Key Factors That Influence Apparel Designer I Salaries
An Apparel Designer I's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, skills
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Apparel Designer Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of an Apparel Designer I's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $77,500
San Francisco: $76,700
Oakland: $75,000
San Jose, CA$77,500
San Francisco, CA$76,700
Oakland, CA$75,000
New York, NY$70,800
Paramus, NJ$69,900
Queens Village, NY$69,900
Passaic, NJ$69,800
Bergenfield, NJ$69,800
Huntington, NY$69,700
Stamford, CT$69,700
Newark, NJ$69,200
Bridgeport, CT$69,100
Vallejo, CA$69,000
New Brunswick, NJ$68,900
Petaluma, CA$68,900
Middlesex, NJ$68,800
Santa Cruz, CA$68,700
Somerset, NJ$68,700
Boston, MA$68,300
Monterey, CA$68,100
Seattle, WA$67,900
Santa Rosa, CA$67,900
Los Angeles, CA$67,900
Juneau, AK$67,700
Washington, DC$67,700
Orange, CA$67,500
Santa Ana, CA$67,300
Anaheim, CA$67,200
Anchorage, AK$67,200
Long Beach, CA$67,200
Santa Maria, CA$67,000
Everett, WA$67,000
Danbury, CT$66,800
Bremerton, WA$66,700
Tacoma, WA$66,500
New Suffolk, NY$66,500
Sacramento, CA$66,500
Santa Barbara, CA$66,400
Brockton, MA$66,300
Trenton, NJ$66,300
San Diego, CA$66,300
Fairbanks, AK$66,100
Lompoc, CA$65,900
Lowell, MA$65,900
Ventura, CA$65,900
Nashua, NH$65,900
Stockton, CA$65,900
Modesto, CA$65,400
Poughkeepsie, NY$65,300
Olympia, WA$65,200
Kennewick, WA$65,200
New Haven, CT$65,100
Lawrence, MA$64,900
Hartford, CT$64,900
Riverside, CA$64,800
New Bedford, MA$64,800
Richland, WA$64,800
Atlantic City, NJ$64,700
New Britain, CT$64,700
Bakersfield, CA$64,700
San Bernardino, CA$64,700
New London, CT$64,600
Norwich, CT$64,600
Portsmouth, NH$64,600
Boulder, CO$64,500
Portland, OR$64,400
Worcester, MA$64,400
Minneapolis, MN$64,200
Philadelphia, PA$64,100
Honolulu, HI$63,900
Saint Paul, MN$63,900
Vineland, NJ$63,900
Providence, RI$63,700
Chicago, IL$63,500
Bellingham, WA$63,400
Springfield, MA$63,400
Baltimore, MD$63,400
Chico, CA$63,200
Pittsfield, MA$63,100
Manchester, NH$62,900
Spokane, WA$62,700
Denver, CO$62,700
Albany, NY$62,400
Troy, NY$62,300
Nassau, NY$62,300
Schenectady, NY$62,200
Wilmington, DE$62,200
Burlington, VT$62,100
Salem, OR$62,100
Portland, ME$61,900
Yakima, WA$61,800
Rochester, MN$61,600
Reno, NV$61,600
Fresno, CA$61,600
Milwaukee, WI$61,500
Detroit, MI$61,500
Ann Arbor, MI$61,500
Allentown, PA$61,400
Carson City, NV$61,300
Syracuse, NY$61,300
Colorado Springs, CO$61,300
Houston, TX$61,200
Eugene, OR$61,200
Gary, IN$61,100
Springfield, OR$61,100
Bismarck, ND$61,100
Galveston, TX$61,000
Austin, TX$60,900
Concord, NH$60,900
Medford, OR$60,900
Fort Collins, CO$60,900
Mesa, AZ$60,700
Reading, PA$60,700
Phoenix, AZ$60,700
Dallas, TX$60,700
Saint Cloud, MN$60,600
Madison, WI$60,600
Utica, NY$60,400
Raleigh, NC$60,300
Des Moines, IA$60,300
Rochester, NY$60,300
Atlanta, GA$60,200
Battle Creek, MI$60,200
Salt Lake City, UT$60,100
Lancaster, PA$60,100
Harrisburg, PA$60,000
Boca Raton, FL$59,900
Fort Worth, TX$59,900
Columbus, OH$59,900
Kansas City, KS$59,900
Kansas City, MO$59,900
Champaign, IL$59,900
Pittsburgh, PA$59,800
Richmond, VA$59,800
Indianapolis, IN$59,800
Cleveland, OH$59,800
Las Vegas, NV$59,700
Cincinnati, OH$59,700
Petersburg, VA$59,600
Appleton, WI$59,500
Pueblo, CO$59,500
Huntsville, AL$59,500
Lansing, MI$59,500
