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Project designer salary
Average project designer salary
$64,943
Average Project Designer Salary
The average salary for a Project Designer in the United States stands at $64,943 per year. This salary can vary depending on several factors, including geographical location, industry, and years of experience.
How Experience Affects Salary
Entry-level Project Designers typically earn less than their more experienced counterparts. Those with several years in the field can expect to see salaries increase significantly, often exceeding $80,000 annually in competitive markets.
Regional Salary Insights
Regions with a high demand for design professionals, such as California and New York, tend to offer higher salaries. In contrast, areas with a lower cost of living may provide salaries closer to the national average.
Top Industries for Project Designers
Industries like architecture, engineering, and construction are among the highest-paying for Project Designers. Professionals in these fields often find diverse opportunities that can lead to fulfilling career advancement.
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Where can a Project Designer earn more?
Project designer salary estimates from across the web
Average project designer salary by state
The average project designer salary in New Mexico, California, and North Dakota are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average project designer salary states are South Dakota, Utah, and Vermont.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for project designers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $74,159 | $35.65 |
| 2 | North Dakota | $72,265 | $34.74 |
| 3 | Arkansas | $71,066 | $34.17 |
| 4 | Kansas | $67,555 | $32.48 |
| 5 | Wisconsin | $64,578 | $31.05 |
| 6 | Maine | $65,763 | $31.62 |
| 7 | Idaho | $66,796 | $32.11 |
| 8 | Oregon | $71,563 | $34.41 |
| 9 | Iowa | $65,592 | $31.53 |
| 10 | California | $72,743 | $34.97 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $63,952 | $30.75 |
| 12 | Washington | $70,480 | $33.88 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $71,387 | $34.32 |
| 14 | New York | $70,760 | $34.02 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $69,766 | $33.54 |
| 16 | Texas | $61,008 | $29.33 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $66,481 | $31.96 |
| 18 | Missouri | $61,753 | $29.69 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $63,360 | $30.46 |
| 20 | Ohio | $60,868 | $29.26 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $60,765 | $29.21 |
| 22 | Kentucky | $61,300 | $29.47 |
| 23 | Colorado | $65,598 | $31.54 |
| 24 | Michigan | $58,375 | $28.06 |
| 25 | Indiana | $59,598 | $28.65 |
| 26 | Massachusetts | $64,249 | $30.89 |
| 27 | New Jersey | $66,159 | $31.81 |
| 28 | Nevada | $57,641 | $27.71 |
| 29 | Connecticut | $63,877 | $30.71 |
| 30 | Arizona | $62,377 | $29.99 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $60,686 | $29.18 |
| 32 | Georgia | $59,525 | $28.62 |
| 33 | Delaware | $61,709 | $29.67 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $49,655 | $23.87 |
| 35 | Louisiana | $53,878 | $25.90 |
| 36 | Alabama | $51,188 | $24.61 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $48,762 | $23.44 |
| 38 | Maryland | $58,856 | $28.30 |
| 39 | Virginia | $56,482 | $27.15 |
| 40 | Illinois | $56,493 | $27.16 |
| 41 | Vermont | $44,084 | $21.19 |
| 42 | Wyoming | $41,164 | $19.79 |
| 43 | Florida | $55,744 | $26.80 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $47,503 | $22.84 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $47,446 | $22.81 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $47,056 | $22.62 |
| 47 | Montana | $49,088 | $23.60 |
| 48 | Utah | $44,863 | $21.57 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $41,049 | $19.74 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $47,157 | $22.67 |
| 51 | Alaska | $43,237 | $20.79 |
Highest paying cities for project designers
The highest-paying cities for project designers are San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, and Portland, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $79,594 | $38.27 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $71,372 | $34.31 |
| 3 | Portland, OR | $71,266 | $34.26 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $70,995 | $34.13 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $70,875 | $34.07 |
| 6 | Philadelphia, PA | $66,899 | $32.16 |
| 7 | Denver, CO | $65,606 | $31.54 |
| 8 | Boston, MA | $64,339 | $30.93 |
| 9 | New Haven, CT | $63,981 | $30.76 |
| 10 | Phoenix, AZ | $62,536 | $30.07 |
| 11 | Kansas City, MO | $61,598 | $29.61 |
| 12 | San Antonio, TX | $61,245 | $29.44 |
| 13 | Raleigh, NC | $61,117 | $29.38 |
| 14 | Minneapolis, MN | $60,728 | $29.20 |
| 15 | Atlanta, GA | $59,664 | $28.68 |
| 16 | Baltimore, MD | $58,999 | $28.36 |
| 17 | Arlington, VA | $57,473 | $27.63 |
| 18 | Las Vegas, NV | $56,769 | $27.29 |
| 19 | Chicago, IL | $56,666 | $27.24 |
| 20 | Miami, FL | $55,522 | $26.69 |
Project designer salary details
A project designer's salary ranges from $47,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $89,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a project designer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $89,000 | $7,417 | $43 |
| 75th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
| Average | $64,943 | $5,412 | $31 |
| 25th Percentile | $54,000 | $4,500 | $26 |
| 10th Percentile | $47,000 | $3,917 | $23 |
Highest paying project designer jobs
The highest paying types of project designers are lead designer, senior designer, and project manager/design manager.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design Consultant | $77,803 | $6,484 | $37.41 | 59,470 |
| Interior Design Consultant | $61,447 | $5,121 | $29.54 | 48,894 |
| Interior Designer/Project Manager | $73,114 | $6,093 | $35.15 | 85,288 |
| Computer Aided Design Designer | $60,150 | $5,012 | $28.92 | 92,503 |
| Project Manager Internship | $38,852 | $3,238 | $18.68 | 178,233 |
| Interior Design Internship | $45,975 | $3,831 | $22.10 | 88,151 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for project designers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Abby Guido
Assistant Professor, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University
Top companies hiring project designers now:
Which companies pay project designers the most?
