Skip to content
AffordMap
Arts & Media · Columbia

Floral Designers Salary

in Columbia, MO

Floral Designers in Columbia, MO make a median of $35,360 a year, or about $17 an hour. The range runs from $29K at the entry level to $43K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 89.44), which stretches that salary to about $39,535 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,160/month, about 48.1% of take-home, which is tight.

Our verdict:Tight. Expect trade-offs
Median pay
$35K
per year, before taxes
Hourly
$17
median hourly rate
Starting out
$29K
10th percentile
Top earners
$43K
90th percentile

Where the paycheck goes

What $35K actually covers in Columbia, month by month

Take-home pay
after estimated taxes
$2,464/mo
Rent
2-bedroom median (HUD)
-$1,160/mo
Groceries
scaled to local prices
-$351/mo
Utilities
power, water, internet
-$175/mo
Transportation
car, gas, transit
-$308/mo
Healthcare *
employee share only
-$204/mo
Rent as % of take-home47.1% ⚠ above 30% guideline
Left over each month$266/mo

Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Columbia’s Regional Price Parity (89.44). 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.

Rentals in Columbia
Filter by your budget
View →
Rent too high? Buying might cost less
Compare mortgage rates from multiple lenders
Check rates →

About floral designers

Education: Bachelor's degree
U.S. employed: 40,590
Columbia, MO employed: 50
Category: Arts & Media

Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more

View jobs for Floral Designers
Currently hiring in Columbia, MO
View (opens in new tab)

What this looks like in Columbia

Floral designers pay in Columbia tracks closely to the national median, $35K locally vs. $37K nationwide, a 5% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,160/month, which is 47.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 89.44 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 11% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.

Compared to nearby metros

Median pay for floral designers in metros near Columbia, adjusted for local cost of living.

MetroMedian payCOL-adjusted
St. Louis$35K$37K
Kansas City$36K$39K
Springfield$30K$34K
Joplin$30K$35K

COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.

Compensation breakdown

Annual earnings by percentile, Columbia, MO

Bar chart showing Floral Designers salary percentiles in Columbia, MO: 10th percentile $29,150, 25th percentile $30,430, median $35,360, 75th percentile $39,800, 90th percentile $42,740. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.10th$29K25th$30KMedian$35K75th$40K90th$43K
Bar chart showing Floral Designers salary percentiles in Columbia, MO: 10th percentile $29,150, 25th percentile $30,430, median $35,360, 75th percentile $39,800, 90th percentile $42,740. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Entry-level floral designers (10th percentile) start around $29K. Mid-career wages sit at $35K. Top earners bring in $43K or more, a $14K spread from bottom to top.

Share

Floral Designers pay across states

Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure

View Floral Designers salary in all states
StateMedian salaryvs. nationalEmployment
Alaska$48K+29%80
California$47K+26%4,080
Massachusetts$46K+24%870
Hawaii$46K+24%380
Colorado$45K+21%790
New York$45K+21%2,330
New Jersey$45K+21%1,020
Oregon$45K+20%710
Vermont$45K+20%110
Washington$44K+19%910
New Hampshire$43K+16%220
District of Columbia$43K+15%70
Maryland$41K+10%460
Delaware$40K+6%100
Nevada$40K+6%440
Connecticut$39K+5%490
Virginia$37K-0%980
North Carolina$37K-0%990
Minnesota$37K-0%580
Arizona$37K-1%390
Idaho$37K-1%330
Florida$37K-2%2,600
Rhode Island$36K-3%310
Indiana$36K-3%800
Tennessee$36K-3%890
Utah$36K-4%830
Maine$36K-4%290
Nebraska$36K-4%390
Pennsylvania$36K-4%1,840
Michigan$36K-4%1,640
Illinois$36K-4%1,760
Ohio$36K-4%1,520
Georgia$35K-5%1,020
Iowa$35K-5%430
North Dakota$35K-6%170
Texas$35K-6%3,100
Wyoming$35K-6%120
Wisconsin$35K-6%1,030
Kentucky$35K-6%430
Alabama$34K-8%470
Missouri$34K-8%1,160
Montana$34K-9%290
South Dakota$34K-9%190
New Mexico$34K-9%170
South Carolina$32K-14%500
Kansas$31K-17%490
Louisiana$30K-20%430
Arkansas$30K-20%420
West Virginia$30K-20%250
Oklahoma$30K-21%450
Mississippi$29K-21%290
123456

Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)

Track floral designers salary changes

BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Columbia numbers change.

More openings for Floral Designers
Currently hiring in Columbia, MO
View (opens in new tab)
Build creative skills online
Design, UX, branding, and portfolio-building courses
View (opens in new tab)
Would this salary go further somewhere else?
Compare your purchasing power across cities
Compare →
How do you get into this field?
Education, licensing, and what the career path looks like
Read guide →

Related careers in Arts & Media

Quick answers

The stuff people actually ask about this job

Can a floral designer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Columbia?

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $35K, rent takes 47.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,160/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

What’s the entry-level salary for floral designers in Columbia?

The 10th-percentile wage — what new floral designers typically earn — is $29K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,073/month. At HUD’s $1,160/month FMR, rent would take 56% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Is floral designer a high-paying job in Columbia?

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $35K locally vs. $37K nationally, a 5% difference.

How does Columbia compare to the national average for floral designers?

Columbia pays $35K median vs. the U.S. average of $37K — that’s -5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 89.44), the purchasing-power equivalent is $40K — still ahead of the national median.

How much do floral designers make in Columbia, MO?

The median is $35,360 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $29,150, and experienced floral designers can clear $42,740. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

Is $35K enough to live in Columbia?

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,464/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,160/month, which eats 47.1% 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 floral designers salary go in Columbia?

Columbia has a Regional Price Parity of 89.44 (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 floral designers salary is worth about $39,535 in national-average purchasing power.

Where do floral 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.

All careers in Columbia
Top-paying jobs, rent, and cost of living
Location hub →

People also searched