Fashion designers

Detailed Occupation

Add Comparison

2020 Workforce

27.3k

Average Age

38.4

Estimated Job Growth

−4.59%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$56,322

Average Male Salary

$76,171

Average Female Salary

$52,257

About

Fashion designers are most often employed by the Specialized design services industry. The average yearly wage for Fashion designers was $56,322 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Fashion designers by wage are Industrial & refractory machinery mechanics, Tax preparers, and Statistical assistants.

Fashion designers are part of the Arts, design, entertainment, sports, & media occupations, along with Artists & related workers, Commercial and industrial designers, Fashion designers, Floral designers, Graphic designers, and 25 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Fashion designers are Upper East Side PUMA, NY, Battery Park City, Greenwich Village & Soho PUMA, NY, and Murray Hill, Gramercy & Stuyvesant Town PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Fashion designers are Battery Park City, Greenwich Village & Soho PUMA, NY, Upper East Side PUMA, NY, and Greenpoint & Williamsburg PUMA, NY.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Fashion designers and on wages and locations for those in the field. Specialized design services is the industry that employs the most Fashion designers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Fashion designers, by average wage, is Not specified retail trade. Fashion designers are paid most in Sunnyside & Woodside PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Battery Park City, Greenwich Village & Soho PUMA, NY.

Yearly Wage

$56,322

AVERAGE SALARY

± $10,112

In 2020, Fashion designers earned an average of $56,322, $368 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Industrial & refractory machinery mechanics make somewhat more than Fashion designers while Statistical assistants make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Fashion designers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.447

WAGE GINI

In 2019, Fashion designers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.447, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Fashion designers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Fashion designers.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Fashion designers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Fashion designers.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Fashion designers, by number of employees, are Specialized design services, Clothing stores, Cut and sew, and apparel accessories and other apparel manufacturing, Apparel, piece goods, & notions merchant wholesalers, Retail florists, Architectural, engineering & related services, General merchandise stores, including warehouse clubs and supercenters, Department stores, Motion pictures & video industries, Miscellaneous manufacturing, n.e.c. , and Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Fashion designers, by average wage, are Not specified retail trade, Amusement & Recreation, and Broadcasting (except internet).

Industries by Share

27.3k

2020 Workforce

± 4,053

5.3%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 20.2%

The number of people employed as Fashion designers has been growing at a rate of 5.3%, from 25,889 people in 2019 to 27,260 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Fashion designers employed by various industries. Specialized design services employs the largest share of Fashion designers at 23.7%, followed by Clothing stores with 17.4% and Cut and sew, and apparel accessories and other apparel manufacturing with 8.29%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Fashion designers in the US. The average age of male Fashion designers in the workforce is 40.7 and of female Fashion designers is 37.9, and the most common race/ethnicity for Fashion designers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

4.63k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 1,671

22.6k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 3,693

83% of Fashion designers are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Fashion designers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Fashion designers

White (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

64.3% of Fashion designers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 10.9% of Fashion designers, Asian (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Fashion designers.

Age by Sex

40.7

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 4.58

37.9

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 2.25

The median age of Fashion designers is 38.4, and Male employees are generally 2.84 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Fashion designers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Fashion designers is Visual & Performing Arts but a relatively high number of Fashion designers hold a major in Visual & Performing Arts.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Projections

Projections on job growth for Fashion Designers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Fashion Designers are expected to see a growth of −4.59% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

−4.59%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Fashion Designers. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.