Project designer salaries at Apple and CF Industries are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average project designer salary at companies like Moody's and Tesla are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $118,258 | $56.85 |
| 2 | CF Industries | $101,936 | $49.01 |
| 3 | Moody's | $94,420 | $45.39 |
| 4 | Tesla | $91,130 | $43.81 |
| 5 | Mattel | $83,257 | $40.03 |
| 6 | ONE Gas | $82,862 | $39.84 |
| 7 | Verizon Communications | $78,232 | $37.61 |
| 8 | The Home Depot | $75,498 | $36.30 |
| 9 | Cushman & Wakefield | $74,926 | $36.02 |
| 10 | SunPower | $71,931 | $34.58 |
| 11 | Columbia Sportswear | $70,956 | $34.11 |
| 12 | HPA, A Cognizant | $70,529 | $33.91 |
| 13 | UST | $70,318 | $33.81 |
| 14 | The Office of James Burnett | $70,296 | $33.80 |
| 15 | Kohler Co. | $69,894 | $33.60 |
| 16 | Dominion Energy | $68,911 | $33.13 |
| 17 | Bialek Environments | $68,563 | $32.96 |
| 18 | CEI Group | $68,349 | $32.86 |
| 19 | HGA | $67,272 | $32.34 |
| 20 | Kelly Services | $67,241 | $32.33 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Project Designer salary by industry
The average project designer salary varies across industries:
- The average project designer salary in the manufacturing industry is $69,498, the highest of any industry.
- The average project designer salary in the finance industry is $65,383.
- Project designers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $63,484, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for project designers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manufacturing | $69,498 | $33.41 |
| 2 | Energy | $65,383 | $31.43 |
| 3 | Construction | $64,897 | $31.20 |
| 4 | Professional | $63,484 | $30.52 |
High paying project designer jobs
Project designer salary trends
The average project designer salary has risen by $10,744 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average project designer earned $54,199 annually, but today, they earn $64,943 a year. That works out to a 15% change in pay for project designers over the last decade.
Compare project designer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average project designer salary over time
Compare project designer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Project designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $64,900 | $31.22 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | $63,800 | $30.66 | +4.8% |
| 2023 | $60,700 | $29.20 | +3.5% |
| 2022 | $58,600 | $28.18 | +3.3% |
| 2021 | $56,700 | $27.26 | +1.9% |
Recently added project designer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Streetsense | Project Designer | Ione, WA | 06/25/2025 | $80,000 |
| American Capital Group | Project Designer III | Bellevue, WA | 06/24/2025 | $90,000 |
| LPA | Interior Project Designer: Education Studio | Irvine, CA | 06/22/2025 | $98,000 |
| Leather Emporium | Project Designer-Auto Dealership Team | Minneapolis, MN | 06/20/2025 | $62,000 |
| Jub Engineers Inc. | Project Designer | Reno, NV | 06/20/2025 | $72,000 |
| NAC Architecture | Project Designer | Los Angeles, CA | 06/20/2025 | $95,000 |
| Stantec | Project Designer-Mechanical | Sacramento, CA | 06/18/2025 | $82,600 |
| Stantec Inc. | Plumbing Project Designer-Mission Critical Facilities | Chicago, IL | 06/17/2025 | $97,100 |
| Stantec | Project Designer-Electrical | Lynnwood, WA | 06/16/2025 | $77,600 |
| Swbr Company | Project Designer | Rochester, NY | 06/16/2025 | $67,424 |
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