Interior design statistics at a glance
Interior design sits at the intersection of creative work, technical planning, and residential spending, and the numbers show a profession that is both resilient and closely tied to the renovation economy.
The strongest story in the data is simple: interior designers earn solid wages, face steady job growth, and work in a market where homeowners continue to spend heavily on kitchens, bathrooms, and other lived-in spaces (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook; Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study).
Fast facts
- Median annual wage: $63,490 for interior designers in May 2024 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
- 87,100 jobs were projected for 2024, rising to 89,900 in 2034 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
- Employment is projected to grow 3% from 2024 to 2034 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
- About 7,800 openings per year are projected on average over the decade (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
- More than 9 in 10 renovating homeowners hired professional help in 2023 (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study).
Table of contents
- Interior design job outlook and wages
- Interior design employment by industry
- Renovation spending trends
- Kitchen and bathroom design statistics
- What firms expect from the market
- Why the statistics matter
Interior design job outlook and wages
The occupational data paints a stable picture. Interior designers earned a median annual wage of $63,490 in May 2024, which puts the occupation above the all-occupation median of $49,500 and above the broader art and design worker median of $53,180 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
That comparison matters because it shows interior design is not just a design-adjacent profession; it clears the middle of the labor market by a meaningful margin. The occupation also has a wide pay range, which is typical for design work that varies by market, specialty, and client base.
Wage bands and benchmarks
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $63,490 | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| All-occupation median wage | $49,500 | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Art and design worker median wage | $53,180 | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Lowest 10% earned less than | $38,480 | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Highest 10% earned more than | $106,090 | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
A few practical takeaways stand out from that spread:
- The occupation has a substantial ceiling, with the top 10% earning more than $106,090 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
- The floor is still well below the median, with the lowest 10% below $38,480 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
- That gap suggests experience, specialization, geography, and employer type matter a lot in the field.
The employment outlook is also steady rather than explosive. Interior design jobs are projected to grow 3% from 2024 to 2034, with employment rising from 87,100 in 2024 to 89,900 in 2034 for a net gain of 2,800 jobs (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). That implies a market that keeps expanding, but at a measured pace.
The annual opening figure adds another layer. About 7,800 openings per year are projected on average over the decade (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). In practice, that means opportunities come not only from growth but also from replacement needs.
What the labor numbers suggest
- Interior design is a profession with a real wage premium over broad labor-market benchmarks.
- Growth is modest, so competition may still matter in the strongest markets.
- The annual openings number suggests turnover and replacement will remain an important part of hiring.
- The wide top-end earnings indicate that specialization and client quality can change outcomes materially.
Interior design employment by industry
Interior designers are not concentrated in a single type of employer. The industry mix shows a profession spread across design services, self-employment, and related business sectors.
Industry employment mix
| Employer or industry | Share of interior designers | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Specialized design services | 33% | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Self-employed workers | 21% | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Architectural, engineering, and related services | 15% | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Wholesale trade | 4% | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook |
This distribution is useful because it shows where the occupation actually lives in the economy.
The biggest single employer category is specialized design services at 33%, which makes sense for a role centered on design consultation and project execution (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). But the self-employment share is almost as important: 21% of interior designers are self-employed (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
That self-employment figure signals a profession with a strong independent practice tradition. It also helps explain why licensure and local market reputation can matter so much.
Two other points from the occupational profile are worth keeping visible:
- Interior designers typically need a bachelor’s degree to enter the occupation (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
- Licensure rules vary by state, and in some states only licensed designers may use the title interior designer (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
Together, those facts show that entry into the field is structured but not uniform nationwide. Education is the baseline, while legal title protection depends on location.
Why the industry mix matters
- A large share of work flows through design-specialized firms.
- Independent practice is common enough to shape how services are marketed and delivered.
- Related professional services remain a meaningful channel for employment.
- State-level licensing adds a regulatory layer that can affect branding and job titles.
Renovation spending trends
Interior design demand is tied closely to residential renovation, and the Houzz data shows Americans kept spending at substantial levels in 2023.
