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Job outlook for embroidery designers in the United States
Are embroidery designer jobs in demand?
Embroidery designer job and salary trends over time
Embroidery designer jobs over time
Embroidery designer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 40 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 40 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 43 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 43 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 43 | 0.00% |
Average embroidery designer salary over time
Embroidery designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $49,709 | $23.90 | +2.4% |
| 2025 | $48,527 | $23.33 | +3.5% |
| 2024 | $46,906 | $22.55 | +3.4% |
| 2023 | $45,351 | $21.80 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $44,364 | $21.33 | +1.6% |
Embroidery designer jobs by state
Most common states for embroidery designers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 186 | 27% |
| 2 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 665 | 9% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 594 | 9% |
| 4 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 359 | 9% |
| 5 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 583 | 7% |
| 6 | California | 39,536,653 | 2,505 | 6% |
| 7 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 630 | 6% |
| 8 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 348 | 6% |
| 9 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 316 | 6% |
| 10 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 193 | 6% |
| 11 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 79 | 6% |
| 12 | New York | 19,849,399 | 1,003 | 5% |
| 13 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 646 | 5% |
| 14 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 323 | 5% |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 284 | 5% |
| 16 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 132 | 5% |
| 17 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 54 | 5% |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 518 | 4% |
| 19 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 425 | 4% |
| 20 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 154 | 4% |
Most common cities for embroidery designers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dayton | 1 | 1% | $44,350 |
| 2 | Syracuse | 1 | 1% | $65,555 |
| 3 | Tempe | 1 | 1% | $49,801 |
| 4 | Miami | 1 | 0% | $45,105 |
| 5 | San Diego | 1 | 0% | $52,123 |
Embroidery Designer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of embroidery designer experts
Foothill College
Highline College
Texas State University
Belmont University
Eastern Illinois University
Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania
College of Central Florida
Carolyn Brown
ProfessorFoothill College
Graphic Communications
What will help Embroidery Designers increase their earning potential?
Carolyn Brown: AI will continue to grow in importance in the next 3-5 years. AI is useful in many ways. Right now, AI is mostly used for writing which is great for brainstorming and writing the messaging that graphic designers create the visuals for. AI is becoming an important tool for generating images, videos, animations, 3D, and AR/VR content. The most important skill is the ability to learn new skills and/or adapt your current skills to new technologies.
What soft skills should all Embroidery Designers possess?
Diana Boyd: -Collaboration/Teamwork
-Interpersonal
-Reliability
-Ethical behavior
-Self-starter
Holly Sterling
Associate Professor of Communication Design, Internship CoordinatorTexas State University
School of Art and Design
What soft skills should all Embroidery Designers possess?
Holly Sterling: - Strong communication and problem-solving skills - not only in your design work but in your day-to-day job.
- Being able to work collaboratively and be a responsible team member (i.e., productive, organized, respond positively to feedback, adaptable).
Doug Regen
Professor of PracticeBelmont University
Graphic Design Department
What skills stand out on Embroidery Designer resumes?
Doug Regen: Ability to problem-solve with strong creative solutions. Innovative. Detail-oriented. Ability to design creative solutions based on research...understanding the target audience, trends, etc.
What skills will help Embroidery Designers earn the most?
Doug Regen: Brilliant Ideas are executed flawlessly. Team player. Ability to motivate and lead others. Strong communicator and presentation skills.
Samantha Osborne
Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, Owner, Samantha Osborne DesignEastern Illinois University
Art + Design
What skills stand out on Embroidery Designer resumes?
Samantha Osborne: Soft skills are equally important to hard skills. Graphic designers are visual communicators. Visual communication is a universal learned skill, vs. a linguistic capability. This means that graphic designers must learn to recognize and effectively utilize mood and tone in their own visual compositions in regard to color theory and psychology, gestalt principles, and font or lettering design. Essentially a well-skilled graphic designer becomes part psychologist in working through design problems and deciphering client direction, part problem-solver in developing an effective solution to the design problem, and part artist in bringing astonishing and original visual communication and graphics to reach a solution.
What soft skills should all Embroidery Designers possess?
