Interior Designers Salary
Interior Designers in New York make a median of $75,580 a year, or about $36.34 an hour. The range runs from $36K at the entry level to $126K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.21), that's roughly $76,958 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,917/month, about 38.8% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across New York. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $76K get you in New York?
About interior designers
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What this looks like in New York
New York sits well above the national pay line for interior designers, local pay runs about 12% higher than the U.S. median of $67K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,917/month, which is 39.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.21) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, New York
Entry-level interior designers (10th percentile) start around $36K. Mid-career wages sit at $76K. Top earners bring in $126K or more, a $90K spread from bottom to top.
Interior Designers salary by metro in New York
7 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $77K | +1% | 5,460 |
| Rochester | $58K | -23% | 170 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh | $57K | -24% | 130 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga | $56K | -25% | 150 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy | $55K | -27% | 150 |
| Syracuse | $54K | -28% | 70 |
| Utica-Rome | $51K | -33% | 40 |
Compare to other states
Track interior designers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when New York numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a interior designer afford a 2BR apartment alone in New York?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $76K, rent takes 39.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,917/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,500/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for interior designers in New York?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new interior designers typically earn — is $36K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,159/month. At HUD’s $1,917/month FMR, rent would take 89% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is interior designer a high-paying job in New York?
Local pay is 12% above the national median — $76K here vs. $67K nationally.
How does New York compare to the national average for interior designers?
New York pays $76K median vs. the U.S. average of $67K — that’s +12%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.21), the purchasing-power equivalent is $77K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do interior designers make in New York?
The median is $75,580 a year, that works out to about $36 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $35,990, and experienced interior designers can clear $125,620. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $76K enough to live in New York?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,834/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,917/month, which eats 39.7% 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 interior designers salary go in New York?
New York has a Regional Price Parity of 98.21 (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 interior designers salary is worth about $76,958 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do interior 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.