Craft Artists Salary: $38,480 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 4,370 craft artists work nationally, and $38,480 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 40% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 4.5% annual decline.
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 percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| 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 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 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Craft Artists shrank from 2,000 in 2010 to 1,000 in 2025 (50.0%).
Historical employment for Craft Artists from the California OEWS series, 2010–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$38,480 Median pay (BLS national)
Craft Artists earn $38,480 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.
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:
- MI: 540 employees, $31,790 avg wage
- TX: 340 employees, $48,940 avg wage
- CA: 290 employees, $86,090 avg wage
- CO: 200 employees, $42,720 avg wage
- CT: 200 employees, $34,620 avg wage
- MO: 160 employees, $55,700 avg wage
- OH: 160 employees, $38,100 avg wage
- ME: 140 employees, $41,530 avg wage
- NY: 130 employees, $57,900 avg wage
- OR: 120 employees, $44,830 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Craft Artists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 310 employees, $29,320 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 200 employees, $88,650 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 160 employees, $46,960 avg wage
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: 70 employees, $46,380 avg wage
- Birmingham, AL: 50 employees, $38,670 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 50 employees, $49,860 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 50 employees, $83,470 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 40 employees, $58,050 avg wage
- Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN: 40 employees, $38,970 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 40 employees, $91,590 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 U.S. workforce for Craft Artists is about 4,370 people in our OEWS extract.
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
Craft Artists earn $38,480 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.