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Best states for a design consultant
Quoted expert
Mike Ozlanski Ph.D.
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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and arts, entertainment, sports, and media careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to design consultant jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for design consultants.Our research shows that Washington is the best state in the country for design consultants.
Washington is the best state for jobs for design consultants, and Hawaii is the worst. The most common pay in Washington is $93,792, while the median pay in Hawaii is $49,207.Washington is the best state, and Scranton is the city with the highest pay for design consultants.
10 best states for design consultants in 2026
1. Washington
Total design consultant jobs: 838 Average annual salary: $93,792 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
2. New Mexico
Total design consultant jobs: 377 Average annual salary: $86,178 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000 Location Quotient: 2.03
3. Pennsylvania
Total design consultant jobs: 755 Average annual salary: $100,099 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 0.69
4. District of Columbia
Total design consultant jobs: 191 Average annual salary: $96,588 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 1.2
5. West Virginia
Total design consultant jobs: 284 Average annual salary: $81,439 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 1.97
6. Massachusetts
Total design consultant jobs: 838 Average annual salary: $90,517 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
7. Maine
Total design consultant jobs: 268 Average annual salary: $82,252 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 2.13
8. Oregon
Total design consultant jobs: 586 Average annual salary: $88,196 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 1.49
9. Rhode Island
Total design consultant jobs: 99 Average annual salary: $89,166 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 0.86
10. North Dakota
Total design consultant jobs: 55 Average annual salary: $97,035 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 0.63
Design consultant jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a design consultant
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a design consultant
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $93,792 | $56,000 | 7,405,743 | 838 |
| 2 | New Mexico | $86,178 | $50,000 | 2,088,070 | 377 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | $100,099 | $64,000 | 12,805,537 | 755 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $96,588 | $61,000 | 693,972 | 191 |
| 5 | West Virginia | $81,439 | $51,000 | 1,815,857 | 284 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $90,517 | $59,000 | 6,859,819 | 838 |
| 7 | Maine | $82,252 | $55,000 | 1,335,907 | 268 |
| 8 | Oregon | $88,196 | $52,000 | 4,142,776 | 586 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $89,166 | $58,000 | 1,059,639 | 99 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $97,035 | $61,000 | 755,393 | 55 |
| 11 | California | $90,325 | $52,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,392 |
| 12 | Michigan | $84,943 | $54,000 | 9,962,311 | 665 |
| 13 | Georgia | $85,909 | $51,000 | 10,429,379 | 895 |
| 14 | Iowa | $84,850 | $52,000 | 3,145,711 | 253 |
| 15 | Ohio | $85,859 | $54,000 | 11,658,609 | 615 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $84,270 | $53,000 | 5,795,483 | 413 |
| 17 | Vermont | $83,115 | $55,000 | 623,657 | 71 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $84,646 | $53,000 | 5,576,606 | 516 |
| 19 | New York | $84,540 | $55,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,200 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $88,900 | $57,000 | 9,005,644 | 507 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $80,916 | $53,000 | 1,342,795 | 151 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $82,873 | $50,000 | 10,273,419 | 650 |
| 23 | Illinois | $82,555 | $51,000 | 12,802,023 | 968 |
| 24 | Arkansas | $82,000 | $48,000 | 3,004,279 | 138 |
| 25 | Idaho | $80,601 | $48,000 | 1,716,943 | 126 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $68,541 | $41,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,110 |
| 27 | Delaware | $80,701 | $51,000 | 961,939 | 101 |
| 28 | Texas | $76,632 | $44,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,689 |
| 29 | Connecticut | $70,350 | $46,000 | 3,588,184 | 386 |
| 30 | Kansas | $76,331 | $46,000 | 2,913,123 | 195 |
| 31 | Utah | $67,146 | $40,000 | 3,101,833 | 280 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $62,146 | $37,000 | 5,024,369 | 762 |
