25 Best States For Commercial and Industrial Designers

We’ve sketched up and created a great source to learn the best states for commercial and industrial designers.

Design isn’t all about making a fancy website or a new skirt; sometimes design can be quite technical. It’s not necessarily something I think I would thrive in, but it’s a field that people who are equally left and right-brained seem to do really well with. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that commercial and industrial designers “develop and design manufactured products, such as cars, home appliances, and children’s toys,” as well as “combine artistic talent with research on product use, marketing, and materials to create the most functional and appealing product design.” Essentially what this means is they make products that the masses use and consume.

It can’t be an easy job to design and manufacture new and interesting products. Technology is constantly advancing and needs are always changing, so these types of designers have to be on their toes and have the ability to adapt and learn new things. It’s a much more utilitarian way to be a designer than when it comes to certain areas of fashion design or graphic design, which are arguably more traditional design fields when one first thinks of the word “design.” There are certain places that are better for those fields, as indicated by the best states for fashion designers.

In order to create our list of the best places for these designers to live, we first consulted the Bureau of Labor Statistics to find out the average annual salary in each state. Salary isn’t the only thing that influences whether or not a state is a good place to live and work, though, which is why we also consulted the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center to find the cost of living index. We took the average of those two figures to best determine the states that make the most sense to live in. This means that the states with the highest salary combined with the lowest cost of living are going to be at the top of the list, as it makes sense to want the best pay and cheapest living expenses in order to thrive.

Get your resumes and cover letters ready, pack your bags, and keep reading this list of the best states for commercial and industrial designers.

 

25. Kansas

Average salary: $56,740

Cost of living: 90.4

More than 240 commercial and industrial designers call Kansas home.

24. New Jersey

Average salary: $76,820

Cost of living: 121

New Jersey has a great salary range, but the cost of living is too high to place it higher on our list. 1,040 designers work here already, though.

 

23. Pennsylvania

Average salary: $66,870

Cost of living: 102.8

Over 870 of these designers live and work in Pennsylvania already.

 

22. Missouri

Average salary: $59,750

Cost of living: 90.8

Missouri has a super low cost of living, but the salary isn’t the best. Even so, 420 people already live and work here as designers.

 

21. Kentucky

Average salary: $60,520

Cost of living: 90.8

Kentucky has the same cost of living as Missouri, but the salary is slightly higher, which is why it ranks above. Over 200 commercial and industrial designers are employed here.

 

20. Washington

Average salary: $71,470

Cost of living: 107.1

Washington is a beautiful state to live in, and 480 designers already call this state home.

 

19. Indiana

Average salary: $58,880

Cost of living: 87.9

With such a low cost of living, it’s no wonder 790 commercial and industrial designers live and work in Indiana.

 

18. Arizona

Average salary: $67,950

Cost of living: 98.1

More than 200 people have chosen Arizona to live and work as a commercial and industrial designer.

 

17. West Virginia

Average salary: $66,380

Cost of living: 95.7

West Virginia is a small and great state to call home as a designer, as over 140 already do.

 

16. Ohio

Average salary: $64,630

Cost of living: 93

Ohio has already 1,310 commercial and industrial designers employed here, which shows there’s plenty of need and opportunity.

 

15. Illinois

Average salary: $66,510

Cost of living: 95.5

Illinois is another one of the best states for commercial and industrial designers, and over 1,400 already work here.

 

14. Montana

Average salary: $70,630

Cost of living: 100.8

About 50 designers choose to live and work in Montana.

 

13. Oklahoma

Average salary: $62,230

Cost of living: 88.6

Oklahoma is home to more than 230 commercial and industrial designers.

 

12. Nebraska

Average salary: $64,830

Cost of living: 91.3

Nebraska has a great combo of salary and cost of living, and more than 70 designers are employed here.

 

11. Colorado

Average salary: $72,570

Cost of living: 102.1

Up next in our list of best states for commercial and industrial designers is Colorado that is a great state for commercial and industrial designers, as more than 430 live and work here already.

 

10. Georgia

Average salary: $66,850

Cost of living: 91.4

Georgia ranks 10th in our list of best states for commercial and industrial designers. It employs more than 730 commercial and industrial designers.

 

9. South Carolina

Average salary: $74,980

Cost of living: 100.5

Up next in our list of best states for commercial and industrial designers is South Carolina that is a beautiful state, and with the high salary it’s no wonder more than 620 designers work here.

 

8. Alabama

Average salary: $68,340

Cost of living: 91.2

More than 220 commercial and industrial designers call Alabama home.

 

7. Louisiana

Average salary: $70,950

Cost of living: 94.4

Louisiana’s combination of high salary and low cost of living enticed more than 430 designers to be employed here already.

 

6. Nevada

Average salary: $78,680

Cost of living: 104.5

Nevada ranks 6th in our list of best states for commercial and industrial designers. It offers a great salary, and despite the fact that the cost of living is higher than other states on this list, more than 110 of these designers work here.

 

5. Mississippi

Average salary: $65,440

Cost of living: 86

We are continuing our list of best states for commercial and industrial designers with Mississippi that may not have been the first state on your mind, but over 100 commercial and industrial designers do well here.

 

4. North Carolina

Average salary: $73,280

Cost of living: 94.2

North Carolina ranks 4th in our list of best states for commercial and industrial designers. It employs more than 740 of these specialized designers.

 

3. Arkansas

Average salary: $70,040

Cost of living: 88.5

Arkansas has a super low cost of living and more than 80 industrial designers are employed here.

 

2. Texas

Average salary: $72,770

Cost of living: 90.7

More than 730 commercial and industrial designers live and work in the Lone Star State.

 

1. Michigan

Average salary: $78,120

Cost of living: 88.2

Michigan is at the top of this list because of the perfect combination of high salary and low cost of living. This is probably why more than 6,030 commercial and industrial designers already live and work here.

That concludes the list of the best states for commercial and industrial designers. Hopefully it led you to a great option for your next career move!