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Exhibition designer salary
Average exhibition designer salary
$62,371
Understanding Exhibition Designer Salaries
The average salary for an Exhibition Designer is approximately $62,371 annually, which breaks down to about $30 per hour. This figure reflects the combined earnings of professionals working in various sectors including museums, galleries, and corporate environments.
Salaries can vary significantly depending on factors such as experience, geographical location, and the specific industry. For instance, designers in states like California and New York often earn higher wages due to the demand in metropolitan areas.
Key Factors Influencing Salary
- Experience: Entry-level positions may start lower, while seasoned professionals can command significantly higher salaries.
- Location: Urban centers generally offer better salary prospects compared to rural areas.
- Industry: Certain industries, particularly those linked to high-profile exhibitions or corporate events, tend to pay more.
By understanding these dynamics, you can better assess your earning potential and make informed decisions about your career trajectory as an exhibition designer.
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Where can an Exhibition Designer earn more?
Exhibition designer salary estimates from across the web
Average exhibition designer salary by state
The average exhibition designer salary in New York, Michigan, and New Mexico are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average exhibition designer salary states are Virginia, Minnesota, and Indiana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for exhibition designers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $78,347 | $37.67 |
| 2 | Michigan | $74,398 | $35.77 |
| 3 | Utah | $71,331 | $34.29 |
| 4 | New Mexico | $72,592 | $34.90 |
| 5 | California | $71,058 | $34.16 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $71,229 | $34.24 |
| 7 | Illinois | $68,733 | $33.04 |
| 8 | Oregon | $67,320 | $32.37 |
| 9 | Texas | $66,362 | $31.90 |
| 10 | Iowa | $67,739 | $32.57 |
| 11 | Maryland | $69,412 | $33.37 |
| 12 | Washington | $65,096 | $31.30 |
| 13 | Kansas | $66,675 | $32.06 |
| 14 | Georgia | $64,394 | $30.96 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | $67,298 | $32.35 |
| 16 | Tennessee | $66,577 | $32.01 |
| 17 | Arkansas | $66,541 | $31.99 |
| 18 | Ohio | $62,076 | $29.84 |
| 19 | Montana | $65,366 | $31.43 |
| 20 | Idaho | $62,263 | $29.93 |
| 21 | Colorado | $61,428 | $29.53 |
| 22 | Nebraska | $59,607 | $28.66 |
| 23 | Missouri | $58,483 | $28.12 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $61,263 | $29.45 |
| 25 | Alaska | $63,903 | $30.72 |
| 26 | South Dakota | $60,047 | $28.87 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $54,186 | $26.05 |
| 28 | Nevada | $58,574 | $28.16 |
| 29 | North Dakota | $59,670 | $28.69 |
| 30 | Massachusetts | $54,128 | $26.02 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $58,738 | $28.24 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $53,758 | $25.85 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $55,190 | $26.53 |
| 34 | Maine | $54,406 | $26.16 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | $53,804 | $25.87 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $55,388 | $26.63 |
| 37 | Connecticut | $53,873 | $25.90 |
| 38 | Vermont | $52,781 | $25.38 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $50,820 | $24.43 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $55,342 | $26.61 |
| 41 | Minnesota | $49,987 | $24.03 |
| 42 | New Jersey | $54,762 | $26.33 |
| 43 | Virginia | $50,187 | $24.13 |
| 44 | Arizona | $52,203 | $25.10 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $55,759 | $26.81 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $51,471 | $24.75 |
| 47 | North Carolina | $47,405 | $22.79 |
| 48 | Delaware | $51,640 | $24.83 |
| 49 | Indiana | $49,444 | $23.77 |
| 50 | Florida | $43,397 | $20.86 |
| 51 | Alabama | $45,427 | $21.84 |
Highest paying cities for exhibition designers
The highest-paying cities for exhibition designers are Sacramento, CA, New York, NY, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento, CA | $83,245 | $40.02 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $78,344 | $37.67 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $71,225 | $34.24 |
| 4 | Silver Spring, MD | $69,046 | $33.20 |
| 5 | Chicago, IL | $68,982 | $33.16 |
| 6 | Dallas, TX | $66,855 | $32.14 |
| 7 | Las Vegas, NV | $57,312 | $27.55 |
| 8 | Boston, MA | $54,139 | $26.03 |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | $52,474 | $25.23 |
| 10 | Salisbury, NC | $47,364 | $22.77 |
| 11 | Tallahassee, FL | $44,425 | $21.36 |
Exhibition designer salary details
An exhibition designer's salary ranges from $39,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $99,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an exhibition designer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $99,000 | $8,250 | $48 |
| 75th Percentile | $79,000 | $6,583 | $38 |
| Average | $62,371 | $5,198 | $30 |
| 25th Percentile | $48,000 | $4,000 | $23 |
| 10th Percentile | $39,000 | $3,250 | $19 |
Highest paying exhibition designer jobs
The highest paying types of exhibition designers are senior designer, interactive designer, and visual designer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Merchandiser | $38,037 | $3,170 | $18.29 | 74,351 |
| 3D Artist | $74,721 | $6,227 | $35.92 | 3,978 |
| Animator | $76,853 | $6,404 | $36.95 | 551 |
| Graphic Artist | $54,900 | $4,575 | $26.39 | 8,752 |
| Graphic Designer/Production | $48,619 | $4,052 | $23.37 | 95,831 |
| Graphic Designer, Marketing | $48,763 | $4,064 | $23.44 | 115,113 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for exhibition designers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Abby Guido
Assistant Professor, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University
Top companies hiring exhibition designers now:
Which companies pay exhibition designers the most?
