How to Become an Interior Designer
Plan, design, and furnish interior spaces of residential, commercial, or industrial buildings for functionality and aesthetics. It typically requires a bachelor's degree, with a median salary of $67,190 per year and about average projected job growth.
Median pay
$67,190/yr
Middle half
$51,840 to $85,740
Job growth
About average
Openings / yr
7,800
Majors that lead here
Key skills
- Space Planning
- Color and Material Selection
- CAD Software
- Building Codes
- Client Communication
Helpful certifications
- NCIDQ (National Council for Interior Design Qualification)
- LEED AP
Is this career a fit?
Remote-friendly
50/100
Work-life balance
65/100
Stress level
32/100
Satisfaction
75/100
Related careers
- Architect$99,280 median
Frequently asked questions
How much does an Interior Designer make?
The median pay for an Interior Designer is $67,190 a year, and the middle half of workers earn between $51,840 and $85,740 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). That covers everyone in the job, not only people starting out, so newer workers sit toward the lower end.
What degree do you need to become an Interior Designer?
The usual entry point is a bachelor's degree. Common majors are Interior Design, Interior Architecture, Fine Arts, and Environmental Design.
Is Interior Designer a growing field?
Projected job growth for this role from 2024 to 2034 is about average (BLS projections via O*NET), with roughly 7,800 U.S. openings a year.
What skills does an Interior Designer use most?
Common skills for this role are Space Planning, Color and Material Selection, CAD Software, Building Codes, and Client Communication.
Planning to become a Interior Designer?
Save this career to your PlanexAI path and track the majors, courses, and milestones that lead to it.
Not sure this is right for you?
Take our free 2-minute quiz to match your interests to majors and careers.
Take the major quizWhere these pay figures come from
Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).
All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.
Job-growth figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).