Salary data
Creative 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. BLS counts creative directors with art directors. This page shows that occupation's pay range and state medians from the May 2025 survey, and where creative directors usually sit within it.
Key takeaways
- The US Bureau of Labor Statistics counts creative directors with art directors, so its figures are the closest official guide to creative director pay.
- Creative directors usually sit in the upper half of the art directors range, and executive creative directors near or above the top.
- Level matters most for creative director pay, then whether the employer is a large agency, a large in-house team or a small studio.
- BLS wage figures cover employees only, so freelance and studio-owner creative directors aren't in them.
How much does a creative 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 creative director roles?
BLS counts creative directors in art directors (27-1011). The group also includes art directors who report to a creative director, so creative directors usually sit in the upper half of the range, and executive creative directors near or above the top. The figures cover employees only; BLS’s wage survey doesn’t include the self-employed, and many senior creatives freelance or run studios.
What affects creative director pay?
Level and scope move pay more than anything else. After that:
- Level: associate creative director, creative director and executive creative director are paid very differently.
- Agency or in-house: large agencies and in-house teams at big brands pay at the top; small studios less.
- Portfolio: award-winning or widely known work moves pay more than years in the job.
- City: creative work concentrates in a few metros, and pay follows.
Associate, executive and fashion creative director pay
BLS doesn’t split creative directors by level or industry, but you can place each title in the art directors range above.
| Title | Where it usually sits in the art directors range |
|---|---|
| Associate creative director | Around the median to the 75th percentile |
| Creative director | The 75th percentile and above |
| Executive creative director | Near or above the top of the range |
| Fashion or luxury creative director | Varies most of all: from mid-range at small labels to far above the range at major houses, where pay often isn’t public |
| In-house creative director at a large brand | The 75th percentile and above, similar to large agencies |
These are placements to help you read the table, not figures. A posted range for the specific job is the better guide.
Creative 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. If talking about money makes you uneasy, that’s common, and a sourced number is what makes it a normal business conversation. Practice your number out loud, in your own words, before the call.
FAQ
Why does BLS count creative directors as art directors?
BLS groups jobs by the kind of work, and creative direction falls in its art directors occupation. It’s the closest official figure.
Do creative directors at agencies earn more than in-house?
It depends on the company more than the type. Large agencies and large in-house teams both pay at the top; small shops pay less.
How much does a creative director make in New York or Los Angeles?
Check New York and California in the state table above; they’re among the higher-paying states for art directors. City pay is usually above the state median because agencies and big brands cluster there.
What’s above creative director?
Executive creative director, then chief creative officer at agencies or a VP of creative in-house.