Best states for an artistic director

Q: What is the best state for artistic directors?

The best state to be an artistic director is California based on artistic director salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for artistic directors?

The highest paying state for artistic directors is Arkansas based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for artistic directors?

The worst state for artistic directors is South Carolina, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

Job opportunities vary from state to state, and arts, entertainment, sports, and media careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to artistic director jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for artistic directors.Although there are abundant artistic director jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the South. California is the best state in the country for artistic director jobs.

California is the best state for jobs for artistic directors, and South Carolina is the worst. The most common pay in California is $95,808, while the median pay in South Carolina is $42,536.If you are currently seeking employment as an artistic director, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for artistic directors in 2025

1. California
Total artistic director jobs: 713
Average annual salary: $95,808
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $190,000
Location Quotient:
1.03
Artistic director jobs in California
2. Oregon
Total artistic director jobs: 82
Average annual salary: $90,594
Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $181,000
Location Quotient:
0.83
Artistic director jobs in Oregon
3. New York
Total artistic director jobs: 512
Average annual salary: $87,017
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $162,000
Location Quotient:
1.68
Artistic director jobs in New York
4. Iowa
Total artistic director jobs: 503
Average annual salary: $76,649
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000
Location Quotient:
5.84
Artistic director jobs in Iowa
5. New Jersey
Total artistic director jobs: 146
Average annual salary: $84,984
Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000
Location Quotient:
0.78
Artistic director jobs in New Jersey
6. Vermont
Total artistic director jobs: 15
Average annual salary: $79,589
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000
Location Quotient:
0.82
Artistic director jobs in Vermont
7. Washington
Total artistic director jobs: 105
Average annual salary: $81,671
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $166,000
Location Quotient:
0.61
Artistic director jobs in Washington
8. Alaska
Total artistic director jobs: 4
Average annual salary: $133,350
Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $220,000
Location Quotient:
0.2
Artistic director jobs in Alaska
9. Massachusetts
Total artistic director jobs: 182
Average annual salary: $75,969
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000
Location Quotient:
0.84
Artistic director jobs in Massachusetts
10. Louisiana
Total artistic director jobs: 481
Average annual salary: $67,148
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000
Location Quotient:
6.35
Artistic director jobs in Louisiana

Artistic director jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an artistic director

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for an artistic director

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	California	$95,808	$48,000	39,536,653	713
2	Oregon	$90,594	$45,000	4,142,776	82
3	New York	$87,017	$46,000	19,849,399	512
4	Iowa	$76,649	$42,000	3,145,711	503
5	New Jersey	$84,984	$45,000	9,005,644	146
6	Vermont	$79,589	$42,000	623,657	15
7	Washington	$81,671	$39,000	7,405,743	105
8	Alaska	$133,350	$80,000	739,795	4
9	Massachusetts	$75,969	$39,000	6,859,819	182
10	Louisiana	$67,148	$33,000	4,684,333	481
11	Connecticut	$72,958	$38,000	3,588,184	51
12	Maine	$82,850	$44,000	1,335,907	4
13	Mississippi	$65,051	$32,000	2,984,100	294
14	Idaho	$76,825	$37,000	1,716,943	8
15	Kansas	$75,772	$40,000	2,913,123	16
16	Utah	$71,978	$34,000	3,101,833	33
17	Minnesota	$72,632	$41,000	5,576,606	74
18	Pennsylvania	$67,813	$35,000	12,805,537	149
19	Rhode Island	$68,615	$35,000	1,059,639	14
20	Michigan	$68,573	$37,000	9,962,311	61
21	District of Columbia	$67,733	$35,000	693,972	57
22	New Hampshire	$70,863	$36,000	1,342,795	12
23	Nevada	$68,597	$31,000	2,998,039	17
24	Illinois	$64,643	$35,000	12,802,023	216
25	Alabama	$58,650	$29,000	4,874,747	484
26	North Carolina	$62,643	$31,000	10,273,419	118
27	Georgia	$60,770	$30,000	10,429,379	159
28	Hawaii	$74,681	$35,000	1,427,538	3
29	South Dakota	$52,163	$28,000	869,666	187
30	North Dakota	$64,189	$36,000	755,393	5
31	Florida	$61,155	$29,000	20,984,400	146
32	Virginia	$58,841	$30,000	8,470,020	130
33	Ohio	$57,125	$30,000	11,658,609	99
34	Delaware	$65,367	$33,000	961,939	5
35	Texas	$56,524	$27,000	28,304,596	266
36	Montana	$59,968	$28,000	1,050,493	8
37	Wyoming	$61,038	$29,000	579,315	2
38	Oklahoma	$47,046	$23,000	3,930,864	436
39	Wisconsin	$50,673	$28,000	5,795,483	79
40	Missouri	$49,640	$26,000	6,113,532	61
41	Arizona	$51,226	$23,000	7,016,270	53
42	Maryland	$54,974	$28,000	6,052,177	53
43	Arkansas	$39,344	$20,000	3,004,279	473
44	Colorado	$47,551	$23,000	5,607,154	82
45	New Mexico	$54,579	$25,000	2,088,070	9
46	West Virginia	$50,830	$26,000	1,815,857	3
47	Tennessee	$45,981	$23,000	6,715,984	41
48	Nebraska	$44,552	$24,000	1,920,076	19
49	Indiana	$46,072	$24,000	6,666,818	43
50	Kentucky	$44,183	$23,000	4,454,189	27
51	South Carolina	$42,536	$21,000	5,024,369	33