| 33 | Arizona | $64,544 | $37,000 | 7,016,270 | 550 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $75,597 | $46,000 | 4,454,189 | 162 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $59,210 | $36,000 | 869,666 | 197 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $61,846 | $37,000 | 579,315 | 53 |
| 37 | Alabama | $59,524 | $35,000 | 4,874,747 | 791 |
| 38 | Missouri | $68,208 | $41,000 | 6,113,532 | 341 |
| 39 | Virginia | $65,638 | $41,000 | 8,470,020 | 716 |
| 40 | Colorado | $61,875 | $37,000 | 5,607,154 | 513 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $54,041 | $32,000 | 3,930,864 | 476 |
| 42 | Alaska | $62,681 | $38,000 | 739,795 | 62 |
| 43 | Maryland | $68,836 | $43,000 | 6,052,177 | 389 |
| 44 | Montana | $62,706 | $38,000 | 1,050,493 | 81 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $47,400 | $28,000 | 2,984,100 | 311 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $62,051 | $36,000 | 4,684,333 | 138 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $60,786 | $37,000 | 1,920,076 | 111 |
| 48 | Nevada | $59,731 | $34,000 | 2,998,039 | 112 |
| 49 | Florida | $54,196 | $32,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,251 |
| 50 | Indiana | $59,019 | $36,000 | 6,666,818 | 344 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $49,207 | $30,000 | 1,427,538 | 59 |
Highest paying states for design consultants
| Rank | State | Avg. Design Consultant Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $93,792 |
| 2 | New Mexico | $86,178 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | $100,099 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $96,588 |
| 5 | West Virginia | $81,439 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $90,517 |
| 7 | Maine | $82,252 |
| 8 | Oregon | $88,196 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $89,166 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $97,035 |
| 11 | California | $90,325 |
| 12 | Michigan | $84,943 |
| 13 | Georgia | $85,909 |
| 14 | Iowa | $84,850 |
| 15 | Ohio | $85,859 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $84,270 |
| 17 | Vermont | $83,115 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $84,646 |
| 19 | New York | $84,540 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $88,900 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $80,916 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $82,873 |
| 23 | Illinois | $82,555 |
| 24 | Arkansas | $82,000 |
| 25 | Idaho | $80,601 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $68,541 |
| 27 | Delaware | $80,701 |
| 28 | Texas | $76,632 |
| 29 | Connecticut | $70,350 |
| 30 | Kansas | $76,331 |
| 31 | Utah | $67,146 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $62,146 |
| 33 | Arizona | $64,544 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $75,597 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $59,210 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $61,846 |
| 37 | Alabama | $59,524 |
| 38 | Missouri | $68,208 |
| 39 | Virginia | $65,638 |
| 40 | Colorado | $61,875 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $54,041 |
| 42 | Alaska | $62,681 |
| 43 | Maryland | $68,836 |
| 44 | Montana | $62,706 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $47,400 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $62,051 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $60,786 |
| 48 | Nevada | $59,731 |
| 49 | Florida | $54,196 |
| 50 | Indiana | $59,019 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $49,207 |
Expert opinions on the best states for design consultants
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for design consultants to find work opportunities?
Mike Ozlanski Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Accounting, Susquehanna University
I suspect that geographic restrictions are going to be less critical than they were before. Accounting firms and accounting departments have shown tremendous resilience as they adopted remote work practices. I suspect that once the pandemic passes, organizations will not entirely abandon remote working arrangements. Yes, people will need to still access their offices (or the offices of their clients). However, they won't need to always be physically present to do their jobs.
We've already seen evidence that people are starting to leave cities for suburbans settings. Remote work arrangements (in some cases) enable people to fulfill their responsibilities from rural settings (as long as there is reliable high-speed internet access).
The potential flexibility associated with remote work will also benefit graduates who provide care to children or other family members. This should reduce their barriers to enter the profession and to thrive in it.
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Updated January 8, 2025