The 2024 U.S. Houzz & Home Study surveyed 32,615 users, including 17,713 renovating U.S. homeowners (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study). That is a large base for understanding how households budget, plan, and finance projects.
Key renovation spending numbers
- Median renovation spend increased 60% from $15,000 in 2020 to $24,000 in 2023 (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study).
- The 90th percentile rose 77% from $85,000 to $150,000 over the same period (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study).
- 51% of renovating homeowners spent $25,000 or more on projects in 2023 (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study).
- Homeowners spent about twice as much time planning renovations as building them on average (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study).
That planning-to-building imbalance matters for interior designers because it suggests design work begins long before the physical project starts. The design phase is where layouts, finishes, and scope decisions are made, and the data shows homeowners devote significant time to that front end.
Planning and building times
| Project type | Planning time | Building time | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen renovations | 9.6 months | 5.1 months | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study |
| Living room renovations | 8.1 months | 4.1 months | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study |
Kitchen projects took the longest on both sides of the process, with 9.6 months of planning and 5.1 months of building on average (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study). Living room projects were slightly quicker, but still involved 8.1 months of planning and 4.1 months of building (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study).
Those timelines reinforce a simple idea: residential design is not a quick transaction. It is a long-lead service with real coordination, revision, and decision-making.
How people paid for renovations
- 83% used cash from savings (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study).
- 37% used credit cards (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study).
- Credit card use rose by 9 percentage points from 2022 to 2023 (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study).
- For projects between $50,000 and $200,000, 23% used home loans, 21% used cash from home sales, and 32% used credit cards (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study).
The financing mix tells you something important about client behavior. Even though savings remained the dominant funding source, credit usage was common enough to shape how project budgets are assembled (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study).
Spending by age group
| Group | Median spend | Top 10% spend | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen X homeowners | $25,000 | $180,000 | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study |
| Baby Boomers | $24,000 | $131,000 | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study |
Gen X had the highest median spend at $25,000, just ahead of Baby Boomers at $24,000 (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study). But the high end diverged more sharply: the top 10% of Gen X spenders reached $180,000, compared with $131,000 for Baby Boomers (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study).
That difference suggests a wider spending tail among Gen X renovators, which may reflect project scale, household stage, or financing capacity.
Kitchen and bathroom design statistics
Kitchen and bathroom projects are the clearest windows into how interior design choices show up in real homes. They are also the most statistically detailed categories in the dataset.
Most renovated interior rooms
- Kitchens were the most commonly renovated interior room at 29% (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study).
- Guest bathrooms followed at 27% (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study).
- Primary bathrooms came in at 25% (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study).
- Living room projects were undertaken by 21% of homeowners (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study).
Kitchen project patterns
The kitchen trends data shows a clear mix of scale, function, and finish preference.
- 42% of homeowners chose islands 7 feet or longer (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study).
- 54% said kitchen islands are used for entertaining, and 44% said they are used for socializing after renovation (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study).
- White cabinetry was the top cabinet color at 46% (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study).
- 54% planned to replace all kitchen appliances during renovation (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study).
- 30% chose appliances with Wi-Fi connectivity (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study).
- 86% replaced backsplashes, and 62% extended them to the cabinets or range hood (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study).
- Ceramic or porcelain tile led backsplash materials at 54% (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study).
One of the clearest signals here is that kitchens are both social spaces and technology-enabled spaces. The island data points to gathering and entertainment, while the appliance and backsplash numbers show how homeowners still invest in high-visibility surfaces and functional upgrades.
Kitchen special-needs design
Among kitchen renovators addressing special needs, 36% did so to accommodate aging household members’ future needs (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study).
The most common related features were:
- 58% included pullout cabinets (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study).
- 54% included extra lighting (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study).
- 48% included wide drawer pulls (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study).
That cluster shows how interior design often overlaps with accessibility, aging-in-place planning, and long-term usability rather than aesthetics alone.
Bathroom project patterns
The bathroom data is equally useful because it exposes both budget shifts and design preferences.