Samantha Osborne: Three soft skills stand out most: an ability to see the big picture, an ability to "read" people, and an ability to make a convincing argument for your design solution(s).
i. An ability to see big picture: there are an infinite number of details in graphic design, whether you work in website design on the front or back end, or in print media with physical outputs. It's easy to get caught up on the details, especially when clients are making specific demands about things such as paper type. A skilled designer must be able to see beyond the details and look at the big picture for an effective design solution. For example, a client may be asking for an invitation design for an up-coming event. A skilled designer will ask questions and dig in, eventually uncovering that perhaps for a successful event, the client also needs a splash page and social media, either in place of or in addition to an invitation. A skilled designer addresses design problems holistically, rather than minutely.
ii. An ability to "read" people: designers are trained in art-specific vocabulary. Hue, saturation, pixels, gestalt...most non-art folks don't use or speak that language. When clients are describing their goals, they aren't using art-vocabulary. It's a designer's job to translate what the client is saying into an advanced and effective creative solution. They must be able to speak and understand the language of non-creative folks, as well as the language of the broader creative industry.
iii. An ability to make a convincing argument for your design solution(s): many young and inexperienced designer tend to get their hearts broken when a client smashes one of their [very well thought-out] ideas. Rather than rolling over, a designer must learn to navigate how best to build support for their idea(s). That might mean in some instances you work more fluidly with the client throughout the design process, so that they feel they have ownership in the development of the solution. In other instances it might mean that the designer is presenting options, rather than a single solution, so that the client feels empowered to make choices throughout the design process. And in some instances, it might be a matter of better explaining and presenting your idea to a client; perhaps the designer needs to push back more, perhaps they need to provide more research as to why their solution is best, or maybe they simply need to present it with more excitement and enthusiasm.
Carmita Sanchez-Fong
Professor and ChairpersonFashion Institute of Technology, SUNY
Interior Design Department
What Embroidery Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Carmita Sanchez-Fong: Sketch, sketch, sketch, and work on your portfolio. Use the many resources at FIT to stay current with technology, including 3d printing, laser cutting, and virtual reality. Volunteer with one of the professional organizations, attend virtual conferences, enter a competition, develop your personal/professional profile, and become familiar with digital material resources. Work on your research and presentation skills. Create a well-organized digital library of your 2d and 3d assets. Prepare yourself to go back. Take some masterclasses. Volunteer as a virtual artist-in-residence at a local school. Be creative, remain engaged.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Embroidery Designers in the next 3-5 years?
Michelle Lockwood: A year ago, even six months ago, we would never have expected our lives to have taken the turns they have, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In that same sense, we cannot know what obstacles we will encounter in the next year, six months, or even next week. The aspect of technology that seems most important now is software that can bring the human experience of connection into our individual and separated lives. Technology has enabled those of us in design and applied arts, to continue creating and communicating. As always has been, technology is a tool, but it is not usually the entire idea. Yes, every message is altered and influenced by the medium with which it was created. Still, those beginning in this field need to remember that their uniqueness comes from the union of what is in their mind and their heart, and how they articulate and communicate that union.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Embroidery Designers?
Michelle Lockwood: Oh, yes! There will be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on graduates, and all of us. It has already changed so much about how we interact, do business, socialize, learn, love, and just plain live. There is no way that it could not impact the future of this field, or any area, in my opinion. I think the job market will look very different in the months and years to come. We will adapt, and there will be more opportunities for creativity, more problems to solve, and more chances to engage and inform. But those practicing will need to remain flexible, adapt gracefully to changing circumstances, and find pockets where they can solve problems, and use their unique skillset to illuminate, inform, and delight -- just as we have always done -- only differently.
Dr. Sarah Satterfield Ph.D.
Department Chair Visual and Performing Arts, Professor of Music and HumanitiesCollege of Central Florida
Engineering Technology
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Embroidery Designers?
Dr. Sarah Satterfield Ph.D.: A positive result of COVID-19 is a "coming together" of the academic community to embrace and adapt to the "new normal" - from instructors, to publishers, to instrument manufacturers. Each of the above has taken a difficult challenge and used it to push the arts forward, offering for example, livestreams when the concept of a live audience is not feasible. We have approached the challenge with creativity because that is what we do.