Interior Designer.
Louisville.
$55,000
median salary, 13% below the national average
$44,000 to $71,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Louisville is 12% cheaper than the national average. For Interior Designers, that shakes out to a median of $55,000, with the full range spanning $44,000 to $71,000. 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 Louisville, 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 $60,020 for Interior Designers (SOC 27-1025) in the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metropolitan area, based on 210 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$38,690
25th percentile
$48,630
Median
$60,020
75th percentile
$67,180
90th percentile
$83,220
Workers surveyed
210
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 Louisvillerange 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 $49,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$36,000
to $44,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$47,000
to $58,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$61,000
to $72,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$69,000
to $85,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $16,000 to the total package.
Base
$55,000
Equity
$9,000
Bonus
$6,000
Signing
$1,000
Estimated total: $71,000
How Louisville compares.
Louisville, KY
$55,000
Cost of living: 12% below average
National Average
$63,000
Louisville is $8,000 below
Interior Designer salary by city.
Salary by role in Louisville.
What you should know.
Here is what the Interior Designer market actually looks like in Louisville. Louisville is home to UPS Worldport, the world's largest automated package handling facility, making it a logistics and supply chain powerhouse. The city also has strong healthcare and bourbon distillery industries. Its central location and affordable cost of living make it attractive for distribution and operations roles. 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 Louisville, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 12% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
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: kentucky has a flat 4% state income tax. Louisville has an occupational tax of about 2.2%. The combined rate is moderate, and the low cost of living offsets the local tax. When someone quotes you $55,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Leverage UPS and the logistics corridor when negotiating. Supply chain and operations professionals command premiums in Louisville's distribution heavy economy. The range for Interior Designers in Louisville runs from $44,000 to $71,000. 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
Common questions.
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