Interior Designer.
Kansas City.
$56,000
median salary, 11% below the national average
$45,000 to $72,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Kansas City is 7% cheaper than the national average. For Interior Designers, that shakes out to a median of $56,000, with the full range spanning $45,000 to $72,000. Specialization in commercial, hospitality, or healthcare interiors drives higher pay than residential work. Know the range before you walk in. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Interior Designer in Kansas City, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $65,160 for Interior Designers (SOC 27-1025) in the Kansas City, MO-KS metropolitan area, based on 500 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$47,640
25th percentile
$52,680
Median
$65,160
75th percentile
$83,380
90th percentile
$105,060
Workers surveyed
500
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Interior Designers (SOC 27-1025) rather than Interior Designer specifically. The Kansas Cityrange at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 27-1025Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $51,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$36,000
to $45,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$48,000
to $59,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$62,000
to $73,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$70,000
to $87,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $17,000 to the total package.
Base
$56,000
Equity
$10,000
Bonus
$6,000
Signing
$1,000
Estimated total: $73,000
How Kansas City compares.
Kansas City, MO
$56,000
Cost of living: 7% below average
National Average
$63,000
Kansas City is $7,000 below
Interior Designer salary by city.
Salary by role in Kansas City.
What you should know.
Here is what the Interior Designer market actually looks like in Kansas City. Kansas City straddles Missouri and Kansas, creating a unique dual state job market with strong logistics, tech, and agriculture technology sectors. The metro's central location has made it a hub for distribution centers and supply chain companies. Cerner's healthcare IT presence and a growing startup scene have boosted demand for technology professionals. Specialization in commercial, hospitality, or healthcare interiors drives higher pay than residential work. Designers with NCIDQ certification, proficiency in Revit and 3D visualization, and a portfolio of large-scale projects earn at the top of the range in major metros.
Junior Interior Designers start at $46,000 to $54,000. Mid-level designers managing client relationships and full projects earn $58,000 to $72,000. Senior Designers and Design Directors reach $75,000 to $95,000, with firm principals and celebrity designers earning well above $120,000. In Kansas City, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Self-employed interior designers often earn more through markup on furnishings and materials, adding 20 to 35% to effective income. Salaried roles may include bonuses of 5 to 10% and trade account access for personal projects. And on the tax side: missouri's top income tax rate is about 4.8%, and Kansas City adds a 1% earnings tax. Workers living in Kansas face that state's rates instead. Choose your side of the state line carefully. When someone quotes you $56,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Negotiate which side of the state line you will be based on. Your tax situation differs meaningfully between Missouri and Kansas, and some employers offer flexibility on office location. The range for Interior Designers in Kansas City runs from $45,000 to $72,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- An Electrician in Kansas City earns $57,000 (2% more)
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Common questions.
Interior Designer salary in other cities.
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