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Art director salary
Average art director salary
$88,367
Understanding Art Director Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for an Art Director in the United States is $88,367 per year or approximately $42 per hour. Salaries can vary widely based on experience, geographic location, and the specific industry. For instance, art directors in advertising typically earn more compared to those in publishing.
Salary by State
Art directors in states like California and New York often report the highest earnings due to the concentration of media and entertainment companies. Other states, such as Texas and Florida, also present competitive salaries, influenced by local demand for creative professionals.
Impact of Experience
Your experience level significantly affects your salary. Entry-level positions may start at around $50,000, while seasoned professionals can earn upwards of $130,000 annually. Additionally, pursuing specialized roles, such as creative director or senior art director, can further enhance your earning potential.
Top Industries
- Advertising Agencies
- Film Production
- Video Game Development
- Publishing Houses
Engaging in these industries not only offers higher salaries but also diverse creative opportunities, allowing for career growth and personal development.
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Where can an Art Director earn more?
Art director salary estimates from across the web
Average art director salary by state
The highest-paying states for art directors are Washington, California, and Oregon. The lowest average art director salary states are Maryland, Oklahoma, and Kentucky.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for art directors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $116,811 | $56.16 |
| 2 | Oregon | $108,462 | $52.15 |
| 3 | California | $110,627 | $53.19 |
| 4 | New York | $95,885 | $46.10 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $99,556 | $47.86 |
| 6 | Vermont | $90,667 | $43.59 |
| 7 | Kansas | $101,123 | $48.62 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $88,166 | $42.39 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $89,185 | $42.88 |
| 10 | Iowa | $104,474 | $50.23 |
| 11 | Maine | $95,126 | $45.73 |
| 12 | Alaska | $95,624 | $45.97 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $88,390 | $42.50 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $87,365 | $42.00 |
| 15 | Idaho | $95,837 | $46.08 |
| 16 | Nevada | $82,753 | $39.79 |
| 17 | South Dakota | $74,322 | $35.73 |
| 18 | Illinois | $79,944 | $38.43 |
| 19 | Mississippi | $74,135 | $35.64 |
| 20 | Montana | $82,621 | $39.72 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $77,932 | $37.47 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $84,182 | $40.47 |
| 23 | Louisiana | $71,191 | $34.23 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $76,487 | $36.77 |
| 25 | District of Columbia | $74,711 | $35.92 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $72,969 | $35.08 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $72,391 | $34.80 |
| 28 | Ohio | $73,888 | $35.52 |
| 29 | Georgia | $71,593 | $34.42 |
| 30 | Virginia | $71,727 | $34.48 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $72,774 | $34.99 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $60,023 | $28.86 |
| 33 | Utah | $65,717 | $31.59 |
| 34 | Michigan | $66,672 | $32.05 |
| 35 | Texas | $65,480 | $31.48 |
| 36 | Arizona | $64,831 | $31.17 |
| 37 | Colorado | $65,840 | $31.65 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $58,294 | $28.03 |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | $64,326 | $30.93 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $67,188 | $32.30 |
| 41 | Delaware | $68,672 | $33.02 |
| 42 | Missouri | $65,354 | $31.42 |
| 43 | New Mexico | $63,624 | $30.59 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $50,992 | $24.52 |
| 45 | Alabama | $51,473 | $24.75 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $61,868 | $29.74 |
| 47 | Florida | $60,202 | $28.94 |
| 48 | Maryland | $58,553 | $28.15 |
| 49 | Indiana | $59,578 | $28.64 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $56,720 | $27.27 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $53,915 | $25.92 |
Highest paying cities for art directors
The highest-paying cities for art directors are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Beaverton, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $123,660 | $59.45 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $118,286 | $56.87 |
| 3 | Beaverton, OR | $108,195 | $52.02 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $95,947 | $46.13 |
| 5 | Minneapolis, MN | $88,412 | $42.51 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $87,565 | $42.10 |
| 7 | Las Vegas, NV | $82,414 | $39.62 |
| 8 | Chicago, IL | $80,365 | $38.64 |
| 9 | Raleigh, NC | $77,626 | $37.32 |
| 10 | Cleveland, OH | $75,733 | $36.41 |
| 11 | Washington, DC | $74,708 | $35.92 |
| 12 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $72,997 | $35.09 |
| 13 | Atlanta, GA | $71,867 | $34.55 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $66,141 | $31.80 |
| 15 | Boulder, CO | $65,929 | $31.70 |
| 16 | Saint Louis, MO | $65,566 | $31.52 |
| 17 | Salt Lake City, UT | $65,164 | $31.33 |
| 18 | Philadelphia, PA | $64,726 | $31.12 |
| 19 | Tampa, FL | $61,122 | $29.39 |
| 20 | Oklahoma City, OK | $58,223 | $27.99 |
Art Directors are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Art director salary details
An art director's salary ranges from $57,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $135,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an art director's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $135,000 | $11,250 | $65 |
| 75th Percentile | $110,000 | $9,167 | $53 |
| Average | $88,367 | $7,364 | $42 |
| 25th Percentile | $70,000 | $5,833 | $34 |
| 10th Percentile | $57,000 | $4,750 | $27 |
Highest paying art director jobs
The highest paying types of art directors are associate creative director, creative director, and creative/art director.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic Design Manager | $66,975 | $5,581 | $32.20 | 48,269 |
| Visual Designer | $86,495 | $7,208 | $41.58 | 46,815 |
| Lead Graphic Designer | $76,009 | $6,334 | $36.54 | 46,260 |
| Graphic Designer | $49,450 | $4,121 | $23.77 | 45,625 |
| Creative Services Director | $108,980 | $9,082 | $52.39 | 60,237 |
| Freelance Art Director | $85,453 | $7,121 | $41.08 | 9,215 |
Top companies hiring art directors now:
Which companies pay art directors the most?
Art director salaries at The Walt Disney Company and Penske Media are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average art director salary at companies like Meta and ViacomCBS are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Walt Disney Company | $175,293 | $84.28 |
| 2 | Penske Media | $172,066 | $82.72 |
| 3 | Meta | $169,812 | $81.64 |
| 4 | ViacomCBS | $161,613 | $77.70 |
| 5 | Zoox | $158,880 | $76.38 |
| 6 | Apple | $156,923 | $75.44 |
| 7 | Secret Level | $156,354 | $75.17 |
| 8 | Nike | $154,426 | $74.24 |
| 9 | THINX | $153,382 | $73.74 |
| 10 | Microsoft | $152,638 | $73.38 |
| 11 | Amazon | $151,107 | $72.65 |
| 12 | Vox Media | $146,737 | $70.55 |
| 13 | Pace University | $145,808 | $70.10 |
| 14 | Square | $144,483 | $69.46 |
| 15 | Okta | $143,394 | $68.94 |
| 16 | DreamWorks Animation | $143,155 | $68.82 |
| 17 | Calvin Klein | $143,030 | $68.76 |
| 18 | Riot Games | $142,863 | $68.68 |
| 19 | NBCUniversal | $142,395 | $68.46 |
| 20 | $142,287 | $68.41 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Art Director salary by industry
The average art director salary varies across industries:
- The average art director salary in the technology industry is $114,664, the highest of any industry.
- The average art director salary in the finance industry is $99,819.
- Art directors in the retail industry earn an average salary of $88,942, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for art directors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $114,664 | $55.13 |
| 2 | Media | $99,819 | $47.99 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $92,385 | $44.42 |
| 4 | Professional | $90,701 | $43.61 |
| 5 | Retail | $88,942 | $42.76 |
High paying art director jobs
Art director salary trends
The average art director salary has risen by $14,544 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average art director earned $73,823 annually, but today, they earn $88,367 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for art directors over the last decade.
Compare art director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average art director salary over time
Compare art director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Art director salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $88,400 | $42.48 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $85,600 | $41.15 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | $84,300 | $40.52 | +0.3% |
| 2022 | $84,000 | $40.40 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | $81,600 | $39.23 | +0.1% |
Recently added art director salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spin Master | Art Director | Los Angeles, CA | 06/30/2025 | $90,000 |
| Rr Donnelley | Hybrid Art Director | Columbus, OH | 06/29/2025 | $91,348 |
| Nintendo | Art Director (NST) | Redmond, WA | 06/29/2025 | $149,661 |
| Rapp | Art Director | Dallas, TX | 06/29/2025 | $55,000 |
| Visual Concepts | Art Director (Ui/Ux)-NBA 2K | Novato, CA | 06/29/2025 | $204,230 |
| 2K | Art Director (Ui/Ux)-NBA 2K | Novato, CA | 06/29/2025 | $204,230 |
| Monks | Art Director | Austin, TX | 06/29/2025 | $72,000 |
| Vesync | Art Director | Tustin, CA | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Pacific Sunwear | Ecommerce Photography Art Director (Temporary) | Anaheim, CA | 06/28/2025 | $125,220 |
| Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health | Director of Healing Arts | Stockbridge, MA | 06/28/2025 | $70,000 |
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