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The differences between production designers and set designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a production designer, becoming a set designer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a set designer has an average salary of $57,970, which is higher than the $54,760 average annual salary of a production designer.
The top three skills for a production designer include sketch, graphic design and adobe creative suite. The most important skills for a set designer are set design, art direction, and photography.
| Production Designer | Set Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $54,760 | $57,970 |
| Hourly rate | $26.33 | $27.87 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 96,682 | 49,102 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 38 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
Production designers and set designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Designer | Set Designer | |
| Average salary | $54,760 | $57,970 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $82,000 | Between $35,000 And $94,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New Windsor, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | Stanley Black & Decker |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Education |
There are a few differences between a production designer and a set designer in terms of educational background:
| Production Designer | Set Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Fine Arts |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between production designers' and set designers' demographics:
| Production Designer | Set Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6% | Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 2.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 11.4% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 12% |