Fashion Designers Salary
Fashion Designers in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA make a median of $96,760 a year, or about $46.52 an hour. The range runs from $42K at the entry level to $149K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 106.44), so that salary is closer to $90,906 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,201/month, about 36.2% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $97K get you in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario’s Regional Price Parity (106.44). 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 fashion designers
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What this looks like in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario sits well above the national pay line for fashion designers, local pay runs about 20% higher than the U.S. median of $81K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,201/month, which is 37% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 6% above the national average (BEA RPP 106.44), so groceries and services cost more too. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for fashion designers in metros near Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $102K | $89K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $82K | $73K |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | $108K | $99K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
Entry-level fashion designers (10th percentile) start around $42K. Mid-career wages sit at $97K. Top earners bring in $149K or more, a $107K spread from bottom to top.
Fashion Designers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Fashion Designers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $104K | +28% | 540 |
| New Jersey | $102K | +26% | 160 |
| New Hampshire | $100K | +24% | 40 |
| New York | $99K | +22% | 5,760 |
| Colorado | $94K | +16% | 360 |
| Virginia | $94K | +16% | 100 |
| Ohio | $82K | +1% | 90 |
| Washington | $82K | +1% | N/A |
| Connecticut | $82K | +1% | 50 |
| Vermont | $80K | -2% | 60 |
| Georgia | $78K | -3% | 120 |
| North Carolina | $75K | -7% | 460 |
| Pennsylvania | $64K | -21% | 320 |
| Michigan | $63K | -22% | 40 |
| Kansas | $59K | -27% | 40 |
| Wisconsin | $57K | -30% | 120 |
| Maine | $50K | -39% | 30 |
| Hawaii | $48K | -41% | N/A |
| Arizona | $46K | -44% | N/A |
| Florida | $43K | -47% | 1,100 |
| Minnesota | $42K | -48% | 420 |
| Indiana | $41K | -50% | 120 |
| Texas | $40K | -51% | 1,850 |
Showing 1–10 of 23 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track fashion designers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a fashion designer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $97K, rent takes 37% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,201/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for fashion designers in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new fashion designers typically earn — is $42K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,535/month. At HUD’s $2,201/month FMR, rent would take 87% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is fashion designer a high-paying job in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
Local pay is 20% above the national median — $97K here vs. $81K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 6% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.
How does Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario compare to the national average for fashion designers?
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario pays $97K median vs. the U.S. average of $81K — that’s +20%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 106.44), the purchasing-power equivalent is $91K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do fashion designers make in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
The median is $96,760 a year, that works out to about $47 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $42,250, and experienced fashion designers can clear $149,350. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $97K enough to live in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,943/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,201/month, which eats 37% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a fashion designers salary go in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario has a Regional Price Parity of 106.44 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median fashion designers salary is worth about $90,906 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do fashion 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.