Exhibition designer salaries at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Midas are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average exhibition designer salary at companies like Edison International and MechoSystems are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | $87,328 | $41.98 |
| 2 | Midas | $83,503 | $40.15 |
| 3 | Edison International | $74,449 | $35.79 |
| 4 | MechoSystems | $68,743 | $33.05 |
| 5 | Sparks Marketing Group | $67,029 | $32.23 |
| 6 | Czarnowski | $66,456 | $31.95 |
| 7 | David's Inc | $64,678 | $31.10 |
| 8 | Ralph Appelbaum Associates | $64,273 | $30.90 |
| 9 | Scoular | $62,147 | $29.88 |
| 10 | Blackdot | $61,593 | $29.61 |
| 11 | Gallagher & Associates LLC | $61,364 | $29.50 |
| 12 | Hunsaker & Associates Irvine Inc | $61,313 | $29.48 |
| 13 | *n/a* | $61,292 | $29.47 |
| 14 | Group Delphi | $60,692 | $29.18 |
| 15 | MUSEUM.COM | $59,742 | $28.72 |
| 16 | Cinnabar California | $59,112 | $28.42 |
| 17 | Catalyst Exhibits | $57,365 | $27.58 |
| 18 | Obama Foundation | $55,580 | $26.72 |
| 19 | Guggenheim Museum | $51,237 | $24.63 |
| 20 | NC.gov | $48,669 | $23.40 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Exhibition Designer salary by industry
The average exhibition designer salary varies across industries:
- The average exhibition designer salary in the professional industry is $63,570, the highest of any industry.
- The average exhibition designer salary in the finance industry is $62,161.
- Exhibition designers in the education industry earn an average salary of $58,458, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for exhibition designers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $63,570 | $30.56 |
| 2 | Hospitality | $62,161 | $29.89 |
| 3 | Retail | $62,108 | $29.86 |
| 4 | Media | $60,608 | $29.14 |
| 5 | Non Profits | $59,967 | $28.83 |
| 6 | Education | $58,458 | $28.10 |
High paying exhibition designer jobs
Exhibition designer salary trends
The average exhibition designer salary has risen by $10,399 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average exhibition designer earned $51,972 annually, but today, they earn $62,371 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for exhibition designers over the last decade.
Compare exhibition designer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average exhibition designer salary over time
Compare exhibition designer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Exhibition designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $62,400 | $29.99 | +6.2% |
| 2025 | $58,500 | $28.14 | +0.6% |
| 2024 | $58,200 | $27.97 | +2.2% |
| 2023 | $56,900 | $27.36 | +4.0% |
| 2022 | $54,700 | $26.28 | +2.9% |
Recently added exhibition designer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Museum of Fine Arts | Exhibitions Designer | Boston, MA | 06/16/2025 | $55,552 |
| Steelhead Productions | Senior Exhibit Designer | Las Vegas, NV | 06/12/2025 | $85,000 |
| Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh | Exhibition Designer | Pittsburgh, PA | 06/06/2025 | $53,625 |
| City of Greensboro, Nc | Exhibits Designer (Curator 266) | Greensboro, NC | 06/04/2025 | $45,017 |
| Florida Atlantic University | Graphic Designer-Exhibition Design Branding | Boca Raton, FL | 05/17/2025 | $33,392 |
| Mnhs Executive Council | Exhibit Designer | Nore, MN | 05/06/2025 | $55,702 |
| Mnhs Executive Council | #1872 Exhibit Designer | Nore, MN | 04/28/2025 | $55,702 |
| Creative Circle | Exhibit Designer | Fairfax, VA | 04/21/2025 | $73,045 |
| Sotheby's | Senior Exhibition Designer | New York, NY | 04/10/2025 | $90,000 |
| Sfmoma | Exhibition Designer | San Francisco, CA | 03/28/2025 | $71,250 |
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