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Lighting Designer salary
Average lighting designer salary
$53,542
How much does a lighting designer make?
The average lighting designer salary in the United States is $53,542. Lighting designer salaries typically range between $34,000 and $83,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for lighting designers is $25.74 per hour.
Lighting designer salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Lighting designers earn the highest average salary in Massachusetts.
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Where can a Lighting Designer earn more?
Lighting Designer salary estimates from across the web
Average lighting designer salary by state
Highest paying states for lighting designers
Rank  | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $68,566 | $32.96 |
| 2 | Oregon | $62,809 | $30.20 |
| 3 | Washington | $63,276 | $30.42 |
| 4 | Arizona | $63,143 | $30.36 |
| 5 | New Mexico | $62,862 | $30.22 |
| 6 | California | $63,045 | $30.31 |
| 7 | New York | $60,349 | $29.01 |
| 8 | Michigan | $56,013 | $26.93 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $60,355 | $29.02 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $56,802 | $27.31 |
| 11 | Kansas | $56,591 | $27.21 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $57,542 | $27.66 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $58,563 | $28.16 |
| 14 | Idaho | $57,541 | $27.66 |
| 15 | Maine | $55,664 | $26.76 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $55,061 | $26.47 |
| 17 | Arkansas | $56,377 | $27.10 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $52,343 | $25.16 |
| 19 | Virginia | $55,862 | $26.86 |
| 20 | Vermont | $54,895 | $26.39 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $56,493 | $27.16 |
| 22 | Illinois | $51,213 | $24.62 |
| 23 | Nevada | $53,265 | $25.61 |
| 24 | Missouri | $52,036 | $25.02 |
| 25 | Nebraska | $51,237 | $24.63 |
| 26 | Indiana | $51,766 | $24.89 |
| 27 | Wyoming | $52,410 | $25.20 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $51,006 | $24.52 |
| 29 | Texas | $47,939 | $23.05 |
| 30 | Ohio | $47,742 | $22.95 |
| 31 | Colorado | $48,397 | $23.27 |
| 32 | Iowa | $48,836 | $23.48 |
| 33 | Utah | $45,167 | $21.71 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $45,437 | $21.84 |
| 35 | Maryland | $48,031 | $23.09 |
| 36 | West Virginia | $48,835 | $23.48 |
| 37 | Alabama | $47,313 | $22.75 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $47,156 | $22.67 |
| 39 | Montana | $47,535 | $22.85 |
| 40 | Delaware | $48,502 | $23.32 |
| 41 | Florida | $45,923 | $22.08 |
| 42 | Alaska | $48,051 | $23.10 |
| 43 | Georgia | $39,949 | $19.21 |
| 44 | New Hampshire | $41,394 | $19.90 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $44,008 | $21.16 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $42,960 | $20.65 |
| 47 | North Dakota | $43,255 | $20.80 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $43,750 | $21.03 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $46,548 | $22.38 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $42,887 | $20.62 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $38,563 | $18.54 |
Highest paying cities for lighting designers
The highest-paying cities for lighting designers are San Francisco, CA, Boston, MA, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $70,671 | $33.98 |
| 2 | Boston, MA | $68,571 | $32.97 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $64,241 | $30.89 |
| 4 | Bend, OR | $62,594 | $30.09 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $60,506 | $29.09 |
| 6 | Washington, DC | $60,359 | $29.02 |
| 7 | Providence, RI | $57,586 | $27.69 |
| 8 | Jersey City, NJ | $56,852 | $27.33 |
| 9 | Goshen, IN | $52,838 | $25.40 |
| 10 | Las Vegas, NV | $52,336 | $25.16 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $51,449 | $24.74 |
| 12 | Kearney, NE | $51,350 | $24.69 |
| 13 | Broomfield, CO | $48,455 | $23.30 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $47,937 | $23.05 |
| 15 | Kissimmee, FL | $46,254 | $22.24 |
| 16 | Provo, UT | $44,967 | $21.62 |
| 17 | Roswell, GA | $39,954 | $19.21 |
Lighting Designer salary details
A lighting designer's salary ranges from $34,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $83,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a lighting designer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $83,000 | $6,917 | $40 |
| 75th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
| Average | $53,542 | $4,462 | $26 |
| 25th Percentile | $42,000 | $3,500 | $20 |
| 10th Percentile | $34,000 | $2,833 | $16 |
Highest paying lighting designer jobs
The highest paying types of lighting designers are product designer, product design internship, and senior industrial designer.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Design Internship | $65,869 | $5,489 | $31.67 | 98,331 |
| Product Design Internship | $75,789 | $6,316 | $36.44 | 141,378 |
| Industrial Designer | $63,384 | $5,282 | $30.47 | 54,012 |
| Product Designer | $102,033 | $8,503 | $49.05 | 98,465 |
| Designer | $66,347 | $5,529 | $31.90 | 52,433 |
| Kitchen Designer | $55,942 | $4,662 | $26.89 | 56,831 |
Top companies hiring lighting designers now:
Which companies pay lighting designers the most?
Lighting designer salaries at Rivian and PHT Corporation are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average lighting designer salary at companies like George P. Johnson Experience Marketing and NBBJ Design are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rivian | $94,326 | $45.35 |
| 2 | PHT Corporation | $70,527 | $33.91 |
| 3 | George P. Johnson Experience Marketing | $66,488 | $31.97 |
| 4 | NBBJ Design | $64,469 | $30.99 |
| 5 | HLW | $64,159 | $30.85 |
| 6 | Affiliated Engineers | $59,322 | $28.52 |
| 7 | HGA | $58,977 | $28.35 |
| 8 | HDR | $58,946 | $28.34 |
| 9 | Illuminations | $58,889 | $28.31 |
| 10 | Stantec | $58,833 | $28.29 |
| 11 | tk1sc | $58,447 | $28.10 |
| 12 | Morrison-Maierle | $57,288 | $27.54 |
| 13 | Prestonwood Baptist Church | $56,995 | $27.40 |
| 14 | Messiah College | $56,527 | $27.18 |
| 15 | Syska Hennessy Group | $55,373 | $26.62 |
| 16 | Aquinas Consulting | $55,294 | $26.58 |
| 17 | LPA Holding Corp | $55,126 | $26.50 |
| 18 | EXP | $54,196 | $26.06 |
| 19 | Tetra Tech | $54,185 | $26.05 |
| 20 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $54,092 | $26.01 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Lighting Designer salary by industry
The average lighting designer salary varies across industries:
- The average lighting designer salary in the manufacturing industry is $64,145, the highest of any industry.
- The average lighting designer salary in the finance industry is $60,513.
- Lighting designers in the media industry earn an average salary of $51,097, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for lighting designers
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manufacturing | $64,145 | $30.84 |
| 2 | Hospitality | $60,513 | $29.09 |
| 3 | Technology | $57,886 | $27.83 |
| 4 | Professional | $57,850 | $27.81 |
| 5 | Automotive | $57,304 | $27.55 |
| 6 | Education | $53,010 | $25.49 |
| 7 | Media | $51,097 | $24.57 |
High Paying Lighting Designer Jobs
Lighting Designer salary trends
The average lighting designer salary has risen by $8,131 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average lighting designer earned $45,411 annually, but today, they earn $53,542 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for lighting designers over the last decade.
Compare lighting designer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average lighting designer salary over time
Compare lighting designer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
- Columbus, OH
Lighting Designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $53,500 | $25.74 | +3.8% |
| 2024 | $51,500 | $24.75 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | $49,800 | $23.93 | +0.9% |
| 2022 | $49,300 | $23.70 | -2.8% |
| 2021 | $50,700 | $24.36 | +1.0% |
Recently added lighting designer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Parks Foundation | Lighting Designer | New York, NY | 12/15/2024 | $78,263 |
| Disney | Associate Show Lighting Designer-Project | Anaheim, CA | 12/11/2024 | $71,000 |
| Walt Disney Co | Associate Show Lighting Designer-Project | Anaheim, CA | 12/11/2024 | $71,000 |
| Disneylatino | Associate Show Lighting Designer-Project | Anaheim, CA | 12/11/2024 | $71,000 |
| Baltimoreculture | Bmore Broadway Live Seeks A Lighting Designer | Baltimore, MD | 12/10/2024 | $26,088 |
| Imeg Consultants | Senior Lighting Designer | Seattle, WA | 12/09/2024 | $92,000 |
| Stantec | Lighting Designer | Seattle, WA | 12/09/2024 | $60,523 |
| Pae Consulting Engineers | Lighting Designer | Seattle, WA | 12/08/2024 | $58,200 |
| WSP Global Inc. | Senior Lighting Designer | Seattle, WA | 11/27/2024 | $99,800 |
| WSP | Senior Lighting Designer | Seattle, WA | 11/26/2024 | $99,800 |
Lighting Designer salary FAQs
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