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Clothes designer salary

Average clothes designer salary

$61,319

$29.48 hourly rate

Entry-level clothes designer salary
$37,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Average Clothes Designer Salary

As of October 2025, the average salary for a clothes designer in the United States is $61,319 annually. This figure represents a typical hourly pay of $29. However, salaries can vary based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and specialization within the fashion industry.

How Much Does a Clothes Designer Make?

Entry-level clothes designers typically earn around $45,000 per year, while seasoned professionals can command salaries upwards of $80,000. The highest-paying sectors often include luxury fashion houses and international brands.

Where Can a Clothes Designer Earn More?

Geographic location plays a crucial role in salary variations. States like California and New York are known for offering higher salaries due to their vibrant fashion markets. Conversely, regions with less industry presence may offer lower compensation.

Conclusion

Understanding the salary landscape for clothes designers can help you make informed career decisions. By continuously developing your skills and staying updated on industry trends, you can enhance your earning potential and career satisfaction.

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Where can a Clothes Designer earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
78k
58k
38k
18k
Columbus, OH$66,954
Urban Honolulu, HI$48,106
Compare salary by company
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88k
68k
48k
28k
G-III Apparel Group$77,416
Ava$58,163

Clothes designer salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor and Comparably, the average salary for a clothes designer typically falls between $61,319 and $71,179.
zippia
$61,319yearly
glassdoor[1]
$62,391yearly
comparably[2]
$71,179yearly

Average clothes designer salary by state

The average clothes designer salary in Nevada, Oregon, and Rhode Island are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average clothes designer salary states are Tennessee, Alabama, and Minnesota.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for clothes designers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Oregon$78,111$37.55
2Washington$72,148$34.69
3Rhode Island$75,920$36.50
4Nevada$83,705$40.24
5Utah$68,124$32.75
6Connecticut$75,632$36.36
7New Hampshire$72,949$35.07
8District of Columbia$72,759$34.98
9Massachusetts$67,496$32.45
10California$69,524$33.42
11New York$64,848$31.18
12Delaware$74,373$35.76
13Idaho$68,563$32.96
14Maine$63,298$30.43
15Missouri$59,781$28.74
16Vermont$61,632$29.63
17Nebraska$59,325$28.52
18Ohio$54,025$25.97
19Texas$54,668$26.28
20Alaska$63,405$30.48
21Mississippi$59,560$28.63
22New Jersey$58,874$28.30
23Maryland$57,391$27.59
24North Dakota$56,977$27.39
25Pennsylvania$52,914$25.44
26Arizona$53,645$25.79
27Michigan$49,511$23.80
28New Mexico$53,171$25.56
29Oklahoma$53,346$25.65
30Georgia$50,460$24.26
31Colorado$51,405$24.71
32Virginia$50,414$24.24
33West Virginia$52,754$25.36
34Wisconsin$47,585$22.88
35South Dakota$49,985$24.03
36Minnesota$45,163$21.71
37North Carolina$46,895$22.55
38Kentucky$50,382$24.22
39Montana$50,687$24.37
40South Carolina$49,401$23.75
41Louisiana$50,831$24.44
42Indiana$48,481$23.31
43Florida$46,826$22.51
44Tennessee$46,426$22.32
45Illinois$39,466$18.97
46Wyoming$47,100$22.64
47Arkansas$46,815$22.51
48Alabama$45,218$21.74
49Hawaii$48,069$23.11
50Kansas$38,796$18.65
51Iowa$38,458$18.49

Highest paying cities for clothes designers

The highest-paying cities for clothes designers are Industry, CA, New York, NY, and Urban Honolulu, HI.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Industry, CA$66,954$32.19
2New York, NY$65,096$31.30
3Urban Honolulu, HI$48,106$23.13

Clothes designer salary details

A clothes designer's salary ranges from $37,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $100,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average clothes designer salary graph
Average clothes designer salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a clothes designer's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$100,000$8,333$48
75th Percentile$79,000$6,583$38
Average$61,319$5,110$29
25th Percentile$47,000$3,917$23
10th Percentile$37,000$3,083$18

Highest paying clothes designer jobs

The highest paying types of clothes designers are fashion director, fashion design internship, and shoe designer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Fashion Stylist$45,524$3,794$21.8913,031
Fashion Internship$49,534$4,128$23.8149,151
Graphic Designer$49,450$4,121$23.7745,625
Fashion Designer$54,265$4,522$26.0949,476
Apparel Designer$65,467$5,456$31.4746,436
Designer$66,347$5,529$31.9052,433

Top companies hiring clothes designers now:

  1. Macy's jobs (1)
  2. G-III Apparel Group jobs (4)
  3. DRS jobs (1)
  4. IMVU jobs (1)
  5. Montana jobs (1)

Which companies pay clothes designers the most?

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1G-III Apparel Group$77,416$37.22
2Ava$58,163$27.96

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$73,000$71,000$69,000$67,000$65,000$63,000
MaleFemale

Clothes designer salary trends

The average clothes designer salary has risen by $8,995 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average clothes designer earned $52,324 annually, but today, they earn $61,319 a year. That works out to a 16% change in pay for clothes designers over the last decade.

Compare clothes designer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average clothes designer salary over time

Compare clothes designer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Clothes designer salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$61,300$29.48+2.7%
2024$59,700$28.69+1.5%
2023$58,800$28.28+7.3%
2022$54,500$26.22+3.3%
2021$52,700$25.34+2.3%

Recently added clothes designer salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Steven Madden, Ltd.Technical Designer, Private Label-Almost Famous ClothingNew York, NY05/05/2025$100,000
ExternalcareersiteDesigner-Temp, Almost Famous ClothingNew York, NY12/09/2024$75,132
Steven Madden, Ltd.Designer-Temp, Almost Famous ClothingNew York, NY11/20/2024$75,132
ExternalcareersiteTemp Designer-Almost Famous ClothingNew York, NY10/27/2024$75,132
Blackbird RecruitingClothing DesignerMonsey, NY10/18/2024$80,000
Department of DefenseClothing Designer (Patterns)Philadelphia, PA10/17/2024$79,839
ExternalcareersiteTemp Designer-Almost Famous ClothingNew York, NY09/29/2024$75,132
Department of DefenseClothing Designer (Patterns)Philadelphia, PA09/24/2024$95,694
Steven Madden, Ltd.Designer-Almost Famous ClothingNew York, NY09/18/2024$80,000
ExternalcareersiteTemp Designer-Almost Famous ClothingNew York, NY08/28/2024$75,132

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