occupation · 27-1011 · detailed
Art Directors — wages and employment
Art Directors earned a median annual wage of $111,040 in the United States in May 2024, with 50,370 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Art Directors earned a median annual wage of $111,040 in the United States in May 2024, with 50,370 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $61,060 or less, the best-paid tenth $211,410 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $106,500 to $111,040, +4.3 %. The best-paying state is Oregon at $148,410; the lowest New Mexico at $59,740. Among metropolitan areas, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA pays the highest median, $170,760. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 50,370 | $111,040 | $128,100 | $61,060 | $80,130 | $160,460 | $211,410 | $53.38 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 51,200 | $106,500 | $125,920 | $60,440 | $78,970 | $155,680 | $209,800 | $51.20 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $148,410 | 1,040 |
| Washington | $143,490 | 1,740 |
| New York | $136,610 | 8,300 |
| California | $133,930 | 12,540 |
| Georgia | $131,620 | 1,050 |
| Massachusetts | $131,050 | 1,810 |
| District of Columbia | $126,520 | — |
| New Jersey | $126,030 | 1,620 |
| Hawaii | $108,420 | 40 |
| New Hampshire | $101,890 | 120 |
| Connecticut | $101,050 | 680 |
| Illinois | $100,530 | 2,750 |
| Maryland | $100,230 | 430 |
| Indiana | $98,560 | 320 |
| Minnesota | $98,330 | 1,120 |
| Delaware | $97,320 | 40 |
| Virginia | $95,680 | 860 |
| Vermont | $94,720 | 40 |
| Missouri | $94,000 | 740 |
| Florida | $93,630 | 2,240 |
| Colorado | $93,550 | 680 |
| Ohio | $92,370 | 1,140 |
| Utah | $91,020 | 400 |
| Pennsylvania | $89,990 | 890 |
| Nevada | $89,710 | 230 |
| North Carolina | $89,570 | 880 |
| Michigan | $86,720 | 1,020 |
| Arizona | $85,470 | 370 |
| Wisconsin | $85,370 | 580 |
| Iowa | $80,560 | 370 |
| Texas | $79,930 | 2,690 |
| Maine | $78,200 | 80 |
| Montana | $77,240 | 50 |
| Alabama | $77,140 | 170 |
| Tennessee | $75,820 | 750 |
| Nebraska | $75,010 | 150 |
| Idaho | $74,990 | 220 |
| Oklahoma | $72,740 | 190 |
| Kansas | $69,840 | 360 |
| Kentucky | $68,420 | 290 |
| Arkansas | $67,320 | 140 |
| South Carolina | $66,130 | 340 |
| Louisiana | $66,030 | 130 |
| Rhode Island | $65,270 | 110 |
| Alaska | $60,980 | 40 |
| Puerto Rico | $60,940 | 110 |
| New Mexico | $59,740 | 50 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $170,760 | 850 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $158,690 | 2,050 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $155,350 | 900 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $143,490 | 1,460 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $136,850 | 8,760 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $134,280 | 880 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $133,550 | 6,930 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $132,340 | 1,490 |
| Youngstown-Warren, OH | $130,390 | 40 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $122,500 | 50 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $116,410 | 90 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $114,300 | 50 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $113,460 | 30 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $112,400 | 860 |
| Waterbury-Shelton, CT | $110,340 | 80 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $108,340 | 330 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $108,150 | 30 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $108,130 | 770 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $107,300 | 80 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | $107,120 | — |
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