Art Directors
Median $114,850
Occupation · SOC 27-1013
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators: pay and where the jobs are
What fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$55,490 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $73,150
- Median hourly wage
- $26.68
- Mean hourly wage
- $35.17
- Employment
- 11,220
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-1013.
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See where your pay falls among fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators make?
The median annual wage for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators was $55,490 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $31,630 and the highest-paid 10% more than $144,210. As an hourly rate, the median is $26.68. About 11,220 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Oregon ($98,540), Nevada ($81,630) and New York ($78,870). Oregon also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $31,630 | $15.21 | $2,636 | $2,300 |
| 25th percentile | $37,560 | $18.06 | $3,130 | $2,697 |
| Median | $55,490 | $26.68 | $4,624 | $3,897 |
| 75th percentile | $83,200 | $40.00 | $6,933 | $5,613 |
| 90th percentile | $144,210 | $69.33 | $12,018 | $9,153 |
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators: pay by state
30 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$68,248 take-home in national prices
2
$66,271 take-home in national prices
3
$55,857 take-home in national prices
Where a median fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | Not published | $98,540 | $55,140 | $151,020 | $70,542 | $68,248 |
| Nevada | 160 | $81,630 | $39,070 | $94,860 | $66,257 | $66,271 |
| New York | 1,400 | $78,870 | $50,010 | $154,630 | $60,281 | $55,857 |
| Washington | 350 | $72,430 | $38,730 | $120,160 | $58,780 | $54,928 |
| Connecticut | 100 | $71,210 | $39,380 | $101,110 | $55,404 | $53,473 |
| Maryland | 80 | $66,180 | $43,830 | $78,250 | $52,578 | $50,094 |
| Georgia | 350 | $65,010 | $40,530 | $94,130 | $51,920 | $53,919 |
| New Mexico | 70 | $63,090 | $41,520 | $79,610 | $51,073 | $55,387 |
| Minnesota | Not published | $61,730 | $42,680 | $104,000 | $48,834 | $49,517 |
| California | 2,560 | $58,240 | $36,300 | $207,320 | $46,685 | $42,165 |
| Utah | 80 | $57,270 | $34,290 | $96,100 | $46,106 | $46,636 |
| Arizona | 110 | $56,160 | $34,310 | $97,240 | $46,294 | $45,983 |
| Pennsylvania | Not published | $54,270 | $22,360 | $102,920 | $44,082 | $45,179 |
| Illinois | Not published | $53,850 | $32,720 | $99,630 | $42,928 | $42,946 |
| Wisconsin | 100 | $53,350 | $21,590 | $81,410 | $43,305 | $46,023 |
| Colorado | 250 | $51,910 | $43,040 | $102,120 | $42,086 | $40,839 |
| Florida | 1,010 | $50,360 | $31,160 | $134,150 | $42,644 | $41,236 |
| Missouri | 110 | $49,820 | $31,770 | $71,080 | $40,806 | $44,932 |
| Texas | 700 | $49,650 | $17,880 | $77,380 | $42,074 | $43,350 |
| Kentucky | 60 | $48,050 | $22,750 | $65,360 | $39,224 | $43,505 |
| Virginia | 230 | $47,930 | $29,640 | $87,400 | $38,750 | $38,327 |
| Oklahoma | 60 | $47,830 | $45,060 | $89,480 | $39,005 | $44,403 |
| Maine | Not published | $46,170 | $38,100 | $73,330 | $37,587 | $38,729 |
| Louisiana | Not published | $40,700 | $32,320 | $74,550 | $34,048 | $38,600 |
| Nebraska | 40 | $39,800 | $31,200 | $66,900 | $33,228 | $36,878 |
| Michigan | 220 | $38,650 | $25,960 | $124,480 | $31,843 | $33,095 |
| Arkansas | 40 | $32,340 | $27,370 | $60,790 | $27,456 | $31,582 |
| Ohio | 510 | $31,780 | $22,860 | $63,750 | $27,292 | $29,417 |
| Tennessee | 100 | $30,720 | $27,670 | $58,770 | $26,864 | $29,241 |
| Kansas | 40 | $25,830 | $15,080 | $54,720 | $22,202 | $24,650 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-1013. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.