Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

27-1021 Commercial and Industrial Designers

Develop and design manufactured products, such as cars, home appliances, and children's toys. Combine artistic talent with research on product use, marketing, and materials to create the most functional and appealing product design.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
33,390 5.1 % $26.41 $54,920 1.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $13.40 $18.57 $25.16 $32.92 $40.93
Annual Wage (2) $27,870 $38,630 $52,320 $68,470 $85,130

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Architectural and engineering services 5,350 $31.55 $65,620 1 7
Other miscellaneous manufacturing 2,790 $20.49 $42,610 2 73
Specialized design services 1,840 $29.72 $61,810 3 13
Employment services 1,440 $31.02 $64,520 4 8
Management of companies and enterprises 1,120 $28.85 $60,010 5 16

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Commercial equip. merchant wholesalers 510 $40.39 $84,010 11 1
Electronic markets and agents and brokers 90 $36.24 $75,390 44 2
Apparel and piece goods merchant wholesalers 220 $35.74 $74,340 23 3
Computer and peripheral equipment mfg. 220 $34.21 $71,150 24 4
Management and technical consulting services (6) $33.42 $69,520 (6) 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Michigan 5,770 $33.60 $69,880 0.133% 69
Rhode Island 280 $22.42 $46,640 0.059% 174
Massachusetts 1,840 $26.77 $55,690 0.058% 165
Louisiana 880 $25.23 $52,470 0.048% 97
Colorado 790 $22.19 $46,150 0.037% 213

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
District of Columbia (6) $75.84 $157,750 (6) 2
Connecticut 460 $35.02 $72,840 0.028% 75
Michigan 5,770 $33.60 $69,880 0.133% 69
New York 1,710 $28.61 $59,510 0.021% 166
California 2,860 $28.52 $59,320 0.020% 180

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Detroit, MI PMSA 3,410 $35.47 $73,790 0.169%
Boulder-Longmont, CO PMSA 180 $25.57 $53,190 0.116%
Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, MI MSA 480 $27.35 $56,880 0.088%
Peoria-Pekin, IL MSA 140 $25.09 $52,190 0.086%
Boston, MA-NH PMSA 1,590 $27.15 $56,480 0.083%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Bridgeport, CT PMSA 110 $61.57 $128,060 0.059%
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA PMSA 50 $37.06 $77,080 0.055%
Waterbury, CT PMSA 40 $36.73 $76,390 0.048%
San Jose, CA PMSA 310 $35.94 $74,760 0.035%
Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ PMSA 120 $35.88 $74,630 0.019%

About May 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004