12 Best Paying Jobs in Consumer Durables

Consumer durables are products that are not replaced so easily, but you’ll be surprised to know that the best paying jobs in consumer durables are here for the long term.

What are Consumer Durable Goods?

Also known as “final goods,” durable consumer goods are considered:

• Products that last for over 3 years,
• Items that can be rented out or bought,
• Products that people can use repeatedly, or
• Items that have long periods between successive purchases.

Not many people know this, but the sales of consumer durable goods are an economic indicator.

The more consumers buy hard goods from domestic manufacturers, the more positive and healthier an economy is deemed to be.

(Check out my other post on the best-paying jobs in consumer non-durables and head on over there to get more career ideas.)

12 Industries with Best-Paying Jobs in Consumer Durables

As you can imagine, there are numerous industries producing durable consumer goods that you can explore as your career paths.

Check out the industries below and the best-paying jobs showcased within each industry.

1. Luxury Fashion Industry

Clothing, bags, and shoes are non-durables, but many other products (such as watches and jewelry) continue to be a driving force in making the luxury fashion industry an $80 billion market.

Companies like Rolex, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, and Chanel are beloved brands that have been around for decades and no pandemic or any other global issues would stop their productions. High-paying jobs within the luxury industries include:

• In-store sales representatives ($49,000 to $87,000 per year plus 5% to 10% commissions of every item sold)
• Fashion forecaster ($50,000 to $100,000 a year)
• Luxury brand marketing specialists ($100,000 to $150,000 per year)
• Visual merchandisers ($60,000 to $98,000 a year)

2. Automobiles, Aircraft, Bicycles, Trucks, Mobile Homes

All kinds of automobiles (cars, trucks, pick-ups, e-bikes, motorcycles, and so on) fall under durable goods. After all, these last for over 3 years. Toyota, Volkswagen, Ford, Honda, General Motors, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, GE Aviation, and Champion Homes (among many others) lead the automotive industries.

Some of the best paying jobs in consumer durables within the automotive industry include:

• Automotive designer ($90,000 to $120,000 a year)
• Dimensional Engineer ($79,000 to $93,500 per year)
• Dealership Sales managers ($130,000 to $165,000 a year)
• Automotive Engineer ($70,000 to $83,000 per year)
• Quality testing engineer ($90,000 to $110,000 a year)

3. Furniture and Home Appliances

The household appliances industry generates several hundred billion U.S. dollars in sales every year. LG, Whirlpool, Midea, BSH Home Appliances, and Electrolux are just a handful of companies leading the pack.

If you’re interested in a career within this industry, seek out positions such as:

• Advanced design furniture engineer ($62,500 to $80,000 a year)
• Interior designers ($60,000 to $130,000 a year)
• Furniture, fixture & equipment (FFE) buyer ($73,000 to $90,500 a year)
• Electronics engineers ($100,000 to $120,000 a year)

4. Computer and Software

Computers, accessories, and software have a long life and are not easily used up or destroyed, so they fall under the consumer durable goods category.

The biggest paying companies in this industry include Apple Inc, SM&A, Adobe, and MITRE with jobs ranging from something more general software architects to jobs that are highly specific like blockchain engineers.

• Data scientist ($100,000 to $140,000 a year)
• Computer support specialist ($55,500 to $89,000 a year)
• Internet of Things (IoT) Solutions Architect ($116,500 to $180,000 a year)
• Computer hardware engineer ($102,000 to $128,000 a year)
• Database administrator ($90,200 to $127,000 a year)

5. Jewelry Industry

Basic or raw materials, such as copper, are not considered consumer goods because they have to be transformed into usable products before use.

However, end-products like necklaces, rings, and similar products from companies like Tiffany & Co., Harry Winston, and David Yurman
fall under consumer durables.

