Art directors salary
| Measure | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $64,900 | $31.20 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $114,850 | $55.22 |
| Mean (average) | $129,440 | $62.23 |
| 90th percentile | $213,050 | $102.43 |
These wages describe everyone employed in the occupation, from new entrants to experienced workers. They are not starting salaries and not earnings of graduates from any particular program. Verified data
Art directors pay by state and metro area
Table: median wage and employment for all 50 states and territories
| State | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $77,220 | $56,540 | $131,700 | 210 | 0.3 |
| Alaska | $75,200 | $60,260 | $104,990 | 40 | 0.35 |
| Arizona | Data unavailable | 450 | 0.4 | ||
| Arkansas | $71,930 | $52,990 | $130,030 | 240 | 0.54 |
| California | $137,780 | $81,500 | $249,210 | 12,430 | 2 |
| Colorado | $99,990 | $73,110 | $162,610 | 720 | 0.73 |
| Connecticut | $71,900 | $69,990 | $161,580 | 1,160 | 2 |
| District of Columbia | Data unavailable | 310 | 1.3 | ||
| Florida | $99,660 | $56,780 | $163,450 | 2,520 | 0.74 |
| Georgia | $110,430 | $49,990 | $198,360 | 1,420 | 0.85 |
| Hawaii | $89,300 | $48,920 | $154,410 | 40 | 0.18 |
| Idaho | $80,680 | $51,990 | $155,210 | ||
| Illinois | $103,550 | $69,200 | $172,050 | 2,960 | 1.42 |
| Indiana | $105,690 | $61,990 | $185,690 | 350 | 0.32 |
| Iowa | $80,940 | $62,990 | $126,990 | 280 | 0.52 |
| Kansas | $60,460 | $38,350 | $121,470 | ||
| Kentucky | $76,160 | $42,990 | $121,940 | 320 | 0.47 |
| Louisiana | $83,640 | $56,780 | $187,000 | 160 | 0.24 |
| Maine | $100,300 | $39,950 | $161,030 | ||
| Maryland | $98,400 | $61,160 | $175,690 | 570 | 0.6 |
| Massachusetts | $149,320 | $78,470 | $218,270 | 1,850 | 1.49 |
| Michigan | $86,660 | $54,590 | $166,880 | 1,080 | 0.72 |
| Minnesota | $109,700 | $70,810 | $177,680 | 920 | 0.92 |
| Mississippi | $66,020 | $44,020 | $174,410 | 90 | 0.23 |
| Missouri | $100,940 | $60,590 | $162,340 | 780 | 0.78 |
| Montana | $73,850 | $45,700 | $96,030 | 100 | 0.56 |
| Nebraska | $73,270 | $54,530 | $102,590 | 140 | 0.4 |
| Nevada | $98,070 | $60,000 | $185,100 | 290 | 0.56 |
| New Hampshire | $132,000 | $70,990 | $169,950 | 160 | 0.7 |
| New Jersey | $129,200 | $87,700 | $195,450 | 1,840 | 1.26 |
| New Mexico | Data unavailable | 60 | 0.19 | ||
| New York | $137,320 | $80,060 | $280,320 | 8,720 | 2.64 |
| North Carolina | $90,000 | $56,460 | $142,740 | ||
| North Dakota | $83,170 | $53,200 | $104,290 | 30 | 0.23 |
| Ohio | $94,390 | $57,740 | $148,080 | 1,050 | 0.55 |
| Oklahoma | $80,680 | $62,960 | $143,260 | 290 | 0.49 |
| Oregon | $133,840 | $89,390 | $216,700 | 1,040 | 1.55 |
| Pennsylvania | $97,450 | $65,470 | $149,940 | 1,250 | 0.6 |
| Puerto Rico | $57,580 | $35,680 | $70,060 | 80 | 0.25 |
| Rhode Island | $72,550 | $56,730 | $194,000 | 90 | 0.55 |
| South Carolina | $87,990 | $64,380 | $180,030 | 550 | 0.7 |
| South Dakota | $66,610 | $56,730 | $85,530 | 30 | 0.21 |
| Tennessee | $89,860 | $50,530 | $172,130 | 930 | 0.83 |
| Texas | $88,270 | $55,730 | $172,130 | 2,480 | 0.52 |
| Utah | $106,500 | $55,230 | $164,030 | 290 | 0.5 |
| Vermont | $129,260 | $77,360 | $153,890 | 80 | 0.82 |
| Virginia | $101,150 | $64,010 | $165,010 | 670 | 0.48 |
| Washington | $121,170 | $69,690 | $215,900 | 650 | 0.54 |
| West Virginia | $63,550 | $45,370 | $111,080 | 30 | 0.14 |
| Wisconsin | $81,130 | $58,470 | $131,850 | 730 | 0.73 |
A location quotient above 1 means the occupation is more concentrated in that state than in the nation overall.