Highest paying states for artistic directors

Rank	State	Avg. Artistic Director Salary
1	California	$95,808
2	Oregon	$90,594
3	New York	$87,017
4	Iowa	$76,649
5	New Jersey	$84,984
6	Vermont	$79,589
7	Washington	$81,671
8	Alaska	$133,350
9	Massachusetts	$75,969
10	Louisiana	$67,148
11	Connecticut	$72,958
12	Maine	$82,850
13	Mississippi	$65,051
14	Idaho	$76,825
15	Kansas	$75,772
16	Utah	$71,978
17	Minnesota	$72,632
18	Pennsylvania	$67,813
19	Rhode Island	$68,615
20	Michigan	$68,573
21	District of Columbia	$67,733
22	New Hampshire	$70,863
23	Nevada	$68,597
24	Illinois	$64,643
25	Alabama	$58,650
26	North Carolina	$62,643
27	Georgia	$60,770
28	Hawaii	$74,681
29	South Dakota	$52,163
30	North Dakota	$64,189
31	Florida	$61,155
32	Virginia	$58,841
33	Ohio	$57,125
34	Delaware	$65,367
35	Texas	$56,524
36	Montana	$59,968
37	Wyoming	$61,038
38	Oklahoma	$47,046
39	Wisconsin	$50,673
40	Missouri	$49,640
41	Arizona	$51,226
42	Maryland	$54,974
43	Arkansas	$39,344
44	Colorado	$47,551
45	New Mexico	$54,579
46	West Virginia	$50,830
47	Tennessee	$45,981
48	Nebraska	$44,552
49	Indiana	$46,072
50	Kentucky	$44,183
51	South Carolina	$42,536

Artistic director best states FAQs

What is the best state for artistic directors?

What is the highest paying state for artistic directors?

What is the worst state for artistic directors?

Have more questions? See all answers to common arts, entertainment, sports, and media questions.

Search for artistic director jobs

Zippia Careers
Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Industry
Artistic Director
Best states for Artistic Directors

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs

Total artistic director jobs:	713
Average annual salary:	$95,808
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$48,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$190,000
Location Quotient:	1.03

Best states for an artistic director

10 best states for artistic directors in 2025

1. California

2. Oregon

3. New York

4. Iowa

5. New Jersey

6. Vermont

7. Washington

8. Alaska

9. Massachusetts

10. Louisiana