Careers / Set and Exhibit Designers
Set and Exhibit 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
$75,240
United States, 2025
Employment
10,630
United States, 2025
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Job Zone 5
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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.
- O*NET code
- 27-1027.00
- Job zone
- 5
- Experience required
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
Typical tasks
- 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.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$41,750
25th percentile
$52,830
75th percentile
$104,030
90th percentile
$135,410
Most important skills
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Active Listening3.9
- Operations Analysis3.8
- Speaking3.8
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Time Management3.8
- Coordination3.5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.4
- Complex Problem Solving3.4
- Writing3.3
- Monitoring3.1
- Active Learning3.1
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 19 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
19
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Operations Analysis | 3.8 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Speaking | 3.8 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Time Management | 3.8 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.4 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Coordination | 3.5 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.4 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Writing | 3.3 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Mathematics | 3.0 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Active Learning | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Negotiation | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Instructing | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| 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
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Compare with Set and Exhibit DesignersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $109,120 | 290 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $106,880 | 1,870 | 2025 |
| CA | $105,030 | 2,690 | 2025 |
| Dayton, OH | $92,020 | 40 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $86,880 | 1,620 | 2025 |
| Denver, CO | $83,000 | 40 | 2025 |
| Washington, DC | $82,960 | 420 | 2025 |
| Atlanta, GA | $80,960 | 160 | 2025 |
| MD | $80,540 | 420 | 2025 |
| Baltimore, MD | $80,280 | 220 | 2025 |
| WA | $77,230 | 170 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $77,230 | 140 | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $76,900 | 90 | 2025 |
| DC | $76,900 | 190 | 2025 |
| NJ | $76,380 | 220 | 2025 |
| Miami, FL | $76,350 | 140 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $74,710 | 150 | 2025 |
| MA | $74,540 | 230 | 2025 |
| NE | $73,980 | 50 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $72,960 | 70 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Set and Exhibit 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.