Set and Exhibit Designers Salary
The median pay for a set and exhibit designers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is $58,100/year ($27.93/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $36K at the entry level to $139K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $58,907 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,573/month, about 39% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $58K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). 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 set and exhibit designers
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What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Pay for set and exhibit designers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands runs about 23% below the U.S. median of $75K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,573/month, which is 38.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for set and exhibit designerss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for set and exhibit designers in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $57K | $55K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $58K | $59K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level set and exhibit designers (10th percentile) start around $36K. Mid-career wages sit at $58K. Top earners bring in $139K or more, a $102K spread from bottom to top.
Set and Exhibit Designers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Set and Exhibit Designers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $105K | +40% | 2,690 |
| Maryland | $81K | +7% | 420 |
| Washington | $77K | +3% | 170 |
| District of Columbia | $77K | +2% | 190 |
| New Jersey | $76K | +2% | 220 |
| Massachusetts | $75K | -1% | 230 |
| Nebraska | $74K | -2% | 50 |
| Indiana | $72K | -4% | 110 |
| Georgia | $67K | -11% | 310 |
| Minnesota | $66K | -12% | 150 |
| Oregon | $63K | -17% | 280 |
| Florida | $61K | -19% | 740 |
| Connecticut | $61K | -19% | 70 |
| Pennsylvania | $60K | -21% | 120 |
| Virginia | $59K | -22% | 120 |
| Texas | $57K | -24% | 210 |
| Ohio | $55K | -27% | 290 |
| Kentucky | $53K | -29% | 40 |
| Missouri | $52K | -31% | 290 |
| Michigan | $51K | -32% | 140 |
| Nevada | $51K | -32% | 180 |
| Iowa | $51K | -33% | 60 |
| North Carolina | $49K | -34% | N/A |
| Arizona | $46K | -38% | 70 |
| Utah | $45K | -41% | 340 |
| Arkansas | $39K | -49% | 50 |
Showing 1–10 of 26 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track set and exhibit designers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a set and exhibit designer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $58K, rent takes 38.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for set and exhibit designers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new set and exhibit designers typically earn — is $36K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,189/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 72% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is set and exhibit designer a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Local pay runs 23% below the national median — $58K here vs. $75K nationally.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for set and exhibit designers?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $58K median vs. the U.S. average of $75K — that’s -23%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $59K — below the national median.
How much do set and exhibit designers make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $58,100 a year, that works out to about $28 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,480, and experienced set and exhibit designers can clear $138,510. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $58K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,060/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 38.7% 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 set and exhibit designers salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (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 set and exhibit designers salary is worth about $58,907 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do set and exhibit 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.