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Best Industrial Design Schools Near Kingsport, TN (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Kingsport, Tennessee has 1 accredited school offering industrial design programs. Kingsport has a population of about 55,807. Median household income is $50,436 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 31.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA metro area, the top-earning industrial design-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $138,550 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Industrial Design Schools to Kingsport
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer industrial design programs near Kingsport, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Kingsport city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
Kingsport is part of the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA metro area (BLS area code 28700). 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
$82,442
Industrial Engineers
$98,000
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
$113,426
Graphic Designers
$49,570
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
$57,373
Mechanical Drafters
$63,390
TN statewide
$73,368
Interior Designers
$63,660
TN statewide
$73,681
Architectural and Engineering Managers
$138,550
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
$160,359
Set and Exhibit Designers
N/A
TN statewide
–
Mechanical Engineers
$94,560
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
$109,444
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.
Kingsport at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
55,807
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$50,436
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
31.0%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
86.4 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Kingsport-Area Cities With Industrial Design Programs
How many accredited industrial design schools are near Kingsport, TN?
Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering industrial design programs near Kingsport. The closest is Appalachian State University in Boone, NC (52.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Appalachian State University (52.6 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying industrial design roles near Kingsport?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying industrial design-related roles near Kingsport are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($138,550), Industrial Engineers ($98,000), Mechanical Engineers ($94,560). 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 Johnson City instead of Kingsport?
Johnson City, TN is 15.5 miles from Kingsport 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 Kingsport an affordable place to study industrial design?
Kingsport’s median household income of $50,436 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Kingsport 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.