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Best states for an industrial designer
Quoted expert
Melissa Sgroi
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Industrial designer opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for industrial designers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for industrial designers.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of industrial designers in America is $92,000.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for industrial designers.We found that Washington is the best state for industrial designer jobs, whereas Louisiana is the worst.
10 best states for industrial designers in 2026
1. Washington
Total industrial designer jobs: 893 Average annual salary: $88,049 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.53
2. Oregon
Total industrial designer jobs: 498 Average annual salary: $76,318 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000 Location Quotient: 1.5
3. California
Total industrial designer jobs: 3,398 Average annual salary: $82,131 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 1.45
4. Massachusetts
Total industrial designer jobs: 804 Average annual salary: $75,739 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $103,000 Location Quotient: 1.09
5. Arizona
Total industrial designer jobs: 351 Average annual salary: $76,475 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Location Quotient: 0.75
6. Idaho
Total industrial designer jobs: 104 Average annual salary: $74,152 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 0.79
7. Michigan
Total industrial designer jobs: 659 Average annual salary: $65,438 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
8. Kansas
Total industrial designer jobs: 197 Average annual salary: $69,835 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
9. New Mexico
Total industrial designer jobs: 114 Average annual salary: $74,803 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Location Quotient: 0.73
10. North Carolina
Total industrial designer jobs: 715 Average annual salary: $66,992 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
Industrial designer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an industrial designer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an industrial designer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $88,049 | $60,000 | 7,405,743 | 893 |
| 2 | Oregon | $76,318 | $51,000 | 4,142,776 | 498 |
| 3 | California | $82,131 | $53,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,398 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $75,739 | $55,000 | 6,859,819 | 804 |
| 5 | Arizona | $76,475 | $51,000 | 7,016,270 | 351 |
| 6 | Idaho | $74,152 | $50,000 | 1,716,943 | 104 |
| 7 | Michigan | $65,438 | $48,000 | 9,962,311 | 659 |
| 8 | Kansas | $69,835 | $51,000 | 2,913,123 | 197 |
| 9 | New Mexico | $74,803 | $50,000 | 2,088,070 | 114 |
| 10 | North Carolina | $66,992 | $47,000 | 10,273,419 | 715 |
| 11 | Maine | $66,291 | $49,000 | 1,335,907 | 98 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $68,734 | $49,000 | 693,972 | 239 |
| 13 | Arkansas | $69,356 | $49,000 | 3,004,279 | 146 |
| 14 | New York | $65,451 | $47,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,436 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $64,112 | $46,000 | 12,805,537 | 810 |
| 16 | Virginia | $64,439 | $45,000 | 8,470,020 | 881 |
| 17 | Missouri | $64,266 | $47,000 | 6,113,532 | 404 |
| 18 | Vermont | $64,028 | $47,000 | 623,657 | 56 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $62,900 | $45,000 | 1,059,639 | 101 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $64,074 | $46,000 | 3,588,184 | 261 |
| 21 | Texas | $61,115 | $41,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,533 |
| 22 | Indiana | $62,799 | $46,000 | 6,666,818 | 437 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $63,671 | $47,000 | 579,315 | 34 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $60,950 | $47,000 | 5,576,606 | 485 |
| 25 | Illinois | $61,408 | $46,000 | 12,802,023 | 905 |
| 26 | Nebraska | $62,561 | $47,000 | 1,920,076 | 131 |
| 27 | New Jersey | $65,485 | $47,000 | 9,005,644 | 463 |
| 28 | Nevada | $65,819 | $43,000 | 2,998,039 | 118 |
| 29 | Iowa | $58,988 | $44,000 | 3,145,711 | 305 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $63,067 | $45,000 | 6,715,984 | 327 |
| 31 | Utah | $58,038 | $39,000 | 3,101,833 | 299 |
| 32 | Ohio | $56,608 | $41,000 | 11,658,609 | 721 |
