Average Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, And Illustrators Salary in Asheville, NC

BLS did not publish a wage for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators in Asheville, NC in the latest release, but in 2024 the local median hourly wage was $24.99. There are 80 workers employed locally today.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates for Asheville, NC (metro area).

No annual salary published for this location. BLS does not publish an annual wage estimate for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators in Asheville, NC. This is common for occupations where most work is project-based, hourly, or on irregular schedules (actors, athletes, musicians, dancers). No wage figures were published at all for this location in the latest release.

Local employment

Workers tracked locally: 80
How common this job is here: 6.14×; More concentrated here than nationally — this metro area is unusually strong in this occupation.

The last time BLS reported wages here

The latest release does not include a wage figure for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators in Asheville, NC, but earlier releases did. Here is the most recent year with a published wage.

Last reporting year: 2024
Median hourly wage (2024): $24.99/hr
Median annual wage (2024): $51,970

This data is from the 2024 BLS release. Recent figures may differ — small-sample suppression is common for this occupation.

Where fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators earn the most per hour

Locations where BLS did publish hourly wage data for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators this release, ranked highest to lowest.

By hourly wage

Top-paying states

Oregon: $47.38/hr
Nevada: $39.25/hr
New York: $37.92/hr
Washington: $34.82/hr
Connecticut: $34.24/hr
Maryland: $31.82/hr
Georgia: $31.25/hr
New Mexico: $30.33/hr

By hourly wage

Top-paying metros

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: $60.80/hr
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: $47.38/hr
Naples-Marco Island, FL: $40.23/hr
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: $39.70/hr
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY: $38.49/hr
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: $37.64/hr
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: $37.07/hr
Santa Fe, NM: $34.91/hr

National job outlook

BLS publishes national employment projections for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators from 2024 to 2034. These projections are national and not broken down by state.

Projected growth: -1.2%; -300 net jobs over the projection period
Annual openings: 2,200; Includes growth plus replacements
Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree

Related occupations

Other jobs in the same field. Many of these follow similar hourly or project-based pay patterns.