Craft Artists Salary: $88,430 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 4,370 craft artists nationally earn a mean of $88,430. Employment in the series shown fell about 40% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 4.5% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Craft Artists: what the data shows
Common questions about craft artists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a craft artists?
Craft Artists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 27-1012.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 4,370 workers.
What does a craft artists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Thinking Creatively, Handling and Moving Objects, Performing General Physical Activities, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Selling or Influencing Others, Monitoring and Controlling Resources, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a craft artists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $38,480 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $88,430 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $50,208 |
| 25th percentile | $53,660 |
| Median (50th) | $61,610 |
| 75th percentile | $118,300 |
| 90th percentile | $179,746 |
What education do you need?
For Craft Artists, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Fine Arts, Sales and Marketing, Production and Processing, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is craft artists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 4.5% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -20.6%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -37.0%.
Current U.S. headcount: 4,370.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do craft artistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 4,370 | 22.4% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 4,330 | 22.2% |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 1,720 | 8.8% |
| Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries | 1,420 | 7.3% |
| Retail Trade | 1,210 | 6.2% |
| Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers | 1,160 | 5.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Craft Artists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Graphic Designers | 214,260 | $61,300 |
| Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance | 3,320 | $50,280 |
| Floral Designers | 40,160 | $36,120 |
| Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators | 10,000 | $60,560 |
| Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons | 7,220 | $38,140 |
| Photographers | 51,230 | $42,520 |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | 114,410 | $61,430 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Craft Artists workforce.
Employment Over Time
4,370 Workforce in 2023
The Craft Artists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Craft Artists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$88,430 Average Wage
In 2023, Craft Artists earned an average of $88,430.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Craft Artists.
Salary distribution for Craft Artists.
Employment Growth Projections
-4.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
793 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -20.6%
629 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -37.0%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Craft Artists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Craft Artists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Craft Artists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Craft Artists.
Wage Trends by Industry
-13.8% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 23.4% growth (Current: $93,348)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Craft Artists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Craft Artists.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 210 employees, $90,826 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Craft Artists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 180 employees, $93,348 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 20 employees, $74,014 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 10 employees, $79,062 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Craft Artists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Craft Artists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Craft Artists in 2023 was 4,370 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Craft Artists.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Craft Artists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Craft Artists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Craft Artists in 2023 were Business Administration, Visual Arts, Fine Arts.
Common majors for Craft Artists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Craft Artists workers.
Education level distribution for Craft Artists.
Skills
Craft Artists need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Monitoring.
Required skills for Craft Artists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Craft Artists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Craft Artists include Fine Arts, Sales and Marketing, Production and Processing, Customer and Personal Service, Design.
Knowledge areas required for Craft Artists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Craft Artists include Finger Dexterity, Originality, Manual Dexterity, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Fluency of Ideas.
Required abilities for Craft Artists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Craft Artists.
Daily Activities
Craft Artists spend their time on activities such as Thinking Creatively, Handling and Moving Objects, Performing General Physical Activities, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Selling or Influencing Others.
Most important work activities for Craft Artists.
About
Craft Artists
The average yearly wage for Craft Artists was $88,430 in 2023.
SOC Code
27-1012 - Craft Artists
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Craft Artists reports an average salary of $88,430.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 4,370 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -4.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.