Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

Fashion Designers Salary in the United States

DOL-verified data from 4,084 government filings, with BLS survey comparison.

DOL Median Salary
$55,000
BLS median: $80,690
DOL Median Salary
$55,000
From 4,084 DOL filings
BLS Median Salary
$80,690
BLS OEWS 2024 survey
Total Employers
1,369
Companies with DOL filings
Total Employment
20,910
Estimated US workers (BLS)

DOL Filings vs BLS Survey

What Employers File with DOL

$55,000
DOL-Filed Salary Range
$23,587$43,000$55,000$75,000$1,350,000

This figure comes from 4,084 employer filings with the US Department of Labor under legal obligation. Employers file this salary when sponsoring workers for PERM green cards or H-1B visas.

What BLS Says the Market Pays

$80,690
BLS Survey Salary Range
$35,970$53,730$80,690$107,990$169,620

This figure comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey of 20,910 establishments. This is an independent survey-based estimate of what all workers in this occupation earn.

DOL-filed salaries are 31.8% lower than BLS survey data, which may reflect that sponsored positions concentrate in high-cost locations or experience-intensive roles.

Salary Distribution

Top Paying Employers for Fashion Designers

Ranked by median salary from DOL filings
RankEmployerMedian SalaryFilingsvs Market
1CASHMERE HOUSE INC$172,5005+113.8%
2VF Outdoor LLC$140,32412+73.9%
3Perry Ellis International, Inc.$112,50010+39.4%
4Express, LLC$111,4985+38.2%
5Fashion Avenue Sweater Knits, LLC$110,6567+37.1%
6KENNETH COLE PRODUCTIONS, INC.$110,00013+36.3%
7KELLWOOD$110,0009+36.3%
8Aetrex Worldwide, Inc.$105,0005+30.1%
9RDG GLOBAL LLC$105,0008+30.1%
10American Eagle Outfitters Inc.$104,00059+28.9%
11TLG INTERNATIONAL$103,4806+28.2%
12Nike Inc.$103,16812+27.9%
13ONE JEANSWEAR GROUP$102,8355+27.4%
14Levi Strauss & Co.$101,98221+26.4%
15JFS INC$100,0006+23.9%
16S. Rothschild & Co., Inc.$100,0008+23.9%
17Michael Kors USA, Inc.$92,70013+14.9%
18Nordstrom fsb$92,5508+14.7%
19ABERCROMBIE & FITCH$92,00022+14%
20The William Carter Company$90,9758+12.8%
213.1 Phillip Lim, LLC$90,00014+11.5%
22Lafayette 148 Inc.$90,0008+11.5%
23Ann Taylor, Inc.$89,83814+11.3%
24The Children's Place Services Company, LLC$89,7728+11.3%
25ABERCROMBIE FITCH TRADING CO.$89,7105+11.2%
26Calvin Klein$88,74630+10%
27Brooks Sports Inc.$84,9896+5.3%
28New World Creation Inc. of New York$84,00010+4.1%
29RALPH LAUREN RETAIL$83,50017+3.5%
30E. S. ORIGINALS, INC.$82,0005+1.6%
31Proenza Schouler, LLC$80,97421+0.4%
32JWU,LLC$80,00010-0.9%
33BROWN SHOE COMPANY, INC.$80,00010-0.9%
34Tribeca Design Studio LLC$80,0006-0.9%
35JOHN VARVATOS ENTERPRISES, INC.$80,00014-0.9%
36Theory LLC$80,00026-0.9%
37J.C. Penney Corporation, Inc.$79,51816-1.5%
38The Gap, Inc.$79,37386-1.6%
39BLOCH INC.$76,0005-5.8%
40Marc Jacobs International, LLC$75,00021-7.1%
41DEPECHE MODE CLOTHING CO LLC$75,0007-7.1%
42SEARS HOLDINGS MANAGEMENT CORPORATION$73,5005-8.9%
43Adeam International Corporation$72,5006-10.2%
44HOT ON TIME LLC$72,00012-10.8%
45Tapestry Inc.$71,49021-11.4%
46MAST INDUSTRIES, INC$71,3879-11.5%
47Fossil Partners, L.P.$71,26612-11.7%
48Victoria's Secret Stores, LLC$70,75016-12.3%
49Carolina Herrera Ltd.$70,0007-13.3%
50THE DONNA KARAN COMPANY LLC$70,0008-13.3%