Lebanon, PA$59,500
Buffalo, NY$59,400
Dayton, OH$59,400
Racine, WI$59,400
Charlotte, NC$59,400
Saint Louis, MO$59,400
Toledo, OH$59,300
Benton Harbor, MI$59,300
Lorain, OH$59,300
Beaumont, TX$59,300
Elkhart, IN$59,300
Gastonia, NC$59,300
York, PA$59,300
Billings, MT$59,300
Elyria, OH$59,200
Fargo, ND$59,200
Springfield, IL$59,200
Rock Hill, SC$59,200
Rockford, IL$59,200
Binghamton, NY$59,200
Flagstaff, AZ$59,100
Fort Lauderdale, FL$59,100
Duluth, MN$59,100
Miami, FL$59,100
Grand Forks, ND$59,000
Cheyenne, WY$59,000
Bangor, ME$58,900
Hialeah, FL$58,800
Grand Rapids, MI$58,800
Cedar Rapids, IA$58,800
Durham, NC$58,800
Louisville, KY$58,800
Casper, WY$58,700
Virginia Beach, VA$58,600
Scranton, PA$58,600
New Orleans, LA$58,600
Sarasota, FL$58,500
Peoria, IL$58,500
Akron, OH$58,500
Nashville, TN$58,400
Omaha, NE$58,400
Green Bay, WI$58,400
Baton Rouge, LA$58,400
Charleston, SC$58,400
Tampa, FL$58,300
Tucson, AZ$58,300
Saint Petersburg, FL$58,300
Davenport, IA$58,300
Jamestown, NY$58,300
Evansville, IN$58,200
Port Arthur, TX$58,200
Bradenton, FL$58,200
Santa Fe, NM$58,100
Orlando, FL$58,000
Clearwater, FL$58,000
High Point, NC$57,800
Newport News, VA$57,800
Canton, OH$57,800
Albuquerque, NM$57,800
La Crosse, WI$57,800
Ogden, UT$57,700
Corpus Christi, TX$57,700
Norfolk, VA$57,700
Laramie, WY$57,700
Boise, ID$57,600
Jacksonville, FL$57,600
Salisbury, NC$57,600
Rock Island, IL$57,600
Saginaw, MI$57,600
Moline, IL$57,500
Fort Myers, FL$57,500
Memphis, TN$57,500
Tulsa, OK$57,500
Lincoln, NE$57,400
Waterloo, IA$57,400
Spartanburg, SC$57,400
Cedar Falls, IA$57,300
Fort Wayne, IN$57,300
Provo, UT$57,300
San Antonio, TX$57,200
Greensboro, NC$57,200
South Bend, IN$57,200
Savannah, GA$57,100
Muskegon, MI$57,100
Birmingham, AL$57,100
Winston Salem, NC$57,100
Greenville, SC$56,900
Lake Charles, LA$56,900
Anderson, IN$56,900
Lexington, KY$56,900
Augusta, GA$56,900
Tuscaloosa, AL$56,800
Columbia, SC$56,800
Lima, OH$56,800
Wichita, KS$56,800
Springfield, OH$56,800
Asheville, NC$56,700
Bloomington, IN$56,600
Knoxville, TN$56,400
Shreveport, LA$56,400
Wilmington, NC$56,300
Roanoke, VA$56,300
Topeka, KS$56,200
Frankfort, KY$56,200
Melbourne, FL$56,100
Longview, TX$56,100
Oklahoma City, OK$56,100
Chillicothe, OH$56,100
Sioux Falls, SD$56,000
Mobile, AL$56,000
Terre Haute, IN$56,000
Altoona, PA$55,900
Amarillo, TX$55,900
Killeen, TX$55,900
Idaho Falls, ID$55,800
Sioux City, IA$55,800
Chattanooga, TN$55,800
Fayetteville, AR$55,800
Lynchburg, VA$55,700
Gainesville, FL$55,600
Portsmouth, OH$55,600
Little Rock, AR$55,600
Lafayette, LA$55,600
Youngstown, OH$55,600
Temple, TX$55,500
Pensacola, FL$55,500
Clarksville, TN$55,500
Daytona Beach, FL$55,500
Hopkinsville, KY$55,300
Erie, PA$55,300
Florence, SC$55,300
Charleston, WV$55,200
Great Falls, MT$55,200
Fayetteville, NC$55,100
Tallahassee, FL$55,100
Macon, GA$55,100
Waco, TX$55,000
Helena, MT$55,000
Pine Bluff, AR$55,000
Vincennes, IN$54,900
Lubbock, TX$54,900
Twin Falls, ID$54,800
Rapid City, SD$54,800
Alamogordo, NM$54,800
Jackson, MS$54,700
Huntington, WV$54,600
Greenville, MS$54,600
Parkersburg, WV$54,600
Montgomery, AL$54,600
Biloxi, MS$54,500
Wichita Falls, TX$54,500
Springfield, MO$54,500
Sumter, SC$54,400
Johnstown, PA$54,400
Monroe, LA$54,400
Columbus, GA$54,300
Pascagoula, MS$54,200
Abilene, TX$54,200
Kingsport, TN$54,100
Albany, GA$54,100
Gulfport, MS$54,000
