Ranked list · 31 careers

31 Jobs in Fashion, Ranked by Fit and Pay (2026)

Apparel Technical Designer tops this list at $80,960 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with +0.1% projected employment change over 2025–2035. Below are 31 careers that meet the criteria, each with its real median wage, outlook and entry requirement.

Careers on this list: 31From 1,731 in the bank
Median pay on the list: $50,400BLS OEWS, May 2025
Projected to grow: 15 of 31BLS EP, 2025–2035
Openings a year: 1,281,800Combined, BLS EP

Method

How we built this list

Careers designing, making, buying and styling clothing and accessories, from fashion and textile designers to pattern makers, buyers and stylists. Careers centred on this field come first, then the ones that touch it, each group ranked by national median pay from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Specialty careers, which BLS reports inside a broader occupation, show that occupation’s figures and are labelled on their pages.
Occupations with no BLS wage or projection data are excluded rather than estimated.
The list is regenerated from source data on every bank refresh. It is not hand-picked and no editorial ranking is applied.

The list

The top 31 jobs in fashion

100% of these careers already have a full profile page; the rest publish with the next tranche and show the same bank data here in the meantime.

1
1. Apparel Technical Designer
Specialty within fashion designer
Median pay
$80,960median (parent occupation)
Growth
+0.1%
Openings / yr
2,500
Education
Bachelor's
Translates fashion designs into precise specifications and fit standards so factories can produce garments consistently.
2
2. Fashion Designer
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Median pay
$80,960median a year
Growth
+0.1%
Openings / yr
2,500
Education
Bachelor's
Design clothing and accessories.
3
3. Footwear Designer
Specialty within fashion designer
Median pay
$80,960median (parent occupation)
Growth
+0.1%
Openings / yr
2,500
Education
Bachelor's
Designs shoes and sneakers, from first sketches and materials through technical drawings and factory samples.
4
4. Luxury Brand Manager
Specialty within market research analyst and marketing specialist
Median pay
$78,760median (parent occupation)
Growth
+7.0%
Openings / yr
82,000
Education
Bachelor's
Manages the image, products, and marketing of a luxury fashion, beauty, jewelry, or hospitality brand to protect its prestige and grow sales.
5
5. Trend Forecaster
Specialty within market research analyst and marketing specialist
Median pay
$78,760median (parent occupation)
Growth
+7.0%
Openings / yr
82,000
Education
Bachelor's
Studies culture, consumers, and markets to predict the colors, styles, and products people will want in coming seasons.
6
6. Fashion Buyer
Specialty within wholesale and retail buyer, except farm products
Median pay
$77,710median (parent occupation)
Growth
+6.0%
Openings / yr
47,200
Education
Bachelor's
Chooses which clothing, shoes, and accessories a retailer will sell each season, negotiating with brands and managing a sales budget.
7
7. Merchandise Planner
Specialty within wholesale and retail buyer, except farm products
Median pay
$77,710median (parent occupation)
Growth
+6.0%
Openings / yr
47,200
Education
Bachelor's
Forecasts how much of each product a retailer should buy and where to send it, using sales data to balance inventory and profit.
8
8. Wholesale and Retail Buyer, Except Farm Products
Business and Financial Operations
Median pay
$77,710median a year
Growth
+6.0%
Openings / yr
47,200
Education
Bachelor's
Buy merchandise or commodities, other than farm products, for resale to consumers at the wholesale or retail level, including both durable and nondurable goods.
9
9. Watchmaker
Specialty within watch and clock repairer
Median pay
$67,230median (parent occupation)
Growth
−0.3%
Openings / yr
100
Education
High school
Services, repairs, and restores mechanical and quartz watches, working at microscopic scale on movements for jewelers, brands, and collectors.
10
10. Textile Designer
Specialty within graphic designer
Median pay
$62,960median (parent occupation)
Growth
−1.7%
Openings / yr
16,000
Education
Bachelor's
Creates the prints, patterns, weaves, and knits used in fabrics for clothing, home furnishings, and accessories.
11
11. Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker
Production
Median pay
$62,750median a year
Growth
−15.0%
Openings / yr
200
Education
High school
Draw and construct sets of precision master fabric patterns or layouts.
12
12. Gem and Diamond Worker
Production
Median pay
$52,540median a year
Growth
−3.2%
Openings / yr
3,700
Education
High school
Fabricate, finish, or evaluate the quality of gems and diamonds used in jewelry or industrial tools.
13
13. Jeweler and Precious Stone and Metal Worker
Production
Median pay
$52,540median a year
Growth
−3.2%
Openings / yr
3,700
Education
High school
Design, fabricate, adjust, repair, or appraise jewelry, gold, silver, other precious metals, or gems.
14
14. Jewelry Designer
Specialty within jeweler and precious stone and metal worker
Median pay
$52,540median (parent occupation)
Growth
−3.2%
Openings / yr
3,700
Education
High school
Designs rings, necklaces, earrings, and other jewelry, creating sketches and 3D models that become finished pieces.
15
15. Fashion Stylist
Specialty within costume attendant
Median pay
$50,400median (parent occupation)
Growth
+5.9%
Openings / yr
1,700
Education
High school
Selects and puts together clothing and accessories for photo shoots, ads, music videos, events, and celebrity appearances.
16
16. Luxury Goods Authenticator
Specialty within inspector, tester, sorter, sampler, and weigher
Median pay
$48,570median (parent occupation)
Growth
+2.5%
Openings / yr
66,700
Education
High school
Examines designer handbags, watches, sneakers and other luxury items to determine whether they are genuine before they are resold.
17
17. Retail District Manager
Specialty within first-line supervisor of retail sales workers
Median pay
$48,520median (parent occupation)
Growth
−3.7%
Openings / yr
113,500
Education
High school
Oversees a group of retail stores in a region, leading store managers on sales, staffing, operations and customer experience.
18
18. Model
Sales and Related
Median pay
$48,470median a year
Growth
−2.1%
Openings / yr
700
Education
No formal credential
Model garments or other apparel and accessories for prospective buyers at fashion shows, private showings, or retail establishments.
19
19. Fashion Photographer
Specialty within photographer
Median pay
$44,660median (parent occupation)
Growth
−0.7%
Openings / yr
10,700
Education
High school
Photographs clothing, accessories, models, and beauty products for magazines, advertising campaigns, catalogs, and e-commerce sites.
20
20. Milliner
Specialty within tailor, dressmaker, and custom sewer
Median pay
$41,640median (parent occupation)
Growth
−8.8%
Openings / yr
3,700
Education
No formal credential
Designs and handcrafts hats and headpieces for fashion clients, brides, theater and film productions, and retail shops.
21
21. Tailor, Dressmaker, and Custom Sewer
Production
Median pay
$41,640median a year
Growth
−8.8%
Openings / yr
3,700
Education
No formal credential
Design, make, alter, repair, or fit garments.
22
22. Merchandise Displayer and Window Trimmer
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Median pay
$39,390median a year
Growth
+2.7%
Openings / yr
17,200
Education
High school
Plan and erect commercial displays, such as those in windows and interiors of retail stores and at trade exhibitions.
23
23. Visual Merchandiser
Specialty within merchandise displayer and window trimmer
Median pay
$39,390median (parent occupation)
Growth
+2.7%
Openings / yr
17,200
Education
High school
Designs store windows, displays, and floor layouts that present products attractively and guide shoppers through a store.
24
24. Shoe and Leather Worker and Repairer
Production
Median pay
$37,800median a year
Growth
−6.5%
Openings / yr
1,000
Education
High school
Construct, decorate, or repair leather and leather-like products, such as luggage, shoes, and saddles.
25
25. Sewing Machine Operator
Production
Median pay
$36,670median a year
Growth
−15.1%
Openings / yr
9,800
Education
No formal credential
Operate or tend sewing machines to join, reinforce, decorate, or perform related sewing operations in the manufacture of garment or nongarment products.
26
26. Sewer, Hand
Production
Median pay
$36,480median a year
Growth
−12.0%
Openings / yr
600
Education
No formal credential
Sew, join, reinforce, or finish, usually with needle and thread, a variety of manufactured items.
27
27. Shoe Machine Operator and Tender
Production
Median pay
$35,650median a year
Growth
−6.9%
Openings / yr
400
Education
High school
Operate or tend a variety of machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.
28
28. Personal Stylist
Specialty within retail salesperson
Median pay
$35,410median (parent occupation)
Growth
−0.3%
Openings / yr
520,600
Education
No formal credential
Helps individual clients dress well by assessing their wardrobe, shopping for them, and building outfits that suit their body, budget, and lifestyle.
29
29. E-commerce Manager
Specialty within online merchant
Median pay
$83,050median (parent occupation)
Growth
+3.9%
Openings / yr
98,700
Education
Bachelor's
Runs a company's online store, owning website sales, merchandising, promotions, conversion and the technology that powers checkout.
30
30. Costume Attendant
Personal Care and Service
Median pay
$50,400median a year
Growth
+5.9%
Openings / yr
1,700
Education
High school
Select, fit, and take care of costumes for cast members, and aid entertainers.
31
31. Hairstylist
Personal Care and Service
Median pay
$35,790median a year
Growth
+7.7%
Openings / yr
73,400
Education
Certificate
Provide beauty services, such as cutting, coloring, and styling hair, and massaging and treating scalp.