View all companies hiring Fashion Designers

Salary by Metro Area

Metro AreaMedianvs NationalFilingsEmployers
Seattle, WA$78,795+43.3%103
San Francisco, CA$73,445+33.5%10019
New York, NE$65,500+19.1%182113
New York City, NY$65,000+18.2%208
New Albany, OH$63,300+15.1%1799
New York, NY$57,000+3.6%1,341538
Philadelphia, PA$54,500-0.9%512
Carlstadt, NJ$53,991-1.8%126
Secaucus, NJ$51,010-7.3%157
Greenwich, CT$48,800-11.3%236
Long Island City, NY$48,750-11.4%106
Brooklyn, NY$44,500-19.1%3626
Fort Lee, NJ$44,000-20%162
Commerce, CA$42,037-23.6%1410
Los Angeles, CA$41,600-24.4%332177
VERNON, CA$40,914-25.6%8243

Salary by State

StateMedianvs NationalFilings
Wisconsin$120,000+217.5%5
New Hampshire$100,000+13.3%1
Oregon$97,115-22.5%13
Illinois$81,000N/A4
North Carolina$77,286+3.3%2
Washington$77,064-1.2%13
Michigan$74,887N/A2
South Carolina$71,120N/A1
Tennessee$70,000-50.9%2
Nebraska$68,411N/A212
Alabama$65,000N/A1
Ohio$63,000+7.2%190
Maryland$60,000N/A1
Massachusetts$59,423-40.2%14
Nevada$58,880N/A4
New York$56,000-41.9%1,438
Florida$51,241+16.7%22
Minnesota$50,606+26.4%1
New Jersey$50,000-40.5%105
Pennsylvania$49,750-37%56
Texas$48,630N/A27
California$46,400N/A660
Connecticut$45,338-41.1%26
Colorado$44,783-47.7%4
Virginia$44,500-48.2%1
Hawaii$41,600N/A1
Missouri$40,000-51%1
Georgia$36,629-49.9%7
Utah$32,843-43.9%3

Salary Trend - DOL Data

Education Requirements

From PERM filings

For Fashion Designers positions, 79% of PERM filings required a Bachelor's degree, 4% required a Master's degree, and 5% required no formal degree.

Education by Top Employer

Most common minimum education from PERM filings
EmployerMost Common EducationMedian Salary
Abercrombie & Fitch Trading Co.Not specified$63,300
The Gap, Inc.Not specified$79,373
Ralph Lauren CorporationBachelor's$66,950
Urban Outfitters, Inc.Not specified$53,947
American Eagle Outfitters Inc.Bachelor's$104,000
Edgemine, Inc.Bachelor's$42,037
David Peyser Sportswear IncAssociate's$60,000
Coach, Inc.Bachelor's$48,000
Calvin KleinBachelor's$88,746
LF Distribution International IncBachelor's$70,000

Salary by Industry

Same occupation, different industries (NAICS)

The highest-paying industry for Fashion Designers is Retail Trade at $80,042. The lowest-paying industry with significant hiring is Wholesale Trade at $58,800.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Fashion Designers make?

Based on 4,084 DOL filings, the median salary for a Fashion Designers is $55,000, ranging from $43,000 to $75,000.

What is the highest salary for a Fashion Designers?

The 90th percentile salary is $169,620 according to BLS data.

Which city pays the most for Fashion Designers?

Based on DOL filings, Seattle, WA offers the highest median at $78,795.

Does this data include all Fashion Designers salaries or only visa-sponsored workers?

DOL filing data covers positions where the employer filed for PERM green card sponsorship or an H-1B visa. These filings represent a subset of all Fashion Designers positions. We compare this data against BLS OEWS data which covers all workers in this occupation.

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Source: US Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) public disclosure files (PERM Form ETA-9089 and LCA Form ETA-9035), and US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Salary figures represent employer filings and government survey estimates, not individual worker pay.