Kitchen & Bath Design-Only Firms Salary Surveys
What's it worth to the owner of a kitchen and bath firm not to have to deal with the hassles of product sales and installation? Almost $30,000 a year.
Offering many of the creative pleasures of a dealership without the hassle of product sales and service, the "design only" role has appealed to many kitchen and bath professionals in recent years. The NKBA salary survey finds that while managers and employees of design only firms enjoy rates of pay similar to their peers at dealerships, owners of design-only firms make significantly less than owners of dealerships ($107,900 for design-only, versus $134,047 for dealerships), but work fewer hours (45 versus 49 in an average week for dealer owners).
The NKBA mailed questionnaires out to 8,636 kitchen/bath designers, interior designers and architects who had attended the 2006 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show. Some 685 professionals responded, a 9.6% response rate.
Owners of design-only companies reported an average of $107,900 annual salary plus perks. Working an average of 45 hours per week, they earned about $46 dollars an hour, on average. That's slightly more than either the average pharmacist or aerospace engineer (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Managers at design-only companies earned an average $64,454, or roughly $28 per hour. That's virtually identical to what managers at dealerships reported earning ($65,618, or $27 per hour), and more than the average salary for real estate agents or hotel managers.
Employees at design-only companies reported an average salary of $46,074, or $21 per hour, which compares quite nicely with the $45,452 reported by employees at kitchen/bath dealerships ($20 per hour, on average).
Among all respondents, about 40% said their pay was the secondary source of income for their household. About 30% each said it was the sole or the primary source of income for their family.
More than two-thirds of all those responding have a medical plan, 46% have a 401K, 43% have a dental plan, and 36% have a prescription drug plan.
To see the results of each survey, please click the appropriate link below.
