Average Art Directors Salary in the United States
The national median salary for Art Directors is $114,850 per year. The middle 50% earn between $82,480 and $162,640, with 53,070 workers employed nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates . Data covers 49 states and 120 metro areas.
Pay distribution
Here is how Art Directors pay is distributed across workers nationally. The 10th percentile typically reflects entry-level or early-career pay, the median is the midpoint, and the 90th percentile represents the top earners in the field.
- 10th
- $64,900
- 25th
- $82,480
- Median
- $114,850
- 75th
- $162,640
- 90th
- $213,050
All values are percentiles of annual wages.
Pay is well above the national median for all US workers. This is an upper-income occupation.
Pay varies significantly across workers. Seniority, employer size, and specialization all move the needle, so it is normal for two art directors at different points in their careers to earn very different salaries.
Job outlook
BLS projects employment for art directors from 2024 to 2034. Growth is roughly in line with the US average of about 4% across all occupations.
- Projected growth
- +4.2%
- 5,700 net jobs over the projection period.
- Annual openings
- 12,300
- Includes growth plus replacements for workers who leave. Annual openings are high relative to the workforce size, reflecting meaningful turnover and new-hire volume.
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience
- 5 years or more
A bachelor's degree is the typical entry requirement for art directors.
Where Art Directors earn the most
Location matters a lot. The gap between top-paying and bottom-paying states is large, so where art directors work can reshape their total compensation. Right now, the top-paying state is Massachusetts at $149,320, about 30.0% above the national median. At the metro level, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA leads with a median of $170,140.
Top-paying states
| State | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $149,320 | 1,850 |
| California | $137,780 | 12,430 |
| New York | $137,320 | 8,720 |
| Oregon | $133,840 | 1,040 |
| New Hampshire | $132,000 | 160 |
| Vermont | $129,260 | 80 |
| New Jersey | $129,200 | 1,840 |
| Washington | $121,170 | 650 |
Top-paying metros
| Metro area | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $170,140 | 600 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $165,210 | 2,390 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | $153,890 | 50 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $151,820 | 1,550 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $145,410 | 880 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $142,990 | 8,980 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $137,560 | 6,590 |
| Waterbury-Shelton, CT | $133,680 | 70 |
Compare two locations side by side
Pick two states or metros to see art directors pay in each, along with a cost-of-living adjusted view.
Salary trend and related occupations
Between 2019 and 2025, the national median salary for Art Directors rose from $94,220 to $114,850, a gain of +21.9% in nominal dollars.
Over the same period, US consumer prices rose by +25.9%. Just to keep pace with inflation, the 2019 median of $94,220 would need to be worth $118,649 in 2025 dollars.
The actual 2025 median of $114,850 is −$3,799 below that inflation-adjusted benchmark, a real change of -3.2% in purchasing power.
Adjusted for inflation, pay has lost ground. Nominal growth of 21.9% has not kept up with rising prices.
- Nominal change
- +21.9%
- 2019–2025
- Cumulative inflation
- +25.9%
- US CPI, 2019–2025
- Real change
- -3.2%
- After adjusting for inflation
Median salary over time
Art Directors median pay by year, going back through the available BLS releases.
- 2025
- $114,850
- 2024
- $111,040
- 2023
- $106,500
- 2022
- $105,180
- 2021
- $100,890
- 2020
- $97,270
- 2019
- $94,220
BLS did not publish a median for 2000–2018, so those years are omitted.
Related occupations
Other occupations in the same field, with median pay for comparison.
- Fashion Designers
- $80,960
- Set And Exhibit Designers
- $75,240
- Interior Designers
- $67,190
- Designers, All Other
- $64,950
- Graphic Designers
- $62,960
Common salary questions for Art Directors
What does the median salary mean? +
The median is the midpoint of all wages. Half of Art Directors workers earn more and half earn less. It is a better measure of typical pay than the average, which can be skewed by very high or very low earners.
Why does pay vary so much by location? +
Local labor markets, cost of living, industry concentration, and employer competition all affect wages. High-cost metros like San Francisco and New York often pay more in nominal terms, though some of that premium is offset by higher living costs.
How current is this salary data? +
This page uses the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. BLS publishes OEWS data once per year, typically in the spring for the previous May reference period.
What do the percentile ranges tell me? +
The 10th and 90th percentiles show the full pay band. The 25th to 75th percentile range, the middle 50%, is where most workers fall. A wide spread usually means experience, specialization, or location matter a lot for this occupation.