Floral Designers: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)

Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media · SOC 27-1023 · O*NET 27-1023.00

Median salary
$36,120
Rank #757 of ~830 BLS occupations
10-year growth
-5.9%
2024–2034, declining
Employment
40.2M
BLS 2024
Projected 2034
41K
BLS projection
Official O*NET description

Design, cut, and arrange live, dried, or artificial flowers and foliage.

Floral Designers fall under the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media category in the U.S. occupational classification. Floral Designers earn a median salary of $36,120 per year, ranking in the top 93% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -5.9% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.

What do floral designers earn?

The median annual wage for floral designers is $36,120. That puts floral designers at #757 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is around or below the U.S. median for individual workers, so career growth often depends on advancement into supervisory roles, specialization, or additional credentials. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.

Full salary distribution (national, BLS 2024)
10th percentile (entry-level)$27,260
25th percentile$30,200
50th percentile (median)$36,120
75th percentile$43,420
90th percentile (top earners)$48,690
Median hourly wage$17.37/hr

Is floral designers a growing career?

The 10-year outlook for floral designers is -5.9%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 43K positions in 2024 to 41K in 2034, a net change of -2K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.

What do floral designers do every day?

According to O*NET task surveys of working floral designers, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.

  1. 1.Confer with clients regarding price and type of arrangement desired and the date, time, and place of delivery.
  2. 2.Create and change in-store and window displays, designs, and looks to enhance a shop's image.
  3. 3.Perform general cleaning duties in the store to ensure the shop is clean and tidy.
  4. 4.Wrap and price completed arrangements.
  5. 5.Perform office and retail service duties, such as keeping financial records, serving customers, answering telephones, selling giftware items, and receiving payment.
  6. 6.Unpack stock as it comes into the shop.
  7. 7.Inform customers about the care, maintenance, and handling of various flowers and foliage, indoor plants, and other items.
  8. 8.Order and purchase flowers and supplies from wholesalers and growers.

Top skills for floral designers

O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.

Active Listening
4.0
Speaking
3.9
Service Orientation
3.4
Social Perceptiveness
3.4
Time Management
3.3
Critical Thinking
3.3
Judgment and Decision Making
3.1

What education does my child need to become floral designer?

The standard path into floral designers begins with a bachelor's degree in a related field, followed by entry-level experience or internships during college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.

Actual education levels of working floral designers

Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.

High school diploma
75.8%
Some college courses
11.2%
Bachelor's degree
7.9%
Associate's degree
3.3%
Less than high school
0.9%
Post-secondary certificate
0.9%

Related careers your child might also consider

How parents help teens explore careers like this

Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.

Common questions parents ask about floral designers

What is the median salary for floral designers?

The median annual salary for floral designers is $36,120 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Is floral designers a growing career?

BLS projects -5.9% growth for floral designers from 2024 through 2034, which is declining growth projected to lose jobs through 2034.

What education does my child need to become floral designer?

The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.

What careers are similar to floral designers?

Related occupations within the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.

Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.