# Floral Designers

US SOC code 27-1023. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/27-1023

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **40,590** US floral designers, with median pay of **$37,360** a year. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1914/dec/vol-4-occupations.html) of **20,000** from 1910, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for floral designers: Business management software, 2010 to 2022.

Figures: Official statistic (latest count and pay); Researched context (earliest figure).

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to decline 5.6% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-1023&ioType=o) (Official statistic).

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35.

## Floral Designers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1870
- Latest US employment: 40,590 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Latest US median pay: $37,360 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Outlook: -5.6% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [16]

### All 26 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1910 | 20,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Derived estimate of commercial retail… [1] |
| 1970 | 50,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Reference for Business [2] |
| 1996 | 120,000 (estimate) | $18,221 (average) (estimate) | Est., Reference for Business [2] |
| 2003 | 69,730 | $19,660 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [3] |
| 2004 | 67,710 | $20,450 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [3] |
| 2005 | 63,920 | $21,060 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [3] |
| 2006 | 61,320 | $21,700 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [3] |
| 2007 | 59,530 | $22,540 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [3] |
| 2008 | 57,500 | $23,230 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [3] |
| 2009 | 51,470 | $23,530 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [3] |
| 2010 | 47,850 | $23,610 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [3] |
| 2011 | 47,180 | $23,600 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [3] |
| 2012 | 47,110 | $23,810 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [3] |
| 2013 | 46,490 | $24,220 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [3] |
| 2014 | 45,050 | $24,750 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [3] |
| 2015 | 44,350 | $25,010 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [3] |
| 2016 | 43,990 | $25,850 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [3] |
| 2017 | 43,470 | $26,350 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [3] |
| 2018 | 43,360 | $27,200 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [3] |
| 2019 | 41,770 | $28,040 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [3] |
| 2020 | 36,810 | $29,140 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [3] |
| 2021 | 36,000 | $29,880 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [3] |
| 2022 | 42,840 | $33,160 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [3] |
| 2023 | 43,350 | $34,690 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [3] |
| 2024 | 40,160 | $36,120 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [3] |
| 2025 | 40,590 | $37,360 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [3] |

## Sources (69)

### Employment series

1. [Derived estimate of commercial retail florists (~20,000), interpolated from the 1910 US Census combined occupation 'Gardeners, florists, fruit growers, and nurserymen'; the Census did not publish a standalone florist count](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1914/dec/vol-4-occupations.html), Future History estimate (basis: 1910 US Census, Vol. IV Occupation Statistics)
2. [Reference for Business: SIC 5992 Florists Industry History (early 1970s: approximately 20,000 retail florist shops)](https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/industries/Retail-Trade/Florists.html), Reference for Business
3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

4. [Reference for Business: SIC 5992 Florists Industry History (1996: nonsupervisory workers earned approximately $8.76/hour)](https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/industries/Retail-Trade/Florists.html), Reference for Business
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

6. [New York Flower District history: wholesale florist operations at 28th Street established 1891, peak 200+ suppliers (flowermuseum.org)](https://www.flowermuseum.org/our-history), New York Flower Museum / Flower District history
7. [Society of American Florists chartered by Act of Congress 1884, formed Chicago by 21 members of nurserymen/florists association](https://safnow.org/about-saf/history-of-the-society-of-american-florists-saf/), Society of American Florists
8. [FTD Wikipedia: founded August 18, 1910 in Rochester NY by thirteen American florists via telegraph relay](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florists%27_Transworld_Delivery), Wikipedia / FTD history
9. [Teleflora Wikipedia: founded 1934 by Edwin S. Douglas as Telegraph Delivery Service](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleflora), Wikipedia / Teleflora history
10. [Reference for Business SIC 5992: unprecedented growth 1982-1989; early 1990s close to 70,000 retail florists and supermarket departments](https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/industries/Retail-Trade/Florists.html), Reference for Business
11. [Society of American Florists industry facts: 11,744 retail florist locations (2024); industry spending $71.0 billion (2024)](https://safnow.org/trends-statistics/floral-industry-facts/), Society of American Florists
12. [Details Flowers Software: all-in-one platform for wedding and event florists (proposals, stem costing, recipes, orders)](https://info.detailsflowers.com/), Details Flowers Software
13. [Petal Republic floristry statistics: online flower merchants expanded 11.8% (2014-2019); supermarkets 6% floral sales growth (2019)](https://www.petalrepublic.com/floristry-and-floriculture-statistics/), Petal Republic
14. [Shields Flowers NYC: "AI and the Future of Event Planning: How Technology is Changing Floral Design" (2025)](https://shieldsflowersnyc.com/ai-and-the-future-of-event-planning-how-technology-is-changing-floral-design/), Shields Flowers and Events
15. [Flower Architect: AI-powered floral design tool with 1,700+ 3D flowers for professional visualization](https://www.flowerarchitect.com/en), Flower Architect

### Forecasts and exposure studies

16. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 27-1023 Floral designers (2025: 45.2 thousand; 2035: 42.7 thousand; -5.6%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-1023&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Historical notes

17. [Society of American Florists: history of SAF, chartered by Congress 1884, Chicago founding, 400 members by 1885](https://safnow.org/about-saf/history-of-the-society-of-american-florists-saf/), Society of American Florists
18. [FTD Wikipedia: founded August 18, 1910, Rochester NY; Mercury Man logo adopted 1914](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florists%27_Transworld_Delivery), Wikipedia / FTD
19. [Reference for Business SIC 5992 Florists: unprecedented growth 1982-1989; early 1990s: close to 70,000 retail florists and supermarket departments](https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/industries/Retail-Trade/Florists.html), Reference for Business
20. [O\*NET OnLine: 27-1023.00 Floral Designers summary (SOC 2000 introduction; current BLS OEWS tracking)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-1023.00), O\*NET / Bureau of Labor Statistics
21. [Society of American Florists industry facts: 11,744 retail florist locations; $71.0 billion industry spending (2024)](https://safnow.org/trends-statistics/floral-industry-facts/), Society of American Florists

### Predecessors & successors

22. [New York Flower District history: flower trade emerged from market gardeners relocating to 28th Street wholesale district, 1870s-1890s](https://www.flowermuseum.org/our-history), New York Flower Museum
23. [SAF history: formal floral design education and certification programs established 1960s; Floriculture Hall of Fame 1962, American Academy of Floriculture 1965](https://safnow.org/about-saf/history-of-the-society-of-american-florists-saf/), Society of American Florists

### Present-day analysis

- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-21
- [O\*NET 30.3 — US Department of Labor](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), accessed 2026-05-21

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.