Commercial and Industrial Designers
Median $83,910
Occupation · SOC 27-1022
Fashion Designers: pay and where the jobs are
What fashion designers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$80,960 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $91,230
- Median hourly wage
- $38.92
- Mean hourly wage
- $43.86
- Employment
- 21,450
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-1022.
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See where your pay falls among fashion designers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do fashion designers make?
The median annual wage for fashion designers was $80,960 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $39,490 and the highest-paid 10% more than $146,870. As an hourly rate, the median is $38.92. About 21,450 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Massachusetts ($103,520), New Jersey ($101,610) and New Hampshire ($100,160). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in New Hampshire.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for fashion designers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,490 | $18.99 | $3,291 | $2,826 |
| 25th percentile | $51,940 | $24.97 | $4,328 | $3,659 |
| Median | $80,960 | $38.92 | $6,747 | $5,482 |
| 75th percentile | $106,470 | $51.19 | $8,873 | $6,978 |
| 90th percentile | $146,870 | $70.61 | $12,239 | $9,304 |
Fashion Designers: pay by state
23 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$76,122 take-home in national prices
2
$72,075 take-home in national prices
3
$69,774 take-home in national prices
Where a median fashion designer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 540 | $103,520 | $57,710 | $174,250 | $76,224 | $72,075 |
| New Jersey | 160 | $101,610 | $65,790 | $132,470 | $75,413 | $69,310 |
| New Hampshire | 40 | $100,160 | $64,430 | $131,920 | $79,293 | $76,122 |
| New York | 5,760 | $98,640 | $62,610 | $177,430 | $73,001 | $67,643 |
| Colorado | 360 | $94,140 | $59,180 | $132,990 | $71,210 | $69,101 |
| Virginia | 100 | $94,120 | $50,410 | $118,490 | $70,446 | $69,676 |
| Ohio | 90 | $82,050 | $43,820 | $93,070 | $64,732 | $69,774 |
| Washington | Not published | $82,030 | $55,080 | $136,830 | $65,400 | $61,114 |
| Connecticut | 50 | $81,510 | $45,040 | $194,570 | $62,032 | $59,870 |
| Vermont | 60 | $79,610 | $50,940 | $99,810 | $62,085 | $63,380 |
| Georgia | 120 | $78,340 | $48,860 | $152,970 | $60,782 | $63,121 |
| North Carolina | 460 | $74,990 | $32,280 | $195,590 | $59,102 | $62,657 |
| Pennsylvania | 320 | $63,840 | $48,520 | $133,820 | $51,471 | $52,752 |
| Michigan | 40 | $63,430 | $31,800 | $102,330 | $50,701 | $52,694 |
| Kansas | 40 | $59,150 | $48,860 | $104,620 | $47,206 | $52,412 |
| Wisconsin | 120 | $57,030 | $37,950 | $75,770 | $46,080 | $48,972 |
| Maine | 30 | $49,530 | $31,770 | $124,210 | $40,064 | $41,282 |
| Hawaii | Not published | $47,990 | $43,100 | $74,990 | $38,620 | $35,125 |
| Arizona | Not published | $45,720 | $38,830 | $61,650 | $38,167 | $37,910 |
| Florida | 1,100 | $43,020 | $27,710 | $82,330 | $36,747 | $35,533 |
| Minnesota | 420 | $42,110 | $42,110 | $56,080 | $34,396 | $34,877 |
| Indiana | 120 | $40,740 | $39,190 | $85,580 | $33,742 | $36,154 |
| Texas | 1,850 | $40,040 | $28,170 | $98,620 | $34,352 | $35,394 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-1022. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.