Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators Salary: $60,560 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 10,000 fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators work nationally, and $60,560 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 32% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.6% annual growth.
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators: what the data shows
Common questions about fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators?
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 27-1013.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 10,000 workers.
What does a fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Thinking Creatively, Getting Information, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Working with Computers, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators make?
BLS national median annual wage: $60,560 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $156,295 — 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 | $65,688 |
| 25th percentile | $89,313 |
| Median (50th) | $143,887 |
| 75th percentile | $171,785 |
| 90th percentile | $232,594 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Learning, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, and knowledge areas including Design, Computers and Electronics, English Language, Production and Processing. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.6% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 19.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 42.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 10,000.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustratorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 10,000 | 23.2% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 9,690 | 22.4% |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 4,000 | 9.3% |
| Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries | 3,380 | 7.8% |
| Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers | 2,460 | 5.7% |
| Educational Services | 960 | 2.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators 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 |
| Craft Artists | 4,370 | $38,480 |
| Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons | 7,220 | $38,140 |
| Photographers | 51,230 | $42,520 |
| Artists and Related Workers, All Other | 7,370 | $72,760 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators workforce.
Employment Over Time
10,000 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators grew from 3,780 in 2009 to 6,680 in 2025 (76.7%).
Historical employment for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$60,560 Median pay (BLS national)
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators earn $60,560 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 Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
Salary distribution for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
Employment Growth Projections
3.6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
7,980 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 19.5%
9,535 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 42.7%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.6% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
Wage Trends by Industry
39.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: -9.2% growth (Current: $174,817)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
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: 1,760 employees, $152,160 avg wage
- TX: 1,140 employees, $42,620 avg wage
- NY: 960 employees, $84,760 avg wage
- WA: 840 employees, $82,000 avg wage
- FL: 820 employees, $60,120 avg wage
- OH: 680 employees, $36,870 avg wage
- NC: 260 employees, $53,020 avg wage
- GA: 240 employees, $64,570 avg wage
- WI: 190 employees, $64,500 avg wage
- LA: 190 employees, $33,910 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 1,360 employees, $165,010 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 710 employees, $89,870 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 650 employees, $87,770 avg wage
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL: 340 employees, $65,600 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 330 employees, $43,480 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 290 employees, N/A avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 230 employees, $115,750 avg wage
- Cleveland, OH: 210 employees, $38,020 avg wage
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 200 employees, $50,860 avg wage
- Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN: 170 employees, $39,190 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
Diversity
Demographic information on Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators is about 10,000 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
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 Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators in 2023 were Business Administration, Visual Arts, Fine Arts.
Common majors for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators workers.
Education level distribution for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
Skills
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators need many skills, but most especially Active Learning, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, Speaking.
Required skills for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators include Design, Computers and Electronics, English Language, Production and Processing, Fine Arts.
Knowledge areas required for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators include Originality, Fluency of Ideas, Visualization, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Visual Color Discrimination.
Required abilities for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
Daily Activities
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators spend their time on activities such as Thinking Creatively, Getting Information, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.
Most important work activities for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators.
About
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators earn $60,560 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
27-1013 - Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators reports an average salary of $156,295, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 10,000 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.6%, 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.