The median spend on all bathroom remodels rose to $15,000 in 2023 from $13,500 in 2022 (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study). Minor bathroom remodels rose to $8,500 from $8,000, while larger minor remodels climbed to $11,500 from $10,000 and smaller minor remodels increased to $6,000 from $5,000 (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study).
Bathroom material and design choices
| Bathroom statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tile used for shower walls | 83% | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Tile used for shower flooring | 87% | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Rectangular tile for shower walls | 82% | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Rectangular tile for shower floors | 28% | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Hexagonal tile for shower floors | 23% | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Square tile for shower floors | 22% | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Wood vanity color | 26% | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| White vanity color | 22% | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| White and off-white countertop preference | 70% | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
| Gray countertop preference | 9% | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study |
Several bathroom takeaways are hard to miss:
- Tile remains the dominant shower material, especially on floors and walls (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study).
- Rectangular shapes dominate shower walls, but floor tile preferences are more mixed (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study).
- Countertops lean overwhelmingly light, with 70% choosing white or off-white (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study).
- Wood and white are the leading vanity colors, showing that warmer, natural tones remain competitive with lighter finishes (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study).
Who homeowners hire for bathroom work
Bathroom renovations are highly professionalized. 83% of homeowners hired professionals, 46% hired general contractors, 11% hired bathroom designers, and 9% hired interior designers for bathroom projects (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study).
That mix matters because it places interior designers inside a broader team rather than as the only decision-maker. It also shows that the bathroom market includes multiple adjacent specialties.
What firms expect from the market
The supplier and firm-side data adds a business perspective to the homeowner spending numbers.
In the 2024 Houzz State of the Industry survey, 61% to 71% of firms expected good or very good performance in 2024, up from 50% to 56% in 2023 (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz State of the Industry). Interior designers were among the most optimistic groups, with more than 70% expecting a good or very good year (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz State of the Industry).
Revenue expectations by firm type
| Firm type | Expected 2024 revenue growth | Outlook / note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interior designers | 8.9% | Among the strongest expectations | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz State of the Industry |
| Architects | 5.3% | More moderate growth | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz State of the Industry |
| Building and renovation specialists | 8.1% | Strong growth outlook | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz State of the Industry |
| General contractors | 7.7% | Solid growth outlook | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz State of the Industry |
| Remodelers and builders | 3.3% | Slower growth outlook | Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz State of the Industry |
Interior designers expected 8.9% revenue growth in 2024, the highest of the listed groups, while architects expected 5.3% (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz State of the Industry). That gap is notable because it suggests design-heavy firms may have seen stronger near-term demand than some other parts of the residential construction ecosystem.
The survey also captured cost pressure and supply optimism:
- More firms planned for higher labor costs in 2024, with shares ranging from 38% to 58% across industry groups (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz State of the Industry).
- Interior designers were the most optimistic about product and material availability, with 47% expecting improvement (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz State of the Industry).
- Design-build firms followed at 44% expecting improvement (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz State of the Industry).
- Expectations for rising costs in 2024 ranged from 43% to 68%, compared with 25% to 43% in 2023 (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz State of the Industry).
Only interior designers and general contractors reported positive 2023 revenue growth, at 1.1% and 0.4% respectively, among the seven sectors covered (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz State of the Industry).
Why the statistics matter
The headline is not just that interior design is a creative profession. The data shows a business with wage strength, stable employment demand, and direct exposure to the renovation market.
A few final patterns stand out clearly from the supplied statistics:
- Interior designers earn above broad labor-market medians while facing moderate long-term employment growth (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
- The profession is split between specialized firms, related professional services, and self-employment, which gives it multiple business models (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
- Residential renovations are budget-heavy and planning-heavy, creating long lead times for design work (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Home Study).
- Kitchens and bathrooms dominate the most visible design decisions, especially where materials, appliances, and accessibility features are involved (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study; Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study).
- Firms still expected growth, but they also expected labor pressure and cost volatility, which is important context for the broader interior design market (Houzz 2024 U.S. Houzz State of the Industry).