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Best Industrial Design Schools Near Abilene, TX (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Abilene, Texas is home to about 127,130 residents. Median household income is $62,720 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 27.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Abilene, TX metro area, the top-earning industrial design-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $156,940 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Industrial Design Schools to Abilene
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer industrial design programs near Abilene, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Abilene city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Abilene.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Abilene is part of the Abilene, TX metro area (BLS area code 10180). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Commercial and Industrial Designers
N/A
TX statewide
–
Industrial Engineers
$96,840
Abilene, TX
$107,124
Graphic Designers
$49,360
Abilene, TX
$54,602
Mechanical Drafters
$79,380
TX statewide
$87,810
Interior Designers
$65,160
TX statewide
$72,080
Architectural and Engineering Managers
$156,940
Abilene, TX
$173,606
Set and Exhibit Designers
$56,930
TX statewide
$62,976
Mechanical Engineers
$99,460
Abilene, TX
$110,022
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.
Abilene at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
127,130
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$62,720
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
27.1%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
90.4 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Abilene-Area Cities With Industrial Design Programs
What are the highest-paying industrial design roles near Abilene?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying industrial design-related roles near Abilene are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($156,940), Mechanical Engineers ($99,460), Industrial Engineers ($96,840). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Texas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Brownwood instead of Abilene?
Brownwood, TX is 67.9 miles from Abilene 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 Abilene an affordable place to study industrial design?
Abilene’s median household income of $62,720 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Abilene while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Texas 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.
