Interior Designer Salary

If there is a theme for aspiring interior designers to note, it's this: an interior design career offers many rewards (financial and otherwise), but you have to be willing to pay your dues in entry-level jobs before you work your way up. Never fear, however, a little experience can go a long way toward increasing your interior designer salary.

It's not only experience that will put you on the path toward a higher interior design salary. There are a number of factors that employers look at, including the following:

Geographic location – Urban areas tend to have a higher cost of living than rural areas, which means that your interior design salary may be higher if you live and work in a metropolitan area. Design firms in these areas may also attract more higher profile clients. This can help them offer higher pay to attract the best design talent.

Job title/description – If you manage other employees or have "senior" appended to your job title, you'll probably earn more than an assistant. It's no surprise that more responsibility often means more pay.

Self-employment – Being self-employed can yield a higher salary, or a lower salary, depending on your business. If you are well-established and have a good client base, working for yourself may mean that you get to keep more of the profits. On the other hand, if you're just starting out, you may have to tighten your belt—at least until your business takes off.

Education level – Your education level may also make you more attractive to employers, and that can mean higher pay. Education may help you whether you're just starting out or you're angling for a promotion and a pay increase.

The following table shows the salary range of the middle 50 percent of U.S. interior designers:*

If you're ready to start earning an interior designer salary, get your new career off the ground with career education. Search our directory of interior design schools, and request information about programs that interest you.

_{*HR data as reported by Salary.com in October 2009.}