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Floral Designer / Florist

$37,360
median / year
$28,600 – $51,000
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Arrange flowers and greenery into bouquets and displays for events, shops, and customers.

You may also see this posted as: Designer, Floral Clerk, Floral Designer, Florist, Floral Artist, Floral Department Specialist.

Where you work

Flower shops and event spaces

The hours

Busy around holidays and events

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Confer with clients regarding price and type of arrangement desired and the date, time, and place of delivery.
  • Select flora and foliage for arrangements, working with numerous combinations to synthesize and develop new creations.
  • Order and purchase flowers and supplies from wholesalers and growers.
  • Deliver arrangements to customers, or oversee employees responsible for deliveries.
  • Plan arrangement according to client's requirements, using knowledge of design and properties of materials, or select appropriate standard design pattern.

Good fit if you like…

Realistic

working with tools, equipment, materials, or the physical world

Artistic

creating, designing, performing, or working without a rigid script

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

O*NET job zone 2 of 5

Some preparation—often a high school credential and on-the-job learning—is usually needed.

Work styles that matter most

Attention to DetailDependabilityInnovationSocial Orientation

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

FacebookMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft Word

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$37,360
per year
Hourly median
$17.96
per hour
What most earn
$28,600–$51,000
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~5,100
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
-5.9%
Declining
Working in the U.S.
40,590
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 10.7% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

High school / no degree

Training path: On-the-job training at a shop.

Related work experience: None.

On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

Design senseFlower knowledgeCustomer serviceHand skills

The honest take

Arranges flowers for events and shops in a trade that is slowly shrinking.

Standard Occupational Classification 27-1023. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.