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Best Industrial Design Schools Near Johnson City, TN (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Johnson City, Tennessee has 1 accredited school offering industrial design programs. Johnson City has a population of about 71,455. Median household income is $55,429 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 41.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Johnson City, TN metro area, the top-earning industrial design-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $133,120 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Industrial Design Schools to Johnson City
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer industrial design programs near Johnson City, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Johnson City city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
Johnson City is part of the Johnson City, TN metro area (BLS area code 27740). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Commercial and Industrial Designers
$71,230
TN statewide
$81,035
Industrial Engineers
$84,160
Johnson City, TN
$95,745
Graphic Designers
$48,690
Johnson City, TN
$55,392
Mechanical Drafters
$63,390
TN statewide
$72,116
Interior Designers
$63,660
TN statewide
$72,423
Architectural and Engineering Managers
$133,120
Johnson City, TN
$151,445
Set and Exhibit Designers
N/A
TN statewide
–
Mechanical Engineers
$97,040
Johnson City, TN
$110,398
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Johnson City at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
71,455
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$55,429
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
41.8%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
87.9 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Johnson City-Area Cities With Industrial Design Programs
How many accredited industrial design schools are near Johnson City, TN?
Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering industrial design programs near Johnson City. The closest is Appalachian State University in Boone, NC (39.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Appalachian State University (39.9 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying industrial design roles near Johnson City?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying industrial design-related roles near Johnson City are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($133,120), Mechanical Engineers ($97,040), Industrial Engineers ($84,160). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Tennessee statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Kingsport instead of Johnson City?
Kingsport, TN is 15.5 miles from Johnson City and has its own set of local industrial design programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Johnson City an affordable place to study industrial design?
Johnson City’s median household income of $55,429 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Johnson City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Tennessee public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Data verified: September 5, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.