Prevailing Wage for Interior Designers
The prevailing wage for Interior Designers under SOC 27-1025 is set by DOL across four experience levels, from entry-level Color and Materials Designers to senior Commercial Interior Designers and Certified Kitchen Designers. The floor varies significantly by city, so a qualifying offer in San Jose clears a much higher bar than the same title in a lower-cost metro.
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Level 1 covers entry-level designers with limited experience, typically working under direct supervision on well-defined tasks. Most candidates hold a bachelor's degree in interior design but have fewer than two years of professional experience in the field.
Level 2 applies to qualified designers who work independently on routine projects with moderate supervision. This is the most common filing level for Interior Designers, covering candidates with two to five years of hands-on professional experience.
Level 3 is for experienced designers who lead complex projects, exercise independent judgment, and may supervise junior staff. Candidates typically hold five or more years of experience and take ownership of full design cycles without close oversight.
Level 4 reflects fully competent, senior-level designers at the top of their field, directing teams or studios and managing high-complexity projects. This level is reserved for principal designers, directors of design, or recognized specialists with extensive professional records.
Prevailing Wage for Interior Designers by OES area
Each shape is a DOL OES area, the unit prevailing wage is published for.
What’s an OES area?
The Department of Labor publishes prevailing wages for geographic zones called OES areas. Every U.S. county belongs to exactly one, and the wage floor applies across the whole area. A worker in Oakland gets the San Francisco metro wage, not a separate Oakland wage.
Top 10 cities · Level 1
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See which U.S. employers are actively hiring for Interior Designers and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Verify your title maps to SOC 27-1025
Titles like Interior Decorator, Decorating Consultant, and Commercial Interior Designer all fall under SOC 27-1025. If your employer files an LCA under a different SOC, the prevailing wage floor may not match this occupation, which can create compliance gaps at USCIS adjudication.
Account for California metro premiums on LCAs
Interior design roles in San Jose and San Francisco carry prevailing wages roughly double those in lower-cost metros. If you hold competing offers, compare each against the specific worksite city listed on the LCA, not a national average.
Watch how signing bonuses affect base wage compliance
DOL requires the prevailing wage to be met through regular wages, not one-time payments. Signing bonuses amortized into an offer letter do not count toward satisfying the LCA floor for sponsored Interior Designers, so base salary alone must clear the threshold.
Use Migrate Mate to find employers with design sponsorship history
Interior design sponsorship is concentrated among a smaller pool of employers than tech roles. Migrate Mate shows which firms have actually sponsored Interior Designers before, so you can prioritize outreach to studios and in-house teams with a documented track record.
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Find Jobs for Interior DesignersPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 27-1025.00 alongside Interior Designers, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Certified Kitchen Designer Prevailing Wage
Certified Kitchen Designer Prevailing Wage
Certified Kitchen Designer positions fall under SOC 27-1025.00 (Interior Designers). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Color and Materials Designer Prevailing Wage
Color and Materials Designer Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Color and Materials Designer for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 27-1025.00 (Interior Designers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Commercial Interior Designer Prevailing Wage
Commercial Interior Designer Prevailing Wage
Commercial Interior Designer is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 27-1025.00 (Interior Designers). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Decorating Consultant Prevailing Wage
Decorating Consultant Prevailing Wage
Decorating Consultant positions fall under SOC 27-1025.00 (Interior Designers). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Designer Prevailing Wage
Designer Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Designer for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 27-1025.00 (Interior Designers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Interior Decorator Prevailing Wage
Interior Decorator Prevailing Wage
Interior Decorator is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 27-1025.00 (Interior Designers). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Interior Design Consultant Prevailing Wage
Interior Design Consultant Prevailing Wage
Interior Design Consultant positions fall under SOC 27-1025.00 (Interior Designers). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Interior Design Coordinator Prevailing Wage
Interior Design Coordinator Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Interior Design Coordinator for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 27-1025.00 (Interior Designers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Registered Interior Designer Prevailing Wage
Registered Interior Designer Prevailing Wage
Registered Interior Designer is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 27-1025.00 (Interior Designers). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Interior Designers?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to calculate prevailing wages by occupation and geography. For Interior Designers under SOC 27-1025, OFLC publishes four wage levels based on percentiles of actual wages paid in each area. Employers sponsoring a worker must certify on the LCA that the offered wage meets or exceeds the applicable level for the worksite location.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to me?
DOL's four levels reflect experience and responsibility. Level 1 is entry-level with close supervision, Level 2 is qualified and largely independent, Level 3 is experienced with project leadership, and Level 4 is fully competent with senior or director-level scope. Your level is determined by the actual duties in the job description, not just your years of experience. The employer selects the level when filing the LCA, and USCIS reviews whether the duties and wage are consistent.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same Interior Designers role differ so much from city to city?
OFLC calculates prevailing wages using regional OES survey data, which captures actual wages paid by employers in each metropolitan area. Denser markets with higher concentrations of design firms and wealthier clients, like San Jose or San Francisco, produce higher survey medians. The LCA rule requires the employer to use the wage for the specific worksite address, not the company's headquarters, so a remote or hybrid arrangement with a worksite in a lower-wage metro uses that metro's floor.
What happens if an offer for a sponsored position falls below the prevailing wage?
An offer below the prevailing wage for the relevant SOC and worksite prevents the employer from certifying the LCA, which is required before filing an H-1B petition or PERM application. USCIS will deny a petition where the certified LCA wage is inconsistent with the offered salary. The employer must either increase the base wage to meet the floor or reclassify the role at the appropriate level before the application can proceed.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for an Interior Designers position in a specific U.S. city?
The OFLC Wage Search tool lets you look up the current prevailing wage by SOC code and metropolitan area. Enter SOC 27-1025 and the worksite metro to see all four level wages. You can also review O*NET for occupation context. Migrate Mate surfaces Interior Designers roles from employers with documented sponsorship history, letting you see which companies are actively filing and in which locations.
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