| 33 | Colorado | $59,400 | $43,000 | 5,607,154 | 412 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $53,314 | $40,000 | 5,795,483 | 465 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $58,177 | $42,000 | 1,815,857 | 72 |
| 36 | Montana | $58,927 | $44,000 | 1,050,493 | 65 |
| 37 | Alabama | $56,491 | $39,000 | 4,874,747 | 254 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $53,308 | $36,000 | 5,024,369 | 297 |
| 39 | Maryland | $54,670 | $39,000 | 6,052,177 | 445 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $56,081 | $43,000 | 869,666 | 55 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $53,948 | $39,000 | 4,454,189 | 219 |
| 42 | Georgia | $47,071 | $32,000 | 10,429,379 | 941 |
| 43 | Delaware | $54,620 | $39,000 | 961,939 | 78 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $52,856 | $37,000 | 3,930,864 | 182 |
| 45 | Florida | $51,087 | $33,000 | 20,984,400 | 955 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $50,737 | $40,000 | 755,393 | 56 |
| 47 | New Hampshire | $46,609 | $34,000 | 1,342,795 | 131 |
| 48 | Alaska | $54,484 | $45,000 | 739,795 | 36 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $55,565 | $45,000 | 1,427,538 | 33 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $50,430 | $34,000 | 2,984,100 | 110 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $43,723 | $29,000 | 4,684,333 | 165 |
Highest paying states for industrial designers
| Rank | State | Avg. Industrial Designer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $88,049 |
| 2 | Oregon | $76,318 |
| 3 | California | $82,131 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $75,739 |
| 5 | Arizona | $76,475 |
| 6 | Idaho | $74,152 |
| 7 | Michigan | $65,438 |
| 8 | Kansas | $69,835 |
| 9 | New Mexico | $74,803 |
| 10 | North Carolina | $66,992 |
| 11 | Maine | $66,291 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $68,734 |
| 13 | Arkansas | $69,356 |
| 14 | New York | $65,451 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $64,112 |
| 16 | Virginia | $64,439 |
| 17 | Missouri | $64,266 |
| 18 | Vermont | $64,028 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $62,900 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $64,074 |
| 21 | Texas | $61,115 |
| 22 | Indiana | $62,799 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $63,671 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $60,950 |
| 25 | Illinois | $61,408 |
| 26 | Nebraska | $62,561 |
| 27 | New Jersey | $65,485 |
| 28 | Nevada | $65,819 |
| 29 | Iowa | $58,988 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $63,067 |
| 31 | Utah | $58,038 |
| 32 | Ohio | $56,608 |
| 33 | Colorado | $59,400 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $53,314 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $58,177 |
| 36 | Montana | $58,927 |
| 37 | Alabama | $56,491 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $53,308 |
| 39 | Maryland | $54,670 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $56,081 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $53,948 |
| 42 | Georgia | $47,071 |
| 43 | Delaware | $54,620 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $52,856 |
| 45 | Florida | $51,087 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $50,737 |
| 47 | New Hampshire | $46,609 |
| 48 | Alaska | $54,484 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $55,565 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $50,430 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $43,723 |
Expert opinions on the best states for industrial designers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for industrial designers to find work opportunities?
Melissa Sgroi
Associate Professor and Chair, Misericordia University
I think smaller, localized news media companies throughout the US are feeling the impact of the pandemic the greatest, and the virus only compounds their longtime struggles. So I believe those areas are not the richest sources of job openings. I think, however, location is not as important as before, as many media employees remain in work-from-home or distance arrangements. I'm confident in telling new graduates to apply for every job for which they have qualifications, regardless of where the graduates are living now. Of course, the growth of remote work raises another issue: the mentoring and camaraderie that arises when people work together in shared spaces. The lack of those relationship-building opportunities can negatively impact new workers' growth and future career opportunities, over the longer term.
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Updated January 8, 2025