Explore national salary, projected growth, education requirements, and career opportunities across the United States.
A concise view of this occupation’s national scale, compensation, and projected demand.
National median annual wage for this occupation.
Estimated jobs currently supported nationwide.
Projected employment change through 2034.
Estimated openings created each year.
The typical education, prior experience, and on-the-job training associated with entry into this career.
Bachelor's degree
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These are the highest-rated capabilities associated with success in this occupation. Scores are derived from occupational skill analysis and are measured on a 100-point scale.
Based on skills, knowledge, and work activities, these occupations are the closest match to your current career.
Explore the states and metropolitan areas offering the strongest combination of salary, employment, demand, and long-term opportunity.
Discover metro markets where compensation, hiring demand, and long-term momentum align.
Understand the salary, outlook, education, and geographic opportunities shaping this career.
Fashion designers work in a relatively small national occupation, with 26,000 people employed across the country. The role typically requires a bachelor’s degree and draws heavily on creativity and innovation, along with strong project management and leadership skills. Nationally, the median annual salary is $80,690, indicating solid earning potential for experienced professionals. Employment is projected to grow by 2.0%, and there are about 2,000 annual openings, suggesting a steady flow of opportunities from new positions and turnover. Success in this career also depends on well-developed critical and analytical thinking, interpersonal abilities, and communication skills such as speaking, listening, writing, and reading. Comfort with computers and information technology and good fine motor skills also contribute to effectiveness in this field. For those interested in creative work and long-term professional development, fashion design offers a focused career path with options to explore related roles such as designers (all other), art directors, or other artist and entertainer categories.
Fashion designers earn a national median annual salary of $80,690, with pay varying significantly by location. Among the top states, Massachusetts shows a median salary of $103,520, New York $98,640, Colorado $94,140, and Virginia $94,120. Texas stands out with a much lower median salary of $40,040. At the metro level, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH reports a median of $106,630, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $102,370, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $99,560, and Boulder, CO $98,680. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV has a median of $62,400. These figures show that some states and metros offer notably higher pay than the national median, while others fall below it. For individuals considering this career, comparing local salary levels can be an important part of evaluating overall earning potential and deciding where to focus a job search.
Fashion design is a relatively specialized field, with national employment of 26,000 and a projected employment growth rate of 2.0%. This same 2.0% growth rate appears across the listed states and metro areas, indicating a consistent, modest growth outlook in multiple regions rather than dramatic expansion in only a few locations. Nationally, there are about 2,000 annual openings, which reflects ongoing demand driven by both new positions and replacement needs. For career planning, this suggests that while the field is not large, there is a regular flow of opportunities for new entrants and career changers. The combination of a defined employment base, steady projected growth, and recurring annual openings can support long-term career paths, especially for individuals willing to align their education and skills with employer needs or to consider related roles such as designers (all other), art directors, or other creative occupations listed as similar.
Location makes a clear difference for fashion designers, both in opportunity scores and pay levels. Among states, Massachusetts and New York have the highest CareerGPS opportunity scores (65.87 and 65.78) and also offer higher median salaries of $103,520 and $98,640, respectively. New York also has the largest employment level at 5,760. Colorado and Virginia show opportunity scores in the mid-50s and median salaries just above $94,000, though with smaller employment bases. Texas has a comparable opportunity score to Colorado and Virginia (51.57) but a much lower median salary of $40,040, alongside a relatively larger employment count of 1,850. At the metro level, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ stands out with the highest opportunity score of 77.27 and employment of 5,540. Boston, San Francisco, and Boulder offer high salaries, while Washington, DC’s metro area shows a moderate salary with a solid opportunity score, illustrating a range of compensation and scale across markets.
The typical education for fashion designers is a bachelor’s degree, providing a structured foundation for entering this professional field. Beyond formal education, the skill profile for this career is broad and blends creative, managerial, and technical strengths. Creativity and innovation are central, supported by project management and leadership skills that help designers guide work from concept through completion. Critical and analytical thinking enable sound decisions and problem-solving in design-related challenges. Interpersonal skills, along with strong speaking, listening, writing, and reading abilities, support collaboration and clear communication in professional settings. Competence with computers and information technology is also important, reflecting the role of digital tools in modern work processes. Fine motor skills further contribute to precision tasks. Together, a bachelor’s degree plus development of these core skills helps prepare individuals not only for fashion design roles, but also for related career paths such as designers (all other), art directors, and other creative occupations listed as similar.
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