Occupation salary profile

Set and Exhibit Designers

SOC 27-1027 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Design special exhibits and sets for film, video, television, and theater productions. May study scripts, confer with directors, and conduct research to determine appropriate architectural styles.

National median · BLS
$75,240
▲ +13.52% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$72,800
▲ +0% YoY · 15 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$83,160
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
10,630
Jobs (BLS)
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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 Set and Exhibit Designers

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 15 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$41,750$58,300
25th$52,830$69,923
Median (50th)$75,240$72,800
75th$104,030$82,627
90th — top pay$135,410$118,115
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $72,800 for Set and Exhibit Designers — 3.2% below the BLS national median of $75,240.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Set and Exhibit Designers

BLS projects employment of set and exhibit designers to grow 1.4% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 2,200 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
31,600 → 32,000
+500 jobs
Projected change
+1.4%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
2,200
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
66.3% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 5)
Extensive Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
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 $72,800
Change vs prior year +0%
After inflation (CPI-U) -3.04%
Skills & tools

Skills needed for Set and Exhibit 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 Listening3.9
  • Reading Comprehension3.9
  • Critical Thinking3.8
  • Operations Analysis3.8
  • Speaking3.8
  • Time Management3.8
  • Coordination3.5
  • Complex Problem Solving3.4
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.4
  • Writing3.3
Top knowledge areas
  • Fine Arts5.0
  • Design4.9
  • Computers and Electronics3.8
  • Building and Construction3.5
  • History and Archeology3.4
  • English Language3.2
  • Communications and Media3.1
  • Mathematics3.0
Software and technology used
Adobe Creative Cloud softwareAdobe IllustratorAdobe PhotoshopAutodesk AutoCADAutodesk RevitMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareAdobe AcrobatAdobe After EffectsAdobe InDesignDassault Systemes SolidWorksMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordOracle DatabaseStructured query language SQLTrimble SketchUp Pro

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 set and exhibit designers do

  • Develop set designs, based on evaluation of scripts, budgets, research information, and available locations.
  • Prepare rough drafts and scale working drawings of sets, including floor plans, scenery, and properties to be constructed.
  • Prepare preliminary renderings of proposed exhibits, including detailed construction, layout, and material specifications, and diagrams relating to aspects such as special effects or lighting.
  • Read scripts to determine location, set, and design requirements.
  • Submit plans for approval, and adapt plans to serve intended purposes, or to conform to budget or fabrication restrictions.
  • Attend rehearsals and production meetings to obtain and share information related to sets.
  • Confer with clients and staff to gather information about exhibit space, proposed themes and content, timelines, budgets, materials, or promotion requirements.
  • Research architectural and stylistic elements appropriate to the time period to be depicted, consulting experts for information, as necessary.
Also called
Display CoordinatorExhibit DesignerScenic DesignerSet DesignerDesignerExhibit CoordinatorExhibit PreparatorHistorical Society Window DresserInstallations DesignerProjection Designer
More job titles for this occupation (20)
CreatorDisplay DesignerEvent DecoratorEvent DesignerExhibit SpecialistExhibit Technician (Exhibit Tech)Exhibitions CoordinatorExhibitorExhibits ManagerExhibits SpecialistFood StylistLighting DesignerMiniature Set DesignerMuseum Exhibit DesignerPresentation SpecialistRoom DesignerSet DecoratorStage Scenery DesignerStage Set DesignerTheater Set Production Designer

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.