Much more than simply decorating a home, interior designers work to make indoor areas beautiful, functional, and organized. Interior design is not restricted to wealthy clients—new constructions, existing homes, and even business facilities.

Interior designers can be self-employed or attached to architectural and furniture businesses, giving them plenty of flexibility. While construction companies typically do not have interior designers directly employed by them, major building projects commonly bring interior designers into the development in order to improve appearances and functionality in the space.

So, what exactly do interior designers do? They are experts in improving space efficiency, creating more functional spaces, and making rooms beautiful to the eye.

And because trends and design styles change every year, interior design is anything but monotonous.

Location also matters for interior design—popularity, prominence, and trends vary from coast to coast. For instance, traditional home décor is more popular in southern states like Texas and Louisiana, seaside themes are more prominent in the east coast states, and throughout the mid-western states there is a preference of mid-century modern styles.

The middling states do certainly have home and interior design, but states like California, Oregon, Washington, New York, and Pennsylvania have more instances of relying on interior designers.

While the projection for employment in the next decade does vary, and interior design did suffer around 5% decline in recent years, experts in U.S. labor statistics believe that the market will experience growth in the next ten years.

Because interior design services are primarily affected by fluctuations in the economy and popular demand, the outlook is hard to accurately predict.

Providing interior design services to these large building projects and public sectors keeps designers in service and sought after.

According to the American Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for interior designers last year was just under $60,000, or around $27 per hour. When comparing this rate to the average cost of living, interior designers tend to make a good profit even when monthly expenses are factored in. For example, the cost of living in California averages to around $2,200 a month, including home rentals or mortgage payments, groceries, bills, and insurance—this leaves interior designers who earn a typical salary around $2,800 beyond their required payments every month.