# Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers

US SOC code 27-1026. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/27-1026

Also called: Visual merchandiser, Visual merchandising specialist, Window trimmer, Retail display specialist, Display designer.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **165,220** US merchandise displayers and window trimmers, with median pay of **$39,390** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **192,480**, in May 2024. The earliest figure here is [a Census count](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1904/dec/occupations.html) of **12,000** from 1900, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for merchandise displayers and window trimmers: Digital design software, 3D store planning, and omnichannel retail pressure, 1995 to 2018.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 2.7% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-1026&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **26.8%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1870
- Latest US employment: 165,220 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $39,390 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Outlook: +2.7% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [16]

### All 28 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1900 | 12,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1900 [1] |
| 1930 | 28,000 | n/a | Decennial Census [2] |
| 1955 | n/a | $3,400 (estimate) | Est., University of Missouri Libraries [5] |
| 1960 | 55,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1960 [3] |
| 1990 | 82,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1990 [3] |
| 2003 | 59,150 | $22,030 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 62,220 | $22,660 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 64,320 | $22,590 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 62,580 | $23,820 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 68,660 | $24,830 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 63,320 | $25,940 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 61,280 | $25,970 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 64,330 | $25,960 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 67,290 | $26,190 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 73,490 | $26,410 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 72,590 | $27,470 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 93,000 | $26,590 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 100,540 | $26,870 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 114,690 | $26,700 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 120,870 | $27,680 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 128,960 | $28,450 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 140,850 | $29,460 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 134,660 | $30,810 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 159,790 | $32,060 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 173,110 | $35,380 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 175,790 | $36,230 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 192,480 | $37,350 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 165,220 | $39,390 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (77)

### Employment series

1. [1900 Census Special Reports: Occupations at the Twelfth Census (decorators, drapers, and window dressers category)](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1904/dec/occupations.html), US Census Bureau
2. [IPUMS USA — Occupational classification documentation 1920-1950 (OCC1950 variable; decorators and window dressers category)](https://usa.ipums.org/usa-action/variables/OCC1950), IPUMS / University of Minnesota
3. [IPUMS USA — 1960 Census occupation coding documentation (decorators, display workers, window dressers)](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/9050occup.shtml), IPUMS / University of Minnesota
4. 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

5. [University of Missouri Libraries, "Prices and Wages by Decade: 1950-1959" (compiling BLS retail trade wage surveys for display workers)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1950-1959), University of Missouri Libraries
6. 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

7. [Wikipedia — Display window (history of plate glass and shop front development)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shop_window), Wikipedia
8. [Hagley Museum — "Let it Show": American Retail Show Windows (plate glass and electric lighting in retail display)](https://www.hagley.org/librarynews/let-it-show-let-it-show-let-it-show-american-retail-show-windows), Hagley Museum and Library
9. [The Show Window / Oz Wiki — L. Frank Baum's trade journal and the National Association of Window Trimmers of America (founded 1898)](https://oz.fandom.com/wiki/The_Show_Window), Oz Wiki / Fandom
10. [Yale University Library — L. Frank Baum, The Art of Decorating Dry Goods Windows and Interiors (1900)](https://collections.library.yale.edu/catalog/17381878), Yale University Library
11. ["Visual Merchandising vs. Display Design" — terminology history and mid-century display department evolution](https://visualmerchandisingdisplays.wordpress.com/2021/02/05/visual-merchandising-vs-display-design/), Visual Merchandising Displays blog
12. [MockShop — Visual Merchandising Software (3D store planning history)](https://www.iwd.io/en/visual-merchandising-software/mockshop), IWD / MockShop
13. [One Door — 2026 Visual Merchandising Trends (digital tools reshaping the profession)](https://onedoor.com/resource/visual-merchandising-trends/), One Door
14. [LEAFIO AI — AI-powered planogram generation and shelf compliance software](https://www.leafio.ai/planogram-software/), LEAFIO AI
15. [Dragonfly AI — Visual Merchandising attention analytics](https://dragonflyai.co/visual-merchandising), Dragonfly AI

### Forecasts and exposure studies

16. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 27-1026 Merchandise displayers and window trimmers (2025: 164.8 thousand; 2035: 169.2 thousand; +2.7%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-1026&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
17. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 27-1026.00, human-rated β 0.268)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

18. [Hagley Museum — "Let it Show": American Retail Show Windows (Macy's 1874 Christmas window)](https://www.hagley.org/librarynews/let-it-show-let-it-show-let-it-show-american-retail-show-windows), Hagley Museum and Library
19. [The Show Window / Oz Wiki — L. Frank Baum's journal (founded November 1, 1897)](https://oz.fandom.com/wiki/The_Show_Window), Oz Wiki / Fandom
20. [Window Displays — Encyclopedia.com (National Association of Window Trimmers history)](https://www.encyclopedia.com/fashion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/window-displays), Encyclopedia.com
21. [Wikipedia — Southdale Center (first enclosed US shopping mall, October 1956)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southdale_Center), Wikipedia
22. ["Visual Merchandising vs. Display Design" — history of the 1970s terminology shift](https://visualmerchandisingdisplays.wordpress.com/2021/02/05/visual-merchandising-vs-display-design/), Visual Merchandising Displays blog
23. [O\*NET 27-1026.00 — Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers (SOC classification under Arts and Design group)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-1026.00), O\*NET / BLS
24. [One Door — 2026 Visual Merchandising Trends (COVID-19 acceleration of digital VM tools)](https://onedoor.com/resource/visual-merchandising-trends/), One Door

### Predecessors & successors

25. [Hagley Museum — "Let it Show": American Retail Show Windows (origin of dedicated display workers from general store staff)](https://www.hagley.org/librarynews/let-it-show-let-it-show-let-it-show-american-retail-show-windows), Hagley Museum and Library
26. [L. Frank Baum (The Show Window, 1897) — Baum drew explicitly on theatrical stagecraft for his window trimming techniques](https://oz.fandom.com/wiki/The_Show_Window), Oz Wiki / Fandom

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers (27-1026.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-1026.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS OEWS May 2024 — Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers (national flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), accessed 2026-10-07
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [One Door — 2026 Visual Merchandising Trends That Retail Leaders Need to Know](https://onedoor.com/resource/visual-merchandising-trends/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [LEAFIO AI — Planogram Software Features](https://www.leafio.ai/planogram-software/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [MockShop — Visual Merchandising Software](https://www.iwd.io/en/visual-merchandising-software/mockshop), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Dragonfly AI — Visual Merchandising](https://dragonflyai.co/visual-merchandising), accessed 2026-06-05

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