Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

27-1027 Set and Exhibit Designers

Design special exhibits and sets for film, video, television, and theater productions. May study scripts, confer with directors, and conduct research to determine appropriate architectural styles.


National estimates for Set and Exhibit Designers
Industry profile for Set and Exhibit Designers
Geographic profile for Set and Exhibit Designers

National estimates for Set and Exhibit Designers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Set and Exhibit Designers:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
9,490 3.8 % $ 32.93 $ 68,490 2.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for Set and Exhibit Designers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 15.94 $ 19.99 $ 28.84 $ 39.80 $ 56.82
Annual Wage (2) $ 33,160 $ 41,570 $ 59,990 $ 82,790 $ 118,180


Industry profile for Set and Exhibit Designers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Set and Exhibit Designers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Set and Exhibit Designers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Set and Exhibit Designers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Motion Picture and Video Industries 3,080 0.74 $ 38.12 $ 79,280
Performing Arts Companies 1,120 0.93 $ 24.87 $ 51,720
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions 770 0.50 $ 28.46 $ 59,190
Amusement Parks and Arcades 730 0.36 (8) (8)
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 520 0.02 $ 17.50 $ 36,400

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Set and Exhibit Designers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Performing Arts Companies 1,120 0.93 $ 24.87 $ 51,720
Motion Picture and Video Industries 3,080 0.74 $ 38.12 $ 79,280
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions 770 0.50 $ 28.46 $ 59,190
Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers 270 0.44 $ 30.72 $ 63,890
Amusement Parks and Arcades 730 0.36 (8) (8)

Top paying industries for Set and Exhibit Designers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 270 0.01 $ 40.26 $ 83,740
Motion Picture and Video Industries 3,080 0.74 $ 38.12 $ 79,280
Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services 150 0.01 $ 37.08 $ 77,130
Employment Services 250 0.01 $ 36.93 $ 76,810
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services 80 0.02 $ 35.43 $ 73,690


Geographic profile for Set and Exhibit Designers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Set and Exhibit Designers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Set and Exhibit Designers, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of set and exhibit designers by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Set and Exhibit Designers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 2,870 0.16 2.53 $ 40.52 $ 84,280
New York 1,460 0.16 2.50 $ 39.10 $ 81,330
Georgia 480 0.11 1.64 $ 35.61 $ 74,080
Illinois 430 0.07 1.14 $ 25.64 $ 53,340
Florida 320 0.03 0.54 $ 22.18 $ 46,130


Map of location quotient of set and exhibit designers by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Set and Exhibit Designers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 210 0.30 4.63 $ 33.70 $ 70,090
Kansas 240 0.18 2.74 $ 9.08 $ 18,880
California 2,870 0.16 2.53 $ 40.52 $ 84,280
New York 1,460 0.16 2.50 $ 39.10 $ 81,330
New Mexico 130 0.16 2.44 $ 24.88 $ 51,740


Map of annual mean wages of set and exhibit designers by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Set and Exhibit Designers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 2,870 0.16 2.53 $ 40.52 $ 84,280
New York 1,460 0.16 2.50 $ 39.10 $ 81,330
Washington 70 0.02 0.33 $ 37.17 $ 77,310
Oregon 110 0.06 0.90 $ 36.62 $ 76,180
Georgia 480 0.11 1.64 $ 35.61 $ 74,080



Map of employment of set and exhibit designers by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Set and Exhibit Designers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2,200 0.36 5.61 $ 42.01 $ 87,390
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,400 0.15 2.37 $ 39.94 $ 83,070
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 360 0.08 1.27 $ 26.45 $ 55,010
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 330 0.12 1.87 $ 36.30 $ 75,500
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 320 0.11 1.65 $ 34.94 $ 72,680
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 230 0.09 1.47 $ 35.36 $ 73,550
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 180 0.14 2.13 $ 20.53 $ 42,710
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 170 0.11 1.75 $ 38.36 $ 79,790
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 130 0.07 1.10 $ 27.21 $ 56,600
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 120 0.04 0.69 $ 25.66 $ 53,360


Map of location quotient of set and exhibit designers by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Set and Exhibit Designers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2,200 0.36 5.61 $ 42.01 $ 87,390
Ann Arbor, MI 70 0.31 4.82 $ 24.02 $ 49,950
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 120 0.23 3.63 $ 30.51 $ 63,460
Lancaster, PA 40 0.17 2.65 $ 24.83 $ 51,640
Salt Lake City, UT 120 0.16 2.42 $ 22.98 $ 47,790
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,400 0.15 2.37 $ 39.94 $ 83,070
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 180 0.14 2.13 $ 20.53 $ 42,710
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 330 0.12 1.87 $ 36.30 $ 75,500
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 170 0.11 1.75 $ 38.36 $ 79,790
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 320 0.11 1.65 $ 34.94 $ 72,680


Map of annual mean wages of set and exhibit designers by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Set and Exhibit Designers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 50 0.05 0.72 $ 43.23 $ 89,920
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2,200 0.36 5.61 $ 42.01 $ 87,390
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,400 0.15 2.37 $ 39.94 $ 83,070
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 70 0.06 0.96 $ 39.47 $ 82,100
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 170 0.11 1.75 $ 38.36 $ 79,790
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 60 0.03 0.46 $ 37.67 $ 78,350
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 330 0.12 1.87 $ 36.30 $ 75,500
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 230 0.09 1.47 $ 35.36 $ 73,550
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 320 0.11 1.65 $ 34.94 $ 72,680
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 70 0.03 0.41 $ 31.42 $ 65,360


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. 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 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.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023