Fashion Designers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$80,960
United States, 2025
Employment
21,450
United States, 2025
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Job Zone 3
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Design clothing and accessories. Create original designs or adapt fashion trends.
- O*NET code
- 27-1022.00
- Job zone
- 3
- Experience required
- Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years
Typical tasks
- Sketch rough and detailed drawings of apparel or accessories, and write specifications such as color schemes, construction, material types, and accessory requirements.
- Examine sample garments on and off models, modifying designs to achieve desired effects.
- Confer with sales and management executives or with clients to discuss design ideas.
- Select materials and production techniques to be used for products.
- Provide sample garments to agents and sales representatives, and arrange for showings of sample garments at sales meetings or fashion shows.
- Direct and coordinate workers involved in drawing and cutting patterns and constructing samples or finished garments.
- Identify target markets for designs, looking at factors such as age, gender, and socioeconomic status.
- Collaborate with other designers to coordinate special products and designs.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$39,490
25th percentile
$51,940
75th percentile
$106,470
90th percentile
$146,870
Most important skills
- Speaking3.9
- Active Listening3.9
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Coordination3.8
- Time Management3.8
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8
- Active Learning3.8
- Social Perceptiveness3.8
- Complex Problem Solving3.6
- Negotiation3.6
- Reading Comprehension3.6
- Persuasion3.6
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 20 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
20
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Coordination | 3.8 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Time Management | 3.8 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.8 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.8 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.6 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Persuasion | 3.6 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Monitoring | 3.5 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Active Learning | 3.8 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Writing | 3.4 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.6 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.5 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Negotiation | 3.6 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Operations Analysis | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Instructing | 3.5 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Service Orientation | 3.5 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $97,150
Compare with Fashion DesignersSupplemental
National median $41,600
Compare with Fashion DesignersSupplemental
National median $37,800
Compare with Fashion DesignersSupplemental
National median $55,490
Compare with Fashion DesignersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Maria, CA | $108,220 | 70 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $106,630 | 480 | 2025 |
| MA | $103,520 | 540 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $102,370 | 450 | 2025 |
| NJ | $101,610 | 160 | 2025 |
| NH | $100,160 | 40 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $99,560 | 5,540 | 2025 |
| Denver, CO | $99,420 | 250 | 2025 |
| Boulder, CO | $98,680 | 60 | 2025 |
| NY | $98,640 | 5,760 | 2025 |
| Riverside, CA | $96,760 | 180 | 2025 |
| CO | $94,140 | 360 | 2025 |
| VA | $94,120 | 100 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $85,220 | — | 2025 |
| Charlotte, NC | $82,130 | 110 | 2025 |
| OH | $82,050 | 90 | 2025 |
| Burlington, VT | $82,040 | 30 | 2025 |
| WA | $82,030 | — | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $82,010 | 320 | 2025 |
| CT | $81,510 | 50 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Fashion Designers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.