How much does an Art Director make?
An Art Director earns a median annual salary of $114,850 in the United States, which works out to roughly $55.22 per hour for full-time work. Most Art Directors earn between $64,900 at the entry level and $213,050 at the senior end, with the middle 50% taking home between $82,480 and $162,640 a year.
That is $53,460 more than the median across all occupations in BLS data ($61,390).
Art Director salary range by percentile
Half of all Art Directors earn between $82,480 and $162,640 a year.
| Pay level | Annual salary | Hourly rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $64,900 | $31.20 | |
| 25th percentile (early career) | $82,480 | $39.65 | |
| 50th percentile (median) | $114,850 | $55.22 | |
| 75th percentile (experienced) | $162,640 | $78.19 | |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $213,050 | $102.43 |
Highest-paying states for Art Director
Where you work matters more than almost anything else. Massachusetts leads the country for Art Director pay at $149,320 a year, followed by California ($137,780) and New York ($137,320). At the other end, Kansas posts the lowest median at $60,460 — a gap of $88,860 for the same job, driven by local demand, industry mix, and cost of living.
| # | State | Median salary | Hourly | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $149,320 | $71.79 | +30% |
| 2 | California | $137,780 | $66.24 | +20% |
| 3 | New York | $137,320 | $66.02 | +20% |
| 4 | Oregon | $133,840 | $64.35 | +17% |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $132,000 | $63.46 | +15% |
Art Director salary in every state
Official BLS state-level figures across 46 states and territories. Click a state for the full local breakdown.
Workforce and education
About 53,000 people work as Art Directors in the United States. The mean (average) wage is $129,440 — above the median, which means high earners pull the average up. On qualifications: a bachelor's degree (about 4 years of college) is the standard entry requirement, per O*NET occupation data.
Frequently asked questions
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Other arts & media roles with similar pay.