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Arts administrator salary

Average arts administrator salary

$56,050

$26.95 hourly rate

Entry-level arts administrator salary
$41,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding the Arts Administrator Salary

The salary for Arts Administrators varies widely across the United States. As of October 2025, the average annual salary stands at $56,050, or about $27 per hour. The compensation for this role can be influenced by several factors, including geographical location, years of experience, and the specific sector of employment.

Top Paying States

Some states offer higher salaries due to demand and cost of living. For instance, arts administrators in New York and California tend to earn more than their counterparts in other states.

Salary by Experience

Entry-level positions typically start lower, while those with significant experience or in specialized roles command higher salaries. The highest paying industries for arts administrators include performing arts companies, museums, and educational institutions.

Career Opportunities

Those interested in pursuing a career as an Arts Administrator should consider gaining relevant experience through internships or volunteer work. This not only enhances skills but also increases earning potential. Explore various job openings on Zippia to find opportunities that match your career goals.

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Where can an Arts Administrator earn more?

Compare salary by location
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80k
60k
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Columbus, OH$63,498
Pasadena, CA$49,780
Compare salary by company
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102k
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62k
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Hanesbrands$72,696
Sotheby's$51,654

Arts administrator salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Comparably, the average salary for an arts administrator typically falls between $45,705 and $57,412.
zippia
$56,050yearly
glassdoor[1]
$52,741yearly
comparably[2]
$57,412yearly
ZipRecruiter[3]
$45,705yearly

Average arts administrator salary by state

The average arts administrator salary in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Idaho are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average arts administrator salary states are Georgia, Nebraska, and Alabama.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for arts administrators

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Idaho$66,811$32.12
2Rhode Island$70,890$34.08
3Connecticut$70,545$33.92
4New Hampshire$61,338$29.49
5Oregon$61,829$29.73
6West Virginia$64,662$31.09
7Washington$62,251$29.93
8Texas$60,295$28.99
9Missouri$62,522$30.06
10Arizona$57,664$27.72
11Wyoming$57,025$27.42
12Colorado$57,167$27.48
13Pennsylvania$57,950$27.86
14New Jersey$63,254$30.41
15Maryland$58,079$27.92
16Massachusetts$57,901$27.84
17Virginia$57,138$27.47
18New York$60,993$29.32
19North Carolina$55,775$26.81
20Nevada$55,916$26.88
21Vermont$55,916$26.88
22Hawaii$58,602$28.17
23Delaware$59,583$28.65
24Wisconsin$56,370$27.10
25New Mexico$54,338$26.12
26Utah$53,330$25.64
27Michigan$55,098$26.49
28Indiana$55,349$26.61
29Iowa$54,950$26.42
30Alaska$51,191$24.61
31South Dakota$53,792$25.86
32North Dakota$50,694$24.37
33South Carolina$52,627$25.30
34Illinois$52,145$25.07
35Ohio$52,229$25.11
36Kansas$50,676$24.36
37District of Columbia$49,813$23.95
38Minnesota$51,676$24.84
39Kentucky$51,570$24.79
40Maine$51,926$24.96
41Mississippi$50,808$24.43
42California$50,036$24.06
43Alabama$47,773$22.97
44Florida$47,250$22.72
45Arkansas$50,364$24.21
46Montana$48,806$23.46
47Georgia$48,376$23.26
48Louisiana$49,981$24.03
49Nebraska$48,035$23.09
50Tennessee$47,532$22.85
51Oklahoma$45,942$22.09

Highest paying cities for arts administrators

The highest-paying cities for arts administrators are Englewood, NJ, New York, NY, and Buffalo, NY.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Englewood, NJ$63,498$30.53
2New York, NY$61,051$29.35
3Buffalo, NY$59,982$28.84
4Newark, DE$59,644$28.68
5Lenexa, KS$50,679$24.36
6Pasadena, CA$49,780$23.93

Arts administrator salary details

An arts administrator's salary ranges from $41,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $74,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average arts administrator salary graph
Average arts administrator salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an arts administrator's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$74,000$6,167$36
75th Percentile$65,000$5,417$31
Average$56,050$4,671$27
25th Percentile$48,000$4,000$23
10th Percentile$41,000$3,417$20

Highest paying arts administrator jobs

The highest paying types of arts administrators are unix systems administrator, linux administrator, and windows system administrator.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Information Technology Administrator$73,195$6,100$35.19159,499
Windows System Administrator$79,845$6,654$38.3994,648
Network/Server Administrator$78,919$6,577$37.94167,546
Maintenance Administrator$39,393$3,283$18.94107,366
Managing Administrator$75,025$6,252$36.0764,677
Unix Systems Administrator$87,936$7,328$42.28110,185

Which companies pay arts administrators the most?

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Hanesbrands$72,696$34.95
2State University of New York College at Cortland$56,407$27.12
3Sotheby's$51,654$24.83

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$58,000$57,000$56,000$55,000$54,000$53,000
MaleFemale

Arts Administrator salary by industry

The average arts administrator salary varies across industries:

  • The average arts administrator salary in the government industry is $66,059, the highest of any industry.
  • The average arts administrator salary in the finance industry is $59,596.
  • Arts administrators in the media industry earn an average salary of $53,596, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for arts administrators

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Government$66,059$31.76
2Education$59,596$28.65
3Manufacturing$59,319$28.52
4Non Profits$56,839$27.33
5Internet$54,436$26.17
6Media$53,596$25.77

High paying arts administrator jobs

Arts administrator salary trends

The average arts administrator salary has risen by $10,228 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average arts administrator earned $45,822 annually, but today, they earn $56,050 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for arts administrators over the last decade.

Compare arts administrator salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average arts administrator salary over time

Compare arts administrator salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Arts administrator salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$56,100$26.95+3.3%
2025$54,200$26.06+2.3%
2024$53,000$25.47+1.2%
2023$52,400$25.17+1.7%
2022$51,500$24.74+2.4%

Recently added arts administrator salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
City of Daly City, CaClass Development & Cultural Arts Administrator (20592525)Daly City, CA03/04/2025$84,084
City of PortlandPublic Art Administrator (Coordinator III-Cppw)Portland, OR02/24/2025$97,510
Barebones ProductionsArts AdministratorNore, MN02/16/2025$45,914
MiamidadeartsPublic Art AdministratorMiami, FL09/25/2024$84,798
MiamidadeartsPublic Art AdministratorMiami, FL09/11/2024$84,798
Barebones Puppet ShowArts AdministratorNore, MN09/11/2024$45,914
Johns Hopkins UniversityStudio Art AdministratorBaltimore, MD11/02/2023$47,500

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