Art Directors Salary
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations · 53K employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$114,850
Median hourly
$55
Average annual
$129,440
Typical range
$64,900–$213,050
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Art Directors is $114,850 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $55 an hour at a full-time schedule.
Formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual productions and media, such as print, broadcasting, video, and film. Direct workers engaged in artwork or layout design..
Most earn between $64,900 and $213,050 a year. There are roughly 53K people employed as art directors in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Art Directors.
- Hourly
- $55.22
- Daily
- $442
- Weekly
- $2,209
- Bi-weekly
- $4,417
- Monthly
- $9,571
- Annual
- $114,850
$114,850 a year is around the 50th percentile for Art Directorss. The median is $114,850.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1Massachusetts$149,320
- 2California$137,780
- 3New York$137,320
- 4Oregon$133,840
- 5New Hampshire$132,000
- 6Vermont$129,260
- 7New Jersey$129,200
- 8Washington$121,170
- 9Georgia$110,430
- 10Minnesota$109,700
- 11Utah$106,500
- 12Indiana$105,690
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$170,140
- 2San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$165,210
- 3Burlington-South Burlington, VT$153,890
- 4Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$151,820
- 5Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA$145,410
- 6New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$142,990
- 7Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$137,560
- 8Waterbury-Shelton, CT$133,680
- 9Worcester, MA$131,240
- 10Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA$126,410
- 11San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$126,050
- 12Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$124,610
Related job titles
Employers advertise Art Directors roles under these titles.
- Art Administrator (Art Admin)
- Art Director
- Art Manager
- Art Supervisor
- Brand Creative Director
- Creative Art Director
- Creative Design Director
- Creative Manager
- Creative Services Director
- Creative Services Manager
- Digital Art Director
- Graphic Design and Art Production Manager
- Group Art Supervisor
- Group Creative Director
- Magazine Designer
- Presentation Director
Related occupations
What a Art Directors does
- Work with creative directors to develop design solutions.
- Present final layouts to clients for approval.
- Manage own accounts and projects, working within budget and scheduling requirements.
- Confer with creative, art, copywriting, or production department heads to discuss client requirements and presentation concepts and to coordinate creative activities.
- Confer with clients to determine objectives, budget, background information, and presentation approaches, styles, and techniques.
- Formulate basic layout design or presentation approach and specify material details, such as style and size of type, photographs, graphics, animation, video, and sound.
- Create custom illustrations or other graphic elements.
- Attend photo shoots and printing sessions to ensure that the products needed are obtained.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Art Directors make?
- The median annual wage for Art Directors is $114,850 ($55 per hour). Pay ranges from about $64,900 at the 10th percentile to $213,050 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Art Directors?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $129,440, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Art Directorss the most?
- Massachusetts has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $149,320.
- Is Art Directors a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 53K people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Art Directors do?
- Work with creative directors to develop design solutions.; Present final layouts to clients for approval.; Manage own accounts and projects, working within budget and scheduling requirements..