Alexandria, LA$53,800
Fort Smith, AR$53,700
El Paso, TX$53,500
Las Cruces, NM$53,300
Harlingen, TX$53,100
Pocatello, ID$53,100
Florence, AL$53,000
Brownsville, TX$53,000
Mcallen, TX$52,900
Dothan, AL$52,800
Columbus, MS$52,400
Altus, OK$52,100
Lawton, OK$52,000
Pierre, SD$51,800
What Skills Can Increase an Apparel Designer I's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Products and Services (Mentioned in 6.87% Job Postings): Knowledge of the full array of our organization's products and services including those that are created for internal customers; insight into the differentiating factors that distinguish them from those of competitors.
Photoshop (Mentioned in 2% Job Postings): Photoshop is an image creation, graphic design and photo editing software developed by Adobe. It is used to demonstrate knowledge of image resolution, image size, and image file format for web, video, and print.
Illustrator (Mentioned in 1.37% Job Postings): Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics editor and design program developed and marketed by Adobe Inc. Originally designed for the Apple Macintosh, development of Adobe Illustrator began in 1985. Along with Creative Cloud, Illustrator CC was released.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an Apparel Designer I's salary.
Adobe: Can increase your salary by up to 26%.
Photoshop: Can increase your salary by up to 23%.
Adobe Creative Suite: Can increase your salary by up to 23%.
Apparel Designer I Salary by Company Size: Startups vs. Enterprise
Apparel Designer I salary potential scales significantly with company size.
Data shows that Enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) pay the highest average salary at around $65,808.
While startup companies pay approximate $55,623.
Apparel Designer I Salary by Company Size
Company Size
Employees
Average Salary
Startup
1~50
$55,623
Growth Stage
51~500
$58,836
Established
501~5000
$63,538
Enterprise
5000+
$65,808
Apparel Designer I Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Apparel Designer I roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential
by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the highest-paying industry, MFG Nondurable,
offers compensation 20% above the average. Conversely,
Apparel Designer positions in Retail & Wholesale typically offer lower base pay,
as this sector often view Apparel Designer I as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industry for an Apparel Designer I
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
MFG Nondurable
$71,520
$34.0
20%
Apparel Designer I Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how an Apparel Designer I's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
For an Apparel Designer I, the most direct path to higher earnings is advancing to the Apparel Designer II role.
This promotion typically comes with a significant pay increase, bringing the average annual salary to
$73,600 - a projected growth of
23%
over your current level.
Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Apparel Designer I job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.
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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources.
We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right.
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