Commercial and Industrial Designers Career, Salary and Skills
Commercial and Industrial Designers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $83,910 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 33,490. Wage data is published for 158 locations.
Occupation description
Design and develop manufactured products, such as cars, home appliances, and children's toys. Combine artistic talent with research on product use, marketing, and materials to create the most functional and appealing product design.
O*NET code
27-1021.00
Job zone
4
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Experience
Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$83,910
Hourly median
$40.34
Employment
33,490
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
$53,460
10th
$66,450
25th
$83,910
Median
$109,050
75th
$139,770
90th
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | 3.50 | 4.00 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.25 | 3.75 |
| Operations Analysis | 3.25 | 3.88 |
| Time Management | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Coordination | 3.12 | 3.62 |
| Monitoring | 3.12 | 3.75 |
Typical tasks
- Modify and refine designs, using working models, to conform with customer specifications, production limitations, or changes in design trends.
- Evaluate feasibility of design ideas, based on factors such as appearance, safety, function, serviceability, budget, production costs/methods, and market characteristics.
- Confer with engineering, marketing, production, or sales departments, or with customers, to establish and evaluate design concepts for manufactured products.
- Present designs and reports to customers or design committees for approval and discuss need for modification.
- Research production specifications, costs, production materials, and manufacturing methods and provide cost estimates and itemized production requirements.
- Direct and coordinate the fabrication of models or samples and the drafting of working drawings and specification sheets from sketches.
- Investigate product characteristics such as the product's safety and handling qualities, its market appeal, how efficiently it can be produced, and ways of distributing, using, and maintaining it.
- Prepare sketches of ideas, detailed drawings, illustrations, artwork, or blueprints, using drafting instruments, paints and brushes, or computer-aided design equipment.
Technology
- 1CadCam Unigraphics
- Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe After Effects
- Adobe Creative Cloud software
- Adobe FreeHand MX
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Apache Maven
- Apple iOS
- Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt
- Autodesk 3ds Max
- Autodesk AliasStudio
- Autodesk AutoCAD
Commercial and Industrial Designers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Commercial and Industrial Designers Salary in CAMedian $100,770 · Employment 5,300
- Commercial and Industrial Designers Salary in MIMedian $102,160 · Employment 2,930
- Commercial and Industrial Designers Salary in New York, NYMedian $94,890 · Employment 2,560
- Commercial and Industrial Designers Salary in NYMedian $89,640 · Employment 2,400
- Commercial and Industrial Designers Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $96,260 · Employment 2,080
- Commercial and Industrial Designers Salary in FLMedian $78,720 · Employment 1,990
- Commercial and Industrial Designers Salary in Detroit, MIMedian $108,180 · Employment 1,760
- Commercial and Industrial Designers Salary in VAMedian $82,230 · Employment 1,480
- Commercial and Industrial Designers Salary in San Francisco, CAMedian $104,000 · Employment 1,250
- Commercial and Industrial Designers Salary in MAMedian $101,720 · Employment 1,240
- Commercial and Industrial Designers Salary in NJMedian $90,310 · Employment 1,230
- Commercial and Industrial Designers Salary in OHMedian $79,470 · Employment 1,190
Related careers
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and TechniciansNational median $78,190
- Interior DesignersNational median $67,190
- Materials ScientistsNational median $117,790
- Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and PlasticNational median $46,170
- Electrical and Electronics DraftersNational median $76,870
- Patternmakers, WoodNational median $49,630
- Industrial Engineering Technologists and TechniciansNational median $66,120
- Model Makers, WoodNational median $56,550
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.