Questions

Jobs in Fashion: FAQ

What is the top career on the jobs in fashion list?

Apparel Technical Designer leads the list with a median wage of $80,960 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025) and projected employment change of +0.1% over 2025–2035. Typical entry-level education is bachelor's.

How was this list put together?

Careers designing, making, buying and styling clothing and accessories, from fashion and textile designers to pattern makers, buyers and stylists. Careers centred on this field come first, then the ones that touch it, each group ranked by national median pay from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Specialty careers, which BLS reports inside a broader occupation, show that occupation’s figures and are labelled on their pages. Careers designing, making, buying and styling clothing and accessories, from fashion and textile designers to pattern makers, buyers and stylists. Careers centred on this field come first, then the ones that touch it, each group ranked by national median pay from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Specialty careers, which BLS reports inside a broader occupation, show that occupation’s figures and are labelled on their pages. Every figure comes from BLS OEWS May 2025, BLS Employment Projections 2025–2035 and O*NET 31.0 Database.

How much do jobs in fashion pay?

Across the 31 careers on this list the middle occupation pays $50,400 a year, from $35,410 at the bottom to $83,050 at the top (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The median across all US occupations is $50,980.

How many of these careers can you enter without a degree?

21 of the 31 careers on this list have a typical entry requirement below an associate's degree: a high school diploma, a postsecondary certificate, or no formal credential (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).