Art Directors Salary: $154,344 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 50,370 art directors nationally earn a mean of $154,344. Employment in the series shown rose about 11% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.3% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Art Directors: what the data shows
Common questions about art directors careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a art directors?
Art Directors is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 27-1011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 50,370 workers.
What does a art directors do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Thinking Creatively, Working with Computers, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a art directors make?
BLS national median annual wage: $111,040 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $154,344 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $78,548 |
| 25th percentile | $105,358 |
| Median (50th) | $137,570 |
| 75th percentile | $180,259 |
| 90th percentile | $232,522 |
What education do you need?
For Art Directors, 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, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Judgment and Decision Making, Complex Problem Solving, and knowledge areas including Design, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Fine Arts. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is art directors in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.3% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 17.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 38.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 50,370.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do art directorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 50,370 | 19.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 49,670 | 19.5% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 23,440 | 9.2% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 23,440 | 9.2% |
| Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services | 13,830 | 5.4% |
| Information | 10,410 | 4.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Art Directors 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 |
| Multimedia Artists and Animators | 21,280 | $99,800 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Art Directors workforce.
Employment Over Time
50,370 Workforce in 2023
The Art Directors workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Art Directors.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$154,344 Average Wage
In 2023, Art Directors earned an average of $154,344.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Art Directors.
Salary distribution for Art Directors.
Employment Growth Projections
3.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
57,085 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 17.8%
67,217 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 38.7%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.3% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Art Directors.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Art Directors and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Art Directors employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Art Directors.
Wage Trends by Industry
2.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Art Directors.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Art Directors.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 12,540 employees, $150,260 avg wage
- NY: 8,300 employees, $156,580 avg wage
- IL: 2,750 employees, $110,670 avg wage
- TX: 2,690 employees, $94,990 avg wage
- FL: 2,240 employees, $99,120 avg wage
- MA: 1,810 employees, $145,220 avg wage
- WA: 1,740 employees, $154,700 avg wage
- NJ: 1,620 employees, $130,770 avg wage
- OH: 1,140 employees, $97,360 avg wage
- MN: 1,120 employees, $109,120 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Art Directors.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 8,760 employees, $156,460 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 6,930 employees, $150,430 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 2,260 employees, $113,990 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 2,050 employees, $166,090 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 1,490 employees, $145,690 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 1,460 employees, $159,210 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 1,110 employees, $90,660 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 930 employees, $114,310 avg wage
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: 900 employees, $155,450 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 880 employees, $131,640 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Art Directors.
Diversity
Demographic information on Art Directors in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Art Directors in 2023 was 50,370 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Art Directors.
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 Art Directors.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Art Directors.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Art Directors in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Art Directors.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Art Directors workers.
Education level distribution for Art Directors.
Skills
Art Directors need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Judgment and Decision Making.
Required skills for Art Directors.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Art Directors.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Art Directors include Design, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Fine Arts, Communications and Media.
Knowledge areas required for Art Directors.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Art Directors include Originality, Fluency of Ideas, Near Vision, Written Comprehension, Oral Expression.
Required abilities for Art Directors.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Art Directors.
Daily Activities
Art Directors spend their time on activities such as Thinking Creatively, Working with Computers, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Art Directors.
About
Art Directors
The average yearly wage for Art Directors was $154,344 in 2023.
SOC Code
27-1011 - Art Directors
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Art Directors reports an average salary of $154,344, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 50,370 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.3%, 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.