How Many Interior Designers Are There in the US
A total of 93,300 people are working as interior designers in the US as of May 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). And this number is expected to grow by only 1% between 2021 and 2031.
However, despite the minimal growth, BLS’s interior design employment forecast says that around 8,200 jobs will be generated yearly. So what does this mean for prospective interior designers and the industry in general?
We dived into the most recent statistics and surveys to give you a proper insight into the latest market trends, employment forecasts, demographics, and whether or not interior designers make good money. Read on for the specifics.
Fascinating Facts and Stats
- There are 93,300 registered interior designers in the US. (BLS)
- In 2022, the US interior design industry’s market size was $26 billion. (IBISWorld)
- 51% of interior designers are over 40 years old. (Zippia)
- 79% of interior designers are women. (Zippia)
- Only 1.5% of interior designers are black or African American. (Zippia)
- At $88,870, the District of Columbia pays the highest annual mean wage of interior designers. (BLS)
How Many Interior Designers Are There in the US
1. There are 93,300 registered interior designers in the US.
(BLS)
According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of registered interior designers in America has grown significantly since 2019, when it stood at 58,200.
However, reports also indicate that back in 2019, the number of job openings in the industry was expected to grow by 6%. Currently, projections are that employment in the interior design industry from 2021 to 2031 will only increase by 1%.
2. In 2022, the US interior design industry’s market size was $26 billion.
The US interior design industry’s market size grew by 0.4%. Official data further shows that the industry has been growing at a solid pace of 4.8% on average from 2017 to 2022, which indicates that it has increased much faster than the US economy overall.
Globally, the interior design services market reached an impressive $115 billion in 2022, with a growth rate of 5.8% in the period from 2017 to 2021. According to estimates, the market size of the interior design industry is expected to top $213.7 billion by 2023 with a CAGR of 6.4%.
Interior Designer Demographics
3. 51% of interior designers are over 40 years old.
(Zippia)
The average age of interior designers is 42. According to statistics, 30% of interior designers are between the ages of 30 and 40 years old, while 19% are 20 to 30 years old.
Based on ethnicity and gender, most interior designers are white and male, with an average age of 48. Asian women are the youngest in the industry, with an average age of 34.5 years old.
4. 79% of interior designers are women.
(Zippia)
The above figure means that nearly eight out of ten interior designers are women, and only two are men (21%), making it one of the few women-dominated industries. However, despite this, data shows male interior designers earn an average of $51,879 a year while women earn less or $51,805 yearly.
Another interesting data is that this industry was dominated by men a decade ago. But between 2017 and 2018, things turned, and the percentages of men vs. women changed – the number of male interior designers dropped from 61.82% to 29.16%. Since then, the rate of female interior designers has been growing continuously.
5. Only 1.5% of interior designers are black or African American.
(Zippia)
White Americans comprise the majority of interior designers or 82.1%. According to statistics, Hispanic and Latinos are the second most represented race with 7.6%, while Asians are the third with 4.6%.
The survey also shows that 4.1% of interior designers do not belong to any race, and 0.1% are American Indian and Alaska Native. Another interesting fact is that while the percentage of Hispanic, Latinos, and African American interior designers has been declining, the rate of Asians has been growing.
6. California is the state with the highest number of jobs for interior designers.
(BLS)
At 8,670, the Golden State has the highest number of jobs for interior designers in the US. New York comes second with 6,770 jobs, and Florida is third with 5,330 as of May 2022. Texas and Pennsylvania follow with 4,250 and 2,780, respectively.
On the other end of the spectrum are Alaska and Wyoming, with less than 100 people working as interior designers. In fact, Alaska officially has only 40 interior designers, while Wyoming has 80.
US Interior Design Industry Market Size and Revenue
7. With 25,400 jobs, Specialized Design Services is the industry with the highest number of interior designers.
(BLS)
In May 2022, 16.89% of all employees in the Specialized Design Services industry were interior designers. Second is the Furniture and Home Furnishings Retailers, where 1.84% of employees are interior designers, and the third is the Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services with 0.82%.
However, although these three industries employ the highest number of interior designers, they are not the top-paying ones. According to data, the best-paid interior designers are employed by the Federal Executive Branch and earn $89,460 per year, and the General Medical and Surgical Hospitals, where the mean annual wage is $88,160.
8. Between 2018 and 2023, the interior design industry grew at a CAGR of 3.6%.
The latest interior design industry analysis shows that the industry’s revenue has been experiencing a solid compound annual growth rate totalling $25.5 billion in January 2023. The data includes the 1.9% decline it experienced in 2023, when the profit totalled 10.6%.
According to reports, the growth is mainly due to the increased demand for interior design services from commercial and predominantly by residential markets, as the “new home feel” keeps boosting consumer spending.
The Job Market for Interior Designers in the United States
9. The mean annual wage of interior designers is $67,460.
(BLS)
Across the US, the mean hourly wage of interior designers is $32.43. Around 10% of all people employed as interior designers earn the lowest mean hourly wage of $17.60, while another 10% earn the highest paid mean hourly wage of $48.82.
According to BLS’s report from May 2022, the lowest mean annual wage paid to an interior designer was $36,610, and the highest was $101,550.
10. Interior Designers Industry in the US ranks 16th among professional, scientific and technical services industries.
The above ranking is based on market size. In terms of how competitive the interior design industry is, data shows it is the 377th largest industry in the US. This data, coupled with the positive forecasts about the growth we’ve mentioned, make the interior design industry a competitive within the professional, scientific and technical services industries.
11. 69% of interior designers have a Bachelor’s degree.
(Zippia)
Interior design career facts show that even though Bachelor’s degrees dominate the employee pool, these interior designers only receive around $54,000 a year. The annual income of interior designers with Master’s degree is highest standing at $58,341. However, only 6% of the total employees have a Master’s degree. Furthermore, 18% have an associate degree and 2% own some college diploma with an annual income of $47,881. Finally, five percent of interior designers own another degree.
12. At $88,870, the highest annual mean wage of interior designers is paid by the District of Columbia.
(BLS)
Officially the District of Columbia is the highest-paying state for interior designers with a mean hourly wage of $42.73. Other top-paying states for interior designers are:
- District of Columbia – $88,870 / year
- Massachusetts – $78,480
- California – $77,660
- Rhode Island – $75,010
- South Dakota – $74,870.
