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Best states for a creative/art director
Quoted expert
Brian Pirman
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Creative/art director opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for creative/art directors, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for creative/art directors.As creative/art directors are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for creative/art directors. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a creative/art director, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for creative/art directors.We found that California is the best state for creative/art director jobs, whereas Arkansas is the worst.
10 best states for creative/art directors in 2026
1. California
Total creative/art director jobs: 735 Average annual salary: $148,398 Lowest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $228,000 Location Quotient: 1.15
2. New York
Total creative/art director jobs: 457 Average annual salary: $133,391 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $208,000 Location Quotient: 1.63
3. Oregon
Total creative/art director jobs: 93 Average annual salary: $128,956 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $206,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
4. Vermont
Total creative/art director jobs: 20 Average annual salary: $121,108 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $192,000 Location Quotient: 1.19
5. Utah
Total creative/art director jobs: 45 Average annual salary: $121,217 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $195,000 Location Quotient: 0.64
6. Washington
Total creative/art director jobs: 114 Average annual salary: $123,487 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $198,000 Location Quotient: 0.71
7. Kansas
Total creative/art director jobs: 22 Average annual salary: $132,938 Lowest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $209,000 Location Quotient: 0.33
8. Massachusetts
Total creative/art director jobs: 118 Average annual salary: $121,432 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $191,000 Location Quotient: 0.59
9. Illinois
Total creative/art director jobs: 199 Average annual salary: $119,146 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $189,000 Location Quotient: 0.76
10. Maine
Total creative/art director jobs: 10 Average annual salary: $128,231 Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $201,000 Location Quotient: 0.34
Creative/art director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a creative/art director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a creative/art director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $148,398 | $96,000 | 39,536,653 | 735 |
| 2 | New York | $133,391 | $85,000 | 19,849,399 | 457 |
| 3 | Oregon | $128,956 | $80,000 | 4,142,776 | 93 |
| 4 | Vermont | $121,108 | $76,000 | 623,657 | 20 |
| 5 | Utah | $121,217 | $75,000 | 3,101,833 | 45 |
| 6 | Washington | $123,487 | $76,000 | 7,405,743 | 114 |
| 7 | Kansas | $132,938 | $84,000 | 2,913,123 | 22 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $121,432 | $76,000 | 6,859,819 | 118 |
| 9 | Illinois | $119,146 | $74,000 | 12,802,023 | 199 |
| 10 | Maine | $128,231 | $81,000 | 1,335,907 | 10 |
| 11 | Idaho | $122,801 | $76,000 | 1,716,943 | 14 |
| 12 | Iowa | $137,300 | $88,000 | 3,145,711 | 17 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $120,158 | $75,000 | 9,005,644 | 100 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $111,240 | $68,000 | 579,315 | 7 |
| 15 | Mississippi | $103,944 | $61,000 | 2,984,100 | 280 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $109,408 | $69,000 | 755,393 | 11 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $112,662 | $71,000 | 5,576,606 | 78 |
| 18 | Nevada | $110,469 | $67,000 | 2,998,039 | 24 |
| 19 | Louisiana | $102,143 | $59,000 | 4,684,333 | 459 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $105,571 | $65,000 | 1,342,795 | 22 |
| 21 | South Dakota | $96,746 | $60,000 | 869,666 | 175 |
| 22 | Connecticut | $105,183 | $65,000 | 3,588,184 | 49 |
| 23 | Michigan | $109,692 | $68,000 | 9,962,311 | 52 |
| 24 | Alabama | $94,873 | $55,000 | 4,874,747 | 522 |
| 25 | Alaska | $112,334 | $69,000 | 739,795 | 5 |
| 26 | Montana | $103,780 | $63,000 | 1,050,493 | 12 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $101,955 | $61,000 | 10,273,419 | 80 |
| 28 | Rhode Island | $98,975 | $61,000 | 1,059,639 | 15 |
| 29 | District of Columbia | $101,898 | $62,000 | 693,972 | 36 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $84,485 | $51,000 | 1,815,857 | 260 |
| 31 | Virginia | $99,766 | $60,000 | 8,470,020 | 99 |
| 32 | Ohio | $95,208 | $58,000 | 11,658,609 | 73 |
| 33 | Georgia | $94,107 | $55,000 | 10,429,379 | 83 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $81,472 | $49,000 | 3,930,864 | 412 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $92,576 | $55,000 | 2,088,070 | 14 |
| 36 | Colorado | $89,938 | $54,000 | 5,607,154 | 64 |
| 37 | Delaware | $96,471 | $59,000 | 961,939 | 6 |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | $86,826 | $53,000 | 12,805,537 | 104 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $89,684 | $65,000 | 1,427,538 | 9 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $89,573 | $55,000 | 5,795,483 | 36 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $69,891 | $40,000 | 5,024,369 | 690 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $86,092 | $51,000 | 6,715,984 | 39 |
| 43 | Texas | $84,670 | $49,000 | 28,304,596 | 183 |
| 44 | Missouri | $87,983 | $53,000 | 6,113,532 | 42 |
| 45 | Maryland | $83,091 | $50,000 | 6,052,177 | 66 |
| 46 | Arizona | $81,991 | $49,000 | 7,016,270 | 58 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $80,903 | $50,000 | 1,920,076 | 18 |
| 48 | Florida | $77,766 | $43,000 | 20,984,400 | 158 |
| 49 | Indiana | $82,208 | $50,000 | 6,666,818 | 21 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $78,272 | $47,000 | 4,454,189 | 20 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $67,205 | $40,000 | 3,004,279 | 16 |
Highest paying states for creative/art directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Creative/Art Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $148,398 |
| 2 | New York | $133,391 |
| 3 | Oregon | $128,956 |
| 4 | Vermont | $121,108 |
| 5 | Utah | $121,217 |
| 6 | Washington | $123,487 |
| 7 | Kansas | $132,938 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $121,432 |
| 9 | Illinois | $119,146 |
| 10 | Maine | $128,231 |
| 11 | Idaho | $122,801 |
| 12 | Iowa | $137,300 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $120,158 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $111,240 |
| 15 | Mississippi | $103,944 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $109,408 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $112,662 |
| 18 | Nevada | $110,469 |
| 19 | Louisiana | $102,143 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $105,571 |
| 21 | South Dakota | $96,746 |
| 22 | Connecticut | $105,183 |
| 23 | Michigan | $109,692 |
| 24 | Alabama | $94,873 |
| 25 | Alaska | $112,334 |
| 26 | Montana | $103,780 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $101,955 |
| 28 | Rhode Island | $98,975 |
| 29 | District of Columbia | $101,898 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $84,485 |
| 31 | Virginia | $99,766 |
| 32 | Ohio | $95,208 |
| 33 | Georgia | $94,107 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $81,472 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $92,576 |
| 36 | Colorado | $89,938 |
| 37 | Delaware | $96,471 |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | $86,826 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $89,684 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $89,573 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $69,891 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $86,092 |
| 43 | Texas | $84,670 |
| 44 | Missouri | $87,983 |
| 45 | Maryland | $83,091 |
| 46 | Arizona | $81,991 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $80,903 |
| 48 | Florida | $77,766 |
| 49 | Indiana | $82,208 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $78,272 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $67,205 |
Expert opinions on the best states for creative/art directors
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for creative/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