Commercial and Industrial Designers Salary
Commercial and Industrial Designers in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX make a median of $100,520 a year, or about $48.33 an hour. The range runs from $62K at the entry level to $173K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.07), that's roughly $102,498 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,852/month, or 27.5% of estimated take-home pay.
Where the paycheck goes
What $101K actually covers in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos’s Regional Price Parity (98.07). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About commercial and industrial designers
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What this looks like in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos sits well above the national pay line for commercial and industrial designers, local pay runs about 20% higher than the U.S. median of $84K. Rent runs $1,852/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 28.1% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 98.07) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for commercial and industrial designers in metros near Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $87K | $84K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $82K | $86K |
| El Paso | $77K | $85K |
| Oklahoma City | $65K | $72K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Entry-level commercial and industrial designers (10th percentile) start around $62K. Mid-career wages sit at $101K. Top earners bring in $173K or more, a $111K spread from bottom to top.
Commercial and Industrial Designers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Commercial and Industrial Designers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas | $105K | +25% | 260 |
| Michigan | $102K | +22% | 2,930 |
| Massachusetts | $102K | +21% | 1,240 |
| Rhode Island | $101K | +21% | 190 |
| California | $101K | +20% | 5,300 |
| Louisiana | $98K | +17% | 130 |
| Minnesota | $94K | +12% | 590 |
| Washington | $94K | +12% | 340 |
| Arkansas | $93K | +10% | 230 |
| Georgia | $91K | +9% | 360 |
| Colorado | $91K | +8% | 400 |
| New Jersey | $90K | +8% | 1,230 |
| New York | $90K | +7% | 2,400 |
| Indiana | $88K | +5% | 1,110 |
| Pennsylvania | $83K | -2% | 770 |
| Virginia | $82K | -2% | 1,480 |
| Connecticut | $81K | -3% | 160 |
| Idaho | $81K | -4% | 180 |
| Vermont | $81K | -4% | 120 |
| North Carolina | $81K | -4% | 1,000 |
| Wisconsin | $81K | -4% | 820 |
| Ohio | $79K | -5% | 1,190 |
| Florida | $79K | -6% | 1,990 |
| South Carolina | $77K | -8% | 810 |
| Oregon | $77K | -8% | 480 |
| Nevada | $77K | -9% | 210 |
| Oklahoma | $77K | -9% | 240 |
| Arizona | $76K | -9% | 170 |
| Kentucky | $76K | -9% | 420 |
| Missouri | $75K | -10% | 270 |
| New Hampshire | $74K | -12% | 110 |
| West Virginia | $73K | -13% | 110 |
| Montana | $73K | -13% | 60 |
| Nebraska | $72K | -15% | 90 |
| Tennessee | $71K | -15% | 750 |
| Maryland | $71K | -16% | 490 |
| Iowa | $70K | -16% | 440 |
| Alabama | $64K | -24% | 130 |
| New Mexico | $63K | -25% | 110 |
| Utah | $63K | -25% | 480 |
| South Dakota | $60K | -28% | 190 |
Showing 1–10 of 41 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track commercial and industrial designers salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a commercial and industrial designer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
Yes — at the median salary of $101K, rent takes 28.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,852/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for commercial and industrial designers in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new commercial and industrial designers typically earn — is $62K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,325/month. At HUD’s $1,852/month FMR, rent would take 43% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is commercial and industrial designer a high-paying job in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
Local pay is 20% above the national median — $101K here vs. $84K nationally.
How does Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos compare to the national average for commercial and industrial designers?
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos pays $101K median vs. the U.S. average of $84K — that’s +20%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.07), the purchasing-power equivalent is $102K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do commercial and industrial designers make in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?
The median is $100,520 a year, that works out to about $48 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $62,060, and experienced commercial and industrial designers can clear $172,570. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $101K enough to live in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,592/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,852/month, which eats 28.1% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a commercial and industrial designers salary go in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos?
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos has a Regional Price Parity of 98.07 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median commercial and industrial designers salary is worth about $102,498 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do commercial and industrial designers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.
