Career Explorer Arts, media and sport
Changing shape
Interior designers
Plan, design, and furnish the internal space of rooms or buildings. Design interior environments or create physical layouts that are practical, aesthetic, and conducive to the intended purposes. May specialize in a particular field, style, or phase of interior design.
In the middle of the pack: more resilient than 56% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is moderate (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it high), and US jobs are projected to change by +2.7% by 2035, slower than average. The work leans on creative vision and emotional intelligence.
AI can do many of the tasks, and hiring is expected to grow slower than average or to shrink. The job is likely to change, so build the human parts of it.
- Median pay (2025)
- $67,190
- Job growth to 2035
- +2.7%
- Openings a year
- 7,700
- People doing it (2025)
- 97,100
- Usual route in
- Bachelor's degree
Where people already use AI for this work
- Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- Explain technical details of products or services
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Design structures or facilities
- Direct construction or extraction activities
- Inspect facilities or equipment
What the work looks like
- Design plans to be safe and to be compliant with the American Disabilities Act (ADA).
- Use computer-aided drafting (CAD) and related software to produce construction documents.
- Research health and safety code requirements to inform design.
- Confer with client to determine factors affecting planning of interior environments, such as budget, architectural preferences, purpose, and function.
- Advise client on interior design factors, such as space planning, layout and use of furnishings or equipment, and color coordination.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Training and development specialistsGrows with AI, Index 57, +10.8%
- Landscape architectsGrows with AI, Index 58, +4.4%
- EpidemiologistsGrows with AI, Index 65, +18.7%
- Coaches and scoutsHuman edge, growing, Index 94, +6.1%
Also known as: Designer, Interior Design Consultant, Interior Design Coordinator, Interior Designer, Certified Kitchen Designer, Color and Materials Designer, Commercial Interior Designer, Decorating Consultant.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.