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Best states for a home designer
Quoted expert
Carmita Sanchez-Fong
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
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- 41 - 51
Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for home designers? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for home designer jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.As home designers are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for home designers. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a home designer, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
We figured that the best places for home designer jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.We found that Oregon is the best state for home designer jobs, whereas Mississippi is the worst.
10 best states for home designers in 2025
1. Oregon
Total home designer jobs: 854 Average annual salary: $87,323 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000 Location Quotient: 1.47
2. Washington
Total home designer jobs: 1,337 Average annual salary: $83,668 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 1.31
3. New Mexico
Total home designer jobs: 283 Average annual salary: $79,761 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
4. California
Total home designer jobs: 5,289 Average annual salary: $79,771 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 1.29
5. Idaho
Total home designer jobs: 212 Average annual salary: $80,281 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 0.92
6. New York
Total home designer jobs: 2,750 Average annual salary: $75,377 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 1.53
7. Rhode Island
Total home designer jobs: 160 Average annual salary: $76,574 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
8. Massachusetts
Total home designer jobs: 1,612 Average annual salary: $73,494 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
9. Maine
Total home designer jobs: 196 Average annual salary: $69,318 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $110,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
10. District of Columbia
Total home designer jobs: 246 Average annual salary: $76,668 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
Home designer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a home designer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a home designer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $87,323 | $52,000 | 4,142,776 | 854 |
| 2 | Washington | $83,668 | $50,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,337 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $79,761 | $48,000 | 2,088,070 | 283 |
| 4 | California | $79,771 | $47,000 | 39,536,653 | 5,289 |
| 5 | Idaho | $80,281 | $47,000 | 1,716,943 | 212 |
| 6 | New York | $75,377 | $46,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,750 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $76,574 | $47,000 | 1,059,639 | 160 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $73,494 | $45,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,612 |
| 9 | Maine | $69,318 | $43,000 | 1,335,907 | 196 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $76,668 | $46,000 | 693,972 | 246 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $70,138 | $42,000 | 3,588,184 | 542 |
| 12 | Arkansas | $70,987 | $43,000 | 3,004,279 | 274 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $67,094 | $43,000 | 5,795,483 | 734 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $69,507 | $43,000 | 1,342,795 | 217 |
| 15 | Iowa | $67,421 | $44,000 | 3,145,711 | 460 |
| 16 | Ohio | $64,573 | $40,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,391 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $72,822 | $50,000 | 755,393 | 64 |
| 18 | Kansas | $69,915 | $44,000 | 2,913,123 | 272 |
| 19 | Arizona | $67,325 | $40,000 | 7,016,270 | 699 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $66,804 | $41,000 | 1,815,857 | 160 |
| 21 | Michigan | $62,289 | $39,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,320 |
| 22 | Nevada | $68,170 | $40,000 | 2,998,039 | 201 |
| 23 | Delaware | $66,901 | $40,000 | 961,939 | 150 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $61,983 | $40,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,016 |
| 25 | Georgia | $61,018 | $36,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,538 |
| 26 | Missouri | $63,538 | $40,000 | 6,113,532 | 756 |
| 27 | Indiana | $61,989 | $39,000 | 6,666,818 | 866 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $59,736 | $35,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,384 |
| 29 | Colorado | $65,314 | $41,000 | 5,607,154 | 668 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $62,877 | $39,000 | 4,454,189 | 376 |
| 31 | New Jersey | $58,848 | $35,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,424 |
| 32 | Virginia | $59,304 | $35,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,250 |
| 33 | Maryland | $63,560 | $38,000 | 6,052,177 | 699 |
| 34 | Montana | $53,133 | $33,000 | 1,050,493 | 172 |
| 35 | Texas | $59,146 | $35,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,365 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $61,455 | $37,000 | 12,805,537 | 785 |
| 37 | Illinois | $50,423 | $32,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,897 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $49,398 | $30,000 | 6,715,984 | 804 |
| 39 | Utah | $53,646 | $32,000 | 3,101,833 | 368 |
| 40 | Florida | $46,168 | $28,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,047 |
| 41 | Alabama | $48,635 | $29,000 | 4,874,747 | 453 |
| 42 | Vermont | $46,518 | $29,000 | 623,657 | 98 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $50,473 | $32,000 | 1,920,076 | 178 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $50,348 | $30,000 | 4,684,333 | 235 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $48,383 | $30,000 | 3,930,864 | 275 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $44,583 | $26,000 | 5,024,369 | 509 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $48,210 | $31,000 | 869,666 | 75 |
| 48 | Wyoming | $44,241 | $28,000 | 579,315 | 67 |
| 49 | Alaska | $45,755 | $32,000 | 739,795 | 84 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $43,875 | $33,000 | 1,427,538 | 84 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $39,257 | $23,000 | 2,984,100 | 144 |
Highest paying states for home designers
| Rank | State | Avg. Home Designer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $87,323 |
| 2 | Washington | $83,668 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $79,761 |
| 4 | California | $79,771 |
| 5 | Idaho | $80,281 |
| 6 | New York | $75,377 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $76,574 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $73,494 |
| 9 | Maine | $69,318 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $76,668 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $70,138 |
| 12 | Arkansas | $70,987 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $67,094 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $69,507 |
| 15 | Iowa | $67,421 |
| 16 | Ohio | $64,573 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $72,822 |
| 18 | Kansas | $69,915 |
| 19 | Arizona | $67,325 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $66,804 |
| 21 | Michigan | $62,289 |
| 22 | Nevada | $68,170 |
| 23 | Delaware | $66,901 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $61,983 |
| 25 | Georgia | $61,018 |
| 26 | Missouri | $63,538 |
| 27 | Indiana | $61,989 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $59,736 |
| 29 | Colorado | $65,314 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $62,877 |
| 31 | New Jersey | $58,848 |
| 32 | Virginia | $59,304 |
| 33 | Maryland | $63,560 |
| 34 | Montana | $53,133 |
| 35 | Texas | $59,146 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $61,455 |
| 37 | Illinois | $50,423 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $49,398 |
| 39 | Utah | $53,646 |
| 40 | Florida | $46,168 |
| 41 | Alabama | $48,635 |
| 42 | Vermont | $46,518 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $50,473 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $50,348 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $48,383 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $44,583 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $48,210 |
| 48 | Wyoming | $44,241 |
| 49 | Alaska | $45,755 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $43,875 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $39,257 |
Expert opinions on the best states for home designers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for home designers to find work opportunities?
Carmita Sanchez-Fong
Professor and Chairperson, Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY
Wherever there are people, there is a need for interior design innovation. Our students are all over the United States and abroad. Keep in mind that each state and city has a vastly different population size, infrastructure, income levels, behaviors, trends, and even level of sophistication. Do your research. Do not pick the place that pays you the most. Pick a location outside of your comfort zone that will challenge your skills and support your growth as a person and designer.
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Updated January 8, 2025