Metro areas with the most jobs
Highest paying metro areas
Job outlook for art directors
- Average annual openings, 2025 to 2035: 12,200. Openings include new jobs plus replacement needs when workers retire or leave the occupation. Official projection
- Share of workers who are self-employed (2025): 62.1%.
- Read the official BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile.
These are official BLS projections. ConnectPrep does not alter them or present its own forecasts as official statistics.
Education and training for art directors
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- 5 years or more
- On-the-job training
- None
- O*NET Job Zone
- Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Highest education of people working in this occupation
O*NET describes this preparation level as: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Degrees and programs that lead to this career
Programs officially mapped to this occupation in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. A mapping means the program commonly prepares students for the occupation, not that every graduate works in it. Official crosswalk
- Digital Arts CIP 50.0102
- Graphic Design CIP 50.0409
- Intermedia/Multimedia CIP 50.0706
Skills, knowledge, and daily work
Most important skills
Most important knowledge areas
Typical tasks
- Work with creative directors to develop design solutions.
- Present final layouts to clients for approval.
- Manage own accounts and projects, working within budget and scheduling requirements.
- Confer with creative, art, copywriting, or production department heads to discuss client requirements and presentation concepts and to coordinate creative activities.
- Confer with clients to determine objectives, budget, background information, and presentation approaches, styles, and techniques.
- Formulate basic layout design or presentation approach and specify material details, such as style and size of type, photographs, graphics, animation, video, and sound.
- Review and approve art materials, copy materials, and proofs of printed copy developed by staff members.
- Create custom illustrations or other graphic elements.
Technology skills
- Adobe After Effects (in demand)
- Adobe Creative Cloud software (in demand)
- Adobe Illustrator (in demand)
- Adobe InDesign (in demand)
- Adobe Photoshop (in demand)
- Figma (in demand)
- Microsoft Office software (in demand)
- Microsoft PowerPoint (in demand)
- AJAX (hot technology)
- Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Apple macOS (hot technology)
- Atlassian Confluence (hot technology)
- Atlassian JIRA (hot technology)
- Cascading style sheets CSS (hot technology)
- Facebook (hot technology)
- Hypertext markup language HTML (hot technology)
Transferable skills for career changers: Judgment and Decision Making, Coordination, Complex Problem Solving, Time Management, Persuasion, Operations Analysis.
Common job titles: Art Director, Art Supervisor, Creative Director (CD Director), Creative Manager, Creative Services Director, Creative Services Manager, Design Director, Graphic Design and Art Production Manager, Group Art Supervisor, Presentation Director.
Is it worth it? Model the cost of getting there
Use the ROI calculator to compare the cost of the education this career usually requires against staying on your current path. It starts from the official wage distribution above, and you can change every assumption.
Frequently asked questions
How much do art directors make?
The national median annual wage for art directors was $114,850 in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $64,900 and the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $213,050. These figures cover all workers in the occupation, not only new entrants.
What education do art directors need?
BLS lists bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation, with 5 years or more of related work experience and none on-the-job training typically needed to become competent.
Is art directors a growing career?
BLS projects employment of art directors to change +4.2% from 2025 to 2035, compared with +3.5% for all occupations. About 12,200 openings are projected each year on average, including openings from workers who retire or change occupations.
Which states pay art directors the most?
By median annual wage in May 2025, the highest paying states were Massachusetts ($149,320), California ($137,780), New York ($137,320). Pay differences partly reflect differences in living costs.