Art Directors: salary, outlook & degrees
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.
Middle half $82,480–$162,640. 53,070 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 12,200 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Considerable preparation (usually a bachelor's).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| PR | $57,580 |
Largest metro areas for this job
- New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ$142,990
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA$137,560
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN$104,570
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA$165,210
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH$151,820
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX$87,810
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA$111,480
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL$103,150
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR-WA$145,410
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV$105,990
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI$119,020
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD$105,260
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
Knowledge used
- Design
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics
- Fine Arts
- Communications and Media
Work styles
- Innovation
- Leadership Orientation
- Adaptability
- Self-Confidence
- Dependability
People in this job tend to have Artistic (creative), Enterprising (leading) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Art Directors: questions
How much do art Directors make?
Art Directors earn a U.S. median $114,850 a year; the middle half earn $82,480 to $162,640 (BLS, May 2025).
Is art Directors a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 4.2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,200 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be an art Director?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 79% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required.
How much do art Directors make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $99,660 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $114,850 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 27-1011. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Art Directors: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/art-directors.