Salary data
Art Director Salary (May 2025 BLS Data)
The median annual pay for art directors in the US is $114,850, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025); the top 10% earn more than $213,050. This page shows the pay range and state medians for art directors from the May 2025 survey, and where agency, in-house and senior art directors usually fall in it.
Key takeaways
- Art director pay on this page comes from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 survey, for the art directors occupation (27-1011).
- BLS counts creative directors in the same art directors occupation, so the top of the art director pay range includes people who run whole creative departments.
- Working art directors usually sit around the middle of the BLS range, and creative directors usually sit in the upper half.
- Art director pay rises most with level, scope, portfolio and city, and big agencies and large brand teams pay at the top.
How much does an art director make?
The median annual pay for art directors in the US is $114,850. The middle half earn between $82,480 and $162,640, and the top 10% earn more than $213,050. About 53,070 people work in this occupation.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Occupation 27-1011.
The pay range for art directors
Read the range, not only the median. Half of everyone in the group earns between the 25th and 75th percentile.
| Pay level | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $64,900 |
| 25th percentile | $82,480 |
| Median | $114,850 |
| 75th percentile | $162,640 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $213,050 |
| Mean (average) | $129,440 |
US, all industries. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.
Which BLS figure covers art director roles?
Art directors (27-1011) is a direct match for the title. The catch is that BLS puts creative directors in the same occupation, so the top of the range is pulled up by people who run whole creative departments. A working art director, the person who sets the look of a campaign and directs designers, photographers and illustrators, usually sits in the middle of the range. The figures cover employees only; the wage survey leaves out the self-employed, and plenty of art directors freelance.
How does art director pay compare with creative director pay?
They come from the same BLS figure, so the difference is where in the range each title sits. Creative directors own the creative work across disciplines and usually sit in the upper half; art directors own the visual side and usually sit lower. Our creative director salary page covers that end of the range.
| Title | Typical scope | Where it usually sits in the range |
|---|---|---|
| Junior or associate art director | Executes concepts, works under a senior AD | Lower part |
| Art director | Owns the visual side of campaigns, directs designers and shoots | Middle |
| Senior art director | Leads big accounts or brand work, often pairs with a senior copywriter | Upper middle |
| Associate creative director and above | Owns creative across art and copy | Upper half and top |
Designers moving up into art direction can compare with the graphic designer salary data, which is a separate, lower BLS occupation.
What affects art director pay?
Level and scope move pay more than anything else. After that:
- Agency or in-house: big agencies and large brand teams pay at the top; small studios less. Compare the specific offer, not the label.
- Portfolio: campaigns that ran, for brands people know, move pay more than years in the job. Our guide to a marketing portfolio covers what to show.
- Medium: art directors who can lead motion, video and digital product work, as well as print and static, have more roles to choose from.
- City: creative work concentrates in a few metros, and pay follows.
Art director salary by state
The median for art directors varies a lot by state, mostly with the cost of living and where the employers are. The table runs from highest to lowest.
| State | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $149,320 |
| California | $137,780 |
| New York | $137,320 |
| Oregon | $133,840 |
| New Hampshire | $132,000 |
| Vermont | $129,260 |
| New Jersey | $129,200 |
| Washington | $121,170 |
| Georgia | $110,430 |
| Minnesota | $109,700 |
| Utah | $106,500 |
| Indiana | $105,690 |
| Illinois | $103,550 |
| Virginia | $101,150 |
| Missouri | $100,940 |
| Maine | $100,300 |
| Colorado | $99,990 |
| Florida | $99,660 |
| Maryland | $98,400 |
| Nevada | $98,070 |
| Pennsylvania | $97,450 |
| Ohio | $94,390 |
| North Carolina | $90,000 |
| Tennessee | $89,860 |
| Hawaii | $89,300 |
| Texas | $88,270 |
| South Carolina | $87,990 |
| Michigan | $86,660 |
| Louisiana | $83,640 |
| North Dakota | $83,170 |
| Wisconsin | $81,130 |
| Iowa | $80,940 |
| Idaho | $80,680 |
| Oklahoma | $80,680 |
| Alabama | $77,220 |
| Kentucky | $76,160 |
| Alaska | $75,200 |
| Montana | $73,850 |
| Nebraska | $73,270 |
| Rhode Island | $72,550 |
| Arkansas | $71,930 |
| Connecticut | $71,900 |
| South Dakota | $66,610 |
| Mississippi | $66,020 |
| West Virginia | $63,550 |
| Kansas | $60,460 |
Highest first. States BLS doesn't publish a median for are left out. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.
How to use this in a salary negotiation
Use the range to anchor, not to argue. Find where the role sits: an entry-level coordinator belongs near the 25th percentile, a senior lead running a team and budget near the 75th or above. Then check the posting, since a growing number of states require employers to publish a pay range. If the posting’s range and the BLS range disagree, the posting wins: it’s the budget for this job. The BLS figure is still useful when there’s no range at all, or when you’re asked for your number first. Our salary negotiation guide covers what to say and when. Talking pay can feel awkward, and having this range is what takes the guesswork out of it. Say your number the way you’d say it to a colleague: plainly, then pause.
FAQ
Why does the art director range run so high at the top?
BLS counts creative directors in the same occupation, so the top quarter includes people who run whole creative departments. If you’re a working art director, anchor on the middle of the range, not the 90th percentile.
Do art directors earn more than graphic designers?
Yes. In the BLS data, art directors are a separate occupation from graphic designers, with a much higher median. The graphic designer salary page has those figures.
What’s the path from art director to creative director?
Usually senior art director, then associate creative director, then creative director, built on a portfolio of campaigns you led and the ability to run a team.
How much do junior and senior art directors make?
Associate and junior art directors usually sit in the lower part of the range above, while senior art directors and group art directors at large agencies and brands tend to sit toward the top. Where you land depends on the size of the accounts you lead, the city and whether you’re in-house or at an agency. Use the percentiles above as the guide, and ask recruiters what range the role pays.
Do art directors earn more in New York or California?
Art director pay varies a lot by state; the state table above shows the median for each state where the BLS publishes one. Large media and advertising markets tend to pay more, but living costs are higher too, so compare offers on what you’d keep, not only the headline number.