And because the value of the jewelry market is expected to increase from about $230 billion in 2020 to $307 billion by 2026, expect the opportunities here to remain in demand, such as:

• Jewelry designer ($61,000 to $93,000 a year)
• Quality control specialist ($63,500 to $88,000 a year)
• Jewelry appraiser ($66,000 to $80,000 a year)
• Steels and metal production specialist ($75,000 to $174,000 a year)

6. Medical Equipment Production

As we saw from the covid19 pandemic, the healthcare sector is a $170-billion-dollar industry with the best-paying companies like Abbott, Medtronic, Baxter, Danaher, 3M, and Stryker continuously providing jobs such as:

• Biomedical equipment technician ($53,000 to $120,000 a year)
• Health IT software engineers ($93,000 to $118,000 a year)
• Biotechnology sales professionals ($107,000 to $165,000 a year)

7. Sports Equipment

The demand to get fit and healthy will never run out of fashion.

Even if sporting equipment can be a one-time-buy, the jobs within this industry continue to be in-demand thanks to companies like Franklin Sports, ProMAXima, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc., Decathlon USA, and Bass Pro Shops (among others).

Examples of best paying jobs in consumer durables sporting equipment category include:

• Sports psychologist ($90,000 to $120,000 a year)
• Athletic director ($60,000 to $81,000 a year)
• Sports Research Engineers ($94,000 to $110,000 a year)
• Sports Data Analyst ($92,000 to $105,000 a year)

8. Books and Toys

Both the industries of books and toys feed the soul.

You can understand that even in this digital world, books and toys continue to be a thriving industry with companies like Harper Collins, Hachette Book Group, Penguin/Random House, Melissa & Doug, and LeapFrog leading these industries with high-paying jobs such as:

• Communications managers ($100,000 to $148,000 a year)
• Toy designers ($84,000 to $110,000)
• Product brand managers ($107,000 to $115,000 a year
• STEM toy concept artist ($68,000 to $80,000)

9. Consumer Electronics Manufacturing

Of course, some of the best paying jobs in consumer durables would fall under consumer electronics.

Yes, the manufacturing of mobile phones, TVs, mp3 players, DVD players, and other similar gadgets have brought billions of dollars in revenue to top US companies like Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, Samsung, LG, and Apple (among many others) offering high-paying jobs such as:

• Principal electrical engineer ($109,500 to $145,000 a year)
• Electronics communication engineer ($71,000 to $85,000/year)
• Senior electronics technicians ($65,000 to $90,000/year)
• Robotics engineer ($90,000 to $105,000 per year)

10. Tools

Manufacturing of machine tools, hand tools, woodworking tools, yard, and garden tools may be a surprising entry into these industries with the best paying jobs in consumer durables, but Black & Decker, DeWalt, Craftsman, and Milwaukee are just some brands to watch out for if you’re interested in a career in the industry.

Some examples of roles with good pay are:

• Senior CNC Machine Operator ($76,000 to $84,000/year)
• Production Line Operations Supervisor ($73,000 to $95,000/year)
• Manufacturing manager ($95,000 to $122,000/year)

11. Construction Industry

Consumer durables in home improvement and the construction industry are tricky since not all materials can fall under consumer durables.

Wood, for example, is not considered consumer goods since it can be made into other products like furniture.

Bricks, however, are a good example of durable consumer goods as it is used as-is into a project.

Acme Brick Co and General Shale come to mind as the leaders in this niche with high-paying jobs such as:

• Ceramic engineer ($65,000 to $80,000/year)
• Engineering Services Specialist($56,000 to $78,000/year)
• Manufacturing supervisor ($73,000 to $95,000/year)

12. Kitchen and Cooking Equipment

Jobs manufacturing pots, pans, knives, and other kitchen and cooking equipment is an evergreen career path.

Just take a look at jobs from US kitchen and cooking equipment manufacturers American Range, Cambro, Zwilling, and Cuisinart:

• Robotic/engineering technician ($93,000 to $115,000/year)
• Tool and die maker ($65,000 to $82,000/year)
• Manufacturing cost analyst ($70,000 to $85,000/year)

Not Interested in these Best Paying Jobs in Consumer Durables?

If sales of durable goods within a city or state increase, it means the people living in that area are becoming more optimistic about the economy.

Having said that, even if consumer goods are only replaced or replenished after 3 years (or sometimes for longer), this doesn’t affect how

You might also be interested in future-proofing your career with this post: 12 best jobs for the future. Or if you’re interested in work-from-home opportunities, don’t miss:

• Must-see work-from-home jobs
• How to make money online fast
• Work-from-home jobs with benefits