Interior Designer.
Portland.
$68,000
median salary, 8% above the national average
$54,000 to $88,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
If you are evaluating an Interior Designer offer in Portland, ME, here is the reality: $54,000 to $88,000, with $68,000 as the midpoint. 8% above the national average. Specialization in commercial, hospitality, or healthcare interiors drives higher pay than residential work. Do not accept the first number. 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 Portland, 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 $66,260 for Interior Designers (SOC 27-1025) in the Portland-South Portland, ME metropolitan area, based on 140 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$52,630
25th percentile
$62,300
Median
$66,260
75th percentile
$77,850
90th percentile
$99,820
Workers surveyed
140
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 Portland range 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 $61,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$44,000
to $54,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$58,000
to $71,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$75,000
to $88,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$85,000
to $105,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $20,000 to the total package.
Base
$68,000
Equity
$12,000
Bonus
$7,000
Signing
$1,000
Estimated total: $88,000
How Portland compares.
Portland, ME
$68,000
Cost of living: 5% above average
National Average
$63,000
Portland is $5,000 above
Interior Designer salary by city.
Salary by role in Portland.
What you should know.
The Interior Designer landscape in Portland is not what most salary sites will tell you. Portland, Maine is a small but growing tech and creative economy hub. The city attracts remote workers and small companies seeking quality of life on the New England coast. Healthcare, marine industries, and a craft food and beverage sector round out the local economy. 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 Portland, 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: maine's top income tax rate is 7.15%. Portland has no city income tax. The state rate is above average but offset by quality of life and access to rural New England. When someone quotes you $68,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Negotiate remote work flexibility. Portland employers know they compete with Boston and New York for talent and may offer location flexibility to attract top candidates. The range for Interior Designers in Portland runs from $54,000 to $88,000. 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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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Interior Designer Salary in Portland, ME." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/interior-designer/portland-me
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