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Best states for an art director
Quoted expert
Brian Pirman
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to art director jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. In order to help you decide which state is the best for art directors, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for art director jobs.
We figured that the best places for art director jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.If you are currently seeking employment as an art director, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for art directors in 2026
1. Washington
Total art director jobs: 164 Average annual salary: $116,811 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $183,000 Location Quotient: 0.92
2. Oregon
Total art director jobs: 114 Average annual salary: $108,462 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $170,000 Location Quotient: 1.12
3. California
Total art director jobs: 874 Average annual salary: $110,627 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $175,000 Location Quotient: 1.22
4. New York
Total art director jobs: 524 Average annual salary: $95,885 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 1.67
5. New Jersey
Total art director jobs: 104 Average annual salary: $99,556 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 0.53
6. Vermont
Total art director jobs: 21 Average annual salary: $90,667 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 1.12
7. Kansas
Total art director jobs: 27 Average annual salary: $101,123 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 0.36
8. North Dakota
Total art director jobs: 15 Average annual salary: $88,166 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 0.66
9. Connecticut
Total art director jobs: 60 Average annual salary: $89,185 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 0.74
10. Iowa
Total art director jobs: 21 Average annual salary: $104,474 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 0.24
Art director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an art director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an art director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $116,811 | $74,000 | 7,405,743 | 164 |
| 2 | Oregon | $108,462 | $69,000 | 4,142,776 | 114 |
| 3 | California | $110,627 | $69,000 | 39,536,653 | 874 |
| 4 | New York | $95,885 | $63,000 | 19,849,399 | 524 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $99,556 | $66,000 | 9,005,644 | 104 |
| 6 | Vermont | $90,667 | $60,000 | 623,657 | 21 |
| 7 | Kansas | $101,123 | $67,000 | 2,913,123 | 27 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $88,166 | $59,000 | 755,393 | 15 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $89,185 | $59,000 | 3,588,184 | 60 |
| 10 | Iowa | $104,474 | $71,000 | 3,145,711 | 21 |
| 11 | Maine | $95,126 | $64,000 | 1,335,907 | 13 |
| 12 | Alaska | $95,624 | $62,000 | 739,795 | 8 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $88,390 | $60,000 | 5,576,606 | 81 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $87,365 | $58,000 | 6,859,819 | 147 |
| 15 | Idaho | $95,837 | $60,000 | 1,716,943 | 11 |
| 16 | Nevada | $82,753 | $51,000 | 2,998,039 | 27 |
| 17 | South Dakota | $74,322 | $50,000 | 869,666 | 176 |
| 18 | Illinois | $79,944 | $53,000 | 12,802,023 | 202 |
| 19 | Mississippi | $74,135 | $47,000 | 2,984,100 | 279 |
| 20 | Montana | $82,621 | $53,000 | 1,050,493 | 12 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $77,932 | $52,000 | 1,342,795 | 25 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $84,182 | $55,000 | 579,315 | 5 |
| 23 | Louisiana | $71,191 | $44,000 | 4,684,333 | 464 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $76,487 | $49,000 | 10,273,419 | 92 |
| 25 | District of Columbia | $74,711 | $49,000 | 693,972 | 49 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $72,969 | $57,000 | 1,427,538 | 147 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $72,391 | $48,000 | 1,059,639 | 15 |
| 28 | Ohio | $73,888 | $49,000 | 11,658,609 | 81 |
| 29 | Georgia | $71,593 | $45,000 | 10,429,379 | 104 |
| 30 | Virginia | $71,727 | $47,000 | 8,470,020 | 113 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $72,774 | $47,000 | 6,715,984 | 45 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $60,023 | $39,000 | 1,815,857 | 263 |
| 33 | Utah | $65,717 | $41,000 | 3,101,833 | 42 |
| 34 | Michigan | $66,672 | $44,000 | 9,962,311 | 85 |
| 35 | Texas | $65,480 | $40,000 | 28,304,596 | 231 |
| 36 | Arizona | $64,831 | $40,000 | 7,016,270 | 73 |
| 37 | Colorado | $65,840 | $43,000 | 5,607,154 | 83 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $58,294 | $38,000 | 3,930,864 | 415 |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | $64,326 | $42,000 | 12,805,537 | 127 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $67,188 | $45,000 | 5,795,483 | 45 |
| 41 | Delaware | $68,672 | $45,000 | 961,939 | 10 |
| 42 | Missouri | $65,354 | $44,000 | 6,113,532 | 48 |
| 43 | New Mexico | $63,624 | $40,000 | 2,088,070 | 17 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $50,992 | $32,000 | 5,024,369 | 694 |
| 45 | Alabama | $51,473 | $33,000 | 4,874,747 | 532 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $61,868 | $42,000 | 1,920,076 | 17 |
| 47 | Florida | $60,202 | $37,000 | 20,984,400 | 148 |
| 48 | Maryland | $58,553 | $38,000 | 6,052,177 | 76 |
| 49 | Indiana | $59,578 | $40,000 | 6,666,818 | 37 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $56,720 | $37,000 | 4,454,189 | 25 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $53,915 | $35,000 | 3,004,279 | 16 |
Highest paying states for art directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Art Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $116,811 |
| 2 | Oregon | $108,462 |
| 3 | California | $110,627 |
| 4 | New York | $95,885 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $99,556 |
| 6 | Vermont | $90,667 |
| 7 | Kansas | $101,123 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $88,166 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $89,185 |
| 10 | Iowa | $104,474 |
| 11 | Maine | $95,126 |
| 12 | Alaska | $95,624 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $88,390 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $87,365 |
| 15 | Idaho | $95,837 |
| 16 | Nevada | $82,753 |
| 17 | South Dakota | $74,322 |
| 18 | Illinois | $79,944 |
| 19 | Mississippi | $74,135 |
| 20 | Montana | $82,621 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $77,932 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $84,182 |
| 23 | Louisiana | $71,191 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $76,487 |
| 25 | District of Columbia | $74,711 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $72,969 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $72,391 |
| 28 | Ohio | $73,888 |
| 29 | Georgia | $71,593 |
| 30 | Virginia | $71,727 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $72,774 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $60,023 |
| 33 | Utah | $65,717 |
| 34 | Michigan | $66,672 |
| 35 | Texas | $65,480 |
| 36 | Arizona | $64,831 |
| 37 | Colorado | $65,840 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $58,294 |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | $64,326 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $67,188 |
| 41 | Delaware | $68,672 |
| 42 | Missouri | $65,354 |
| 43 | New Mexico | $63,624 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $50,992 |
| 45 | Alabama | $51,473 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $61,868 |
| 47 | Florida | $60,202 |
| 48 | Maryland | $58,553 |
| 49 | Indiana | $59,578 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $56,720 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $53,915 |
Expert opinions on the best states for art directors
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for art directors to find work opportunities?
Brian Pirman
Associate Professor, St. Norbert College
Traditionally, the best job markets have been larger metropolitan areas. That's mainly because there are more agencies and design firms in larger cities than there are in smaller cities. With that said, because of the internet and online communication, this is starting to change where one can pretty much do work for anybody, anywhere. Therefore, the opportunities are pretty much all-over, geographically speaking.
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Updated January 8, 2025