SOC 27-1025 · San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro

Interior Designers Salary in San Jose, CA

The average salary for interior designers in San Jose, California is $100,980 a year ($48.55 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $85,140: half of the 340 people in this job in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 34% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($75,508).

$100,980average per year

$48.55 / hourMedian $85,140Take-home ≈ $74,570

  • $63K10th
  • $76K25th
  • $85KMedian
  • $101K75th
  • $140K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

340people in this job
+34%vs U.S. metro average
#1 of 14California metros
110cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Interior Designers pay range in San Jose

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $63,440 a year or less, while the top 10% make $139,550 or more. The middle half of interior designers in San Jose earn between $76,500 and $100,770.

  • $63K10th
  • $76K25th
  • $85KMedian
  • $101K75th
  • $140K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$100,980$8,415$48.55
Median$85,140$7,095$40.93
Entry level (25th percentile)$76,500$6,375$36.78
Experienced (75th percentile)$100,770$8,398$48.45

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.

Interior Designers salary after taxes in San Jose

On the average salary of $100,980, a single filer in San Jose takes home about $74,570 a year, or $6,214 a month and $2,868 every two weeks. Taxes take 26% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.

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Is San Jose a good place for interior designers? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the San Jose area are 10% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 110.4), so the average $100,980 buys what about $91,448 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.0 times the median wage of all jobs in San Jose ($84,050). A typical home costs $1,610,466, or 15.9 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $100,980 is worth in another city

Interior Designers salary in other California cities

San Jose ranks 1st of 14 California metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.

All Interior Designers salaries in California

Highest-paying cities for interior designers

San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($100,980).

Interior Designers salary by city

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Interior Designers salary in San Jose: questions

How much do interior designers make an hour in San Jose?

$48.55 an hour on average, and $40.93 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level interior designers salary in San Jose?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $63,440 a year and the 25th percentile is $76,500, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the interior designers take-home pay in San Jose?

About $74,570 a year ($6,214 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $100,980. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.

Do interior designers earn more in San Jose than elsewhere?

The average here is 34% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($75,508).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 27-1025; area San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (41940). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 9.2%.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
  • Job concentration: location quotient 0.65, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.65).

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