Designs shoes and sneakers, from first sketches and materials through technical drawings and factory samples. BLS does not publish separate figures for fashion designers; it counts them within fashion designer (SOC 27-1022), whose median pay is $80,960 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 27-1022
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Footwear Designer in four numbers
- Median pay
- $80,960a year, or $38.92/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $39KTop 10% $147K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +0.1%Slower than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+0.1%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +0.1% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 2,50032,700 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202532.7K
- Projected 203532.8K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 32.7K Projected 2035 32.8K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Less than high school0.6%
- High school3.6%
- Some college1.1%
- Associate's44%
- Bachelor's50.7%
Highest education held by fashion designers Segment Value Less than high school 0.6% High school 3.6% Some college 1.1% Associate's 44% Bachelor's 50.7%
Also advertised as: Shoe Designer, Sneaker Designer, Footwear Developer, Senior Footwear Designer, Footwear Product Designer.
Pay
How much do Fashion Designers make?
Every footwear designer in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$80,960
Middle half earn $51,940 to $106,470
- 10th
- $39,490
- 25th
- $51,940
- 75th
- $106,470
- 90th
- $146,870
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $39,490 |
| 25th | $51,940 |
| Median | $80,960 |
| 75th | $106,470 |
| 90th | $146,870 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $80,960
- Median hourly wage
- $38.92/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $91,230
- People employed
- 21,450
Versus all US occupations
At $80,960, Fashion Designers earn 59% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $29,980 a year.
Versus arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations
Inside the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media group, where the middle occupation pays $68,060, this is 19% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $146,870 or more while the bottom 10% earn $39,490, a gap of 3.7×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 61% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Massachusetts pays the most at $103,520, and still leads at $97,885 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Fashion Designers the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Massachusetts | $103,520 | $97,885 | 540 |
| 2New Jersey | $101,610 | $93,387 | 160 |
| 3New Hampshire | $100,160 | $96,155 | 40 |
| 4New York | $98,640 | $91,400 | 5,760 |
| 5Colorado | $94,140 | $91,352 | 360 |
| 6Virginia | $94,120 | $93,092 | 100 |
| 7Ohio | $82,050 | $88,441 | 90 |
| 8Washington | $82,030 | $76,654 | N/A |
| 9Connecticut | $81,510 | $78,670 | 50 |
| 10Vermont | $79,610 | $81,270 | 60 |
Job outlook
Is Footwear Designer a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Slower than average. +0.1% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Fashion Designers | +0.1% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Slower than average
BLS projects employment of Fashion Designers to change 0.1% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 0 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 2,500 openings are projected each year, 7.6% of the 32,700 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Footwear Designer
Most footwear designers have a degree in industrial design, fashion design, or accessories design. Specialized programs help, such as Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design in Detroit, which runs footwear design programs with major athletic brands, and accessories design courses at fashion schools. Skills in sketching, Adobe Illustrator, and 3D modeling software are expected, along with knowledge of how shoes are constructed.
People usually break in through internships at footwear brands, design competitions, or junior designer roles, backed by a portfolio showing shoe concepts through to technical drawings.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Some preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as fashion designers.
- Bachelor's Degree50.7%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree44%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)3.6%
- Some College Courses1.1%
- Less than a High School Diploma0.6%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 50.7% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 44% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 3.6% |
| Some College Courses | 1.1% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 0.6% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Footwear Designer do?
A footwear designer creates shoes for athletic, fashion, outdoor, or work brands. They research consumers and trends, sketch concepts by hand or digitally, and choose materials, colors, and sole units. Designs then become technical drawings and specifications that factories use to build samples.
Footwear design involves close teamwork with developers, materials specialists, and product managers who set price and performance targets. Designers review samples for look, comfort, and construction, then revise. In athletic footwear they also work with biomechanics and innovation teams on cushioning and fit. Colorway designers focus on updating existing models each season.
Day-to-day tasks
- Research consumers, trends, and competitors
- Sketch footwear concepts by hand and digitally
- Select materials, colors, and sole units
- Create technical drawings and specifications for factories
- Review samples for look, fit, and construction
- Work with developers and product managers on cost and performance
- Design seasonal colorways of existing models
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Footwear designers work in brand design studios, often in hubs such as Portland, Boston, New York, and Los Angeles. Work follows seasonal calendars with intense deadlines. Travel to factories in Asia and to trade shows is common, sometimes for several weeks at a time.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely seriousMistakes are not usually serious.
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Active Learning3.8
- Reading Comprehension3.6
- Monitoring3.5
- Writing3.4
- Learning Strategies3.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.9 |
| Speaking | 3.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.8 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.6 |
| Monitoring | 3.5 |
| Writing | 3.4 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Social Perceptiveness3.8
- Coordination3.8
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8
- Time Management3.8
- Persuasion3.6
- Negotiation3.6
- Complex Problem Solving3.6
- Instructing3.5
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.8 |
| Coordination | 3.8 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.8 |
| Time Management | 3.8 |
| Persuasion | 3.6 |
| Negotiation | 3.6 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.6 |
| Instructing | 3.5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
- Desktop publishing software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Graphics or photo imaging software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web platform development software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Accounting software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Footwear Designer?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code ARE) built on O*NET's Fashion Designer profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Footwear Designer |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 7 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 5 |
| Conventional | 3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around creating, designing and working without a fixed set of rules, combined with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
- Artistic7.0
- Realistic5.0
- Enterprising4.5
- Conventional2.9
- Social2.4
- Investigative2.2
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Footwear Designer
O*NET related occupations
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Production
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Production
Tailor, Dressmaker, and Custom Sewer
$41,640median a year
Most earn $30K to $64K
−8.8%No formal credential
More arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media careers
Median annual pay, with fashion designers highlighted
- Art Director$114,850
- Technical Writer$90,390
- Footwear Designer$80,960
- Editor$77,920
- Writer and Author$76,910
- Public Relations Specialist$74,750
- Interior Designer$67,190
- Graphic Designer$62,960
- Photographer$44,660
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Art Director | $114,850 |
| Technical Writer | $90,390 |
| Footwear Designer | $80,960 |
| Editor | $77,920 |
| Writer and Author | $76,910 |
| Public Relations Specialist | $74,750 |
| Interior Designer | $67,190 |
| Graphic Designer | $62,960 |
| Photographer | $44,660 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Footwear Designer appears on
Questions
Footwear Designer: frequently asked questions
How much do Fashion Designers make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for fashion designers. It counts them within fashion designer, whose median pay is $80,960 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $51,940 and $106,470, and the top 10% earn $146,870 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Footwear Designer?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Fashion Designers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as some preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 50.7% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Footwear Designer a growing career?
It is growing, but slowly: 0.1% over 2025–2035 against 3.5% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 2,500 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Footwear Designer do?
A footwear designer creates shoes for athletic, fashion, outdoor, or work brands. A typical task: research consumers, trends, and competitors. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Computer aided design CAD software, Desktop publishing software.
Which states pay Fashion Designers the most?
The highest state medians for Fashion Designers are Massachusetts ($103,520), New Jersey ($101,610), New Hampshire ($100,160) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Footwear Designer?
O*NET scores Fashion Designers highest on the Artistic, Realistic and Enterprising interest areas, so the work mixes creating, designing and working without a fixed set of rules with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ENTP, INTP, INFP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.