Art Directors
Art Directors earn an average annual salary of $154,344, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. The field has seen strong growth, with employment increasing by 10.6% over recent years. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Art Directors workforce.
Employment Over Time
12,540 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.
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: 11,680 employees, $154,851 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Art Directors.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 5,760 employees, $155,823 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 1,450 employees, $177,584 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 1,160 employees, $148,070 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 860 employees, $130,893 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 850 employees, $176,993 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 510 employees, $150,291 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 330 employees, $132,095 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 260 employees, $118,300 avg wage
- San Rafael MD: 100 employees, $172,508 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 80 employees, $126,035 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 12,540 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 12,540 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.