts and Entertainment Management |
| General Business | 2% | Business |
| Communications | 2% | Communications · Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other |
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 |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $103,520 |
| New Jersey | $101,610 |
| New Hampshire | $100,160 |
| New York | $98,640 |
| Colorado | $94,140 |
| Virginia | $94,120 |
| Ohio | $82,050 |
| Washington | $82,030 |
| Connecticut | $81,510 |
| Vermont | $79,610 |
| Georgia | $78,340 |
| North Carolina | $74,990 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,840 |
| Michigan | $63,430 |
| Kansas | $59,150 |
| Wisconsin | $57,030 |
| Maine | $49,530 |
| Hawaii | $47,990 |
| Arizona | $45,720 |
| Florida | $43,020 |
| Minnesota | $42,110 |
| Indiana | $40,740 |
| Texas | $40,040 |
Florida metro areas
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$61,810
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$78,280
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$62,400
California metro areas
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$102,370
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$82,010
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$96,760
- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara$108,220
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
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Reading Comprehension
Knowledge used
- Design
- Computers and Electronics
- Production and Processing
- Sales and Marketing
- English Language
Work styles
- Innovation
- Adaptability
- Attention to Detail
- Achievement Orientation
- Self-Confidence
People in this job tend to have Artistic (creative), Realistic (hands-on), Enterprising (leading) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Fashion Designers: questions
How much do fashion Designers make?
Fashion Designers earn a U.S. median $80,960 a year; the middle half earn $51,940 to $106,470 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $54,869 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is fashion Designers a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 0.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,500 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a fashion Designer?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 51% 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 (39%).
How much do fashion Designers make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $43,020 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $80,960 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 27-1022. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Fashion Designers: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/fashion-designers.