If you’re interested in starting a career as a professional floral designer, it’s important for you to have a general idea of industry-standard salary averages. Especially as an amateur designer just getting started in the business, knowing what’s normal to charge clients is important- you don’t want to undersell your services to new customers, or accidentally overcharge people for your work.
In general, floral designers in the United States make about $50,000 per year (this figure reflects research completed as of October 30, 2017) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In terms of being paid an hourly rate, that translates to an average of $24 per hour.
This figure essentially demonstrates the middle ground of the industry, so it falls somewhere between the salaries earned by entry-level, first time beginners and industry pros who have been around for significantly longer and naturally earn much more.
Want to start a floral design business?
As is true of any profession, the amount of money you can expect to make as a floral designer depends mostly on the work dynamic you chose, and the amount of time you can commit to your craft. When we reference work dynamic, ask yourself- do you see yourself working in collaboration with a larger company such as an event or wedding planning firm? Will you be working full time, 5 days a week? Or do you want to be an independent florist, in which case- will you have your own brick and mortar flower shop? Will you work from home doing smaller freelance projects for residential clients? Will you do commercial arrangements for businesses or for events?
These are all questions you can answer throughout NYIAD’s floral design course as you start to develop your business plan and pricing models according to the future you see for yourself.
If you intend on working independently and charging clients per project, there are several things you’ll need to keep in mind when it comes to developing a fair cost model. Firstly, you always need to keep track of how much money you’re spending on supplies. Second, consider overhead costs. Do you work in a rented space? Did you buy your own commercial store? How much is your rent payment? Electricity and water bills?
These are all things you’ll need to consider when you determine how much your product is worth- the space it was created in counts. And finally, you need to value your own time. When you’re naming the price, always try to establish a rate that reflects the actual amount of time you spent creating the deliverable.
And finally, it’s also important to remember that location matters when it comes to salaries earned in any industry, floral design included. Fluctuations in buyer demographic, customer lifestyle and income etc. will always depend on upon the area in which you decide to sell your work. Therefore, you need to realize that the price at which you can reasonably list your floral arrangements may have to change depending on whether you’re selling in a small, rural town- or in a high end boutique in Manhattan.
