Occupation salary profile

Commercial and Industrial Designers

SOC 27-1021 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Design and develop manufactured products, such as cars, home appliances, and children’s toys. Combine artistic talent with research on product use, marketing, and materials to create the most functional and appealing product design.

National median · BLS
$83,910
▲ +5.61% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$90,938
▼ -2.63% YoY · 763 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$93,260
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
33,490
Jobs (BLS)
Highest-paying state (cost-adjusted) Loading…
Most jobs Loading…
Highest-paying metro (cost-adjusted) Loading…

Check your salary

Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Commercial and Industrial Designers

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 763 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$53,460$62,076
25th$66,450$74,451
Median (50th)$83,910$90,938
75th$109,050$132,950
90th — top pay$139,770$175,935
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $90,938 for Commercial and Industrial Designers — 8.4% above the BLS national median of $83,910.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

Type in either box; the other updates instantly.

Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Commercial and Industrial Designers

BLS projects employment of commercial and industrial designers to grow 2.4% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 2,800 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
35,400 → 36,300
+900 jobs
Projected change
+2.4%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
2,800
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
6.5% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $90,938
Change vs prior year -2.63%
After inflation (CPI-U) -5.59%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 117 15.3% $56,826 $62,379 $70,000
Level II 339 44.4% $72,686 $80,080 $94,800
Level III 141 18.5% $95,000 $125,000 $175,000
Level IV 162 21.2% $114,924 $148,886 $177,700
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Commercial and Industrial Designers

The 9 most-filed job titles inside SOC 27-1021, from 763 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Design Engineer 106 13.89% $77,000 $85,000 $94,724 +4.42%
Industrial Designer 82 10.75% $62,702 $71,349 $90,000 -8.23%
Product Designer 82 10.75% $89,252 $133,500 $164,643 +14.49%
Product Design 36 4.72% $167,753 $186,547 $196,507 +13.78%
Designer generic 27 3.54% $66,560 $73,000 $94,846 -26.26%
Technical Designer 22 2.88% $75,662 $85,400 $94,900 +10.19%
BIM Coordinator 13 1.7% $70,616 $75,130 $97,947 +5.65%
Product Design Engineer 13 1.7% $78,000 $115,000 $171,000 -8%
Industrial Design Engineer 12 1.57% $69,566 $75,942 $104,650 +2.28%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Commercial and Industrial Designers

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Reading Comprehension3.9
  • Complex Problem Solving3.8
  • Critical Thinking3.8
  • Speaking3.5
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.3
  • Operations Analysis3.3
  • Time Management3.3
  • Coordination3.1
  • Monitoring3.1
Top knowledge areas
  • Design4.7
  • Engineering and Technology4.7
  • Mechanical4.0
  • Production and Processing4.0
  • Computers and Electronics3.9
  • Mathematics3.7
  • English Language3.6
  • Physics3.1
Software and technology used
Adobe Creative Cloud softwareAdobe IllustratorAdobe PhotoshopDassault Systemes SolidWorksFigmaMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft PowerPointAdobe AcrobatAdobe After EffectsAdobe InDesignApache MavenApple iOSAutodesk AutoCADAutodesk RevitCC#C++

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What commercial and industrial designers do

  • Prepare sketches of ideas, detailed drawings, illustrations, artwork, or blueprints, using drafting instruments, paints and brushes, or computer-aided design equipment.
  • Modify and refine designs, using working models, to conform with customer specifications, production limitations, or changes in design trends.
  • Evaluate feasibility of design ideas, based on factors such as appearance, safety, function, serviceability, budget, production costs/methods, and market characteristics.
  • Confer with engineering, marketing, production, or sales departments, or with customers, to establish and evaluate design concepts for manufactured products.
  • Present designs and reports to customers or design committees for approval and discuss need for modification.
  • Research production specifications, costs, production materials, and manufacturing methods and provide cost estimates and itemized production requirements.
  • Direct and coordinate the fabrication of models or samples and the drafting of working drawings and specification sheets from sketches.
  • Investigate product characteristics such as the product's safety and handling qualities, its market appeal, how efficiently it can be produced, and ways of distributing, using, and maintaining it.
Also called
Design EngineerDesignerIndustrial DesignerProduct DesignerMechanical DesignerMold DesignerProduct Design EngineerProduct Development EngineerSign Designer
More job titles for this occupation (53)
Art Glass DesignerAutomobile DesignerBank Note DesignerBicycle DesignerBike DesignerBoat DesignerBody StylistCar Body DesignerCeramic DesignerCeramic Mold DesignerCloth DesignerColor AdvisorColor ConsultantColor ExpertCommercial DesignerEmbroidery DesignerEngineerFabric DesignerFire Sprinkler DesignerFurniture DesignerGame DesignerLighting DesignerMemorial DesignerMotorcycle DesignerNew Product Development EngineerOrnamental Metalwork DesignerPackage DesignerPackaging DesignerPottery Decoration DesignerProduct DeveloperProduct Development SpecialistProduct ExpertProduct ManagerProduct Sustaining EngineerRobot DesignerRobotic Toy InventorRoller Coaster DesignerRug DesignerSafety Clothing DeveloperSafety Equipment DeveloperSilver DesignerSnowboard DesignerStained Glass ArtistStained Glass Window DesignerSurfboard DesignerTextile DesignerTile DesignerToy DesignerToy MakerUI Product Designer (User Interface Product Designer)UX Product Designer (User Experience Product Designer)Weapons DesignerWeapons Engineer

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.