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Creative director salary
Average creative director salary
$137,779
Understanding Creative Director Salaries
A Creative Director plays a vital role in guiding the creative vision of a company, and this is reflected in their salary. As of October 2025, the average salary for a Creative Director is $137,779 annually, translating to approximately $66 per hour. Salaries can vary based on factors such as location, experience, and industry. For example, Creative Directors in industries like advertising and technology often command higher salaries compared to those in non-profits or education.
When considering where to work, states like California, New York, and Texas typically offer the highest pay for Creative Directors. Additionally, positions in major metropolitan areas tend to have higher compensation due to the cost of living and demand for creative talent. This role not only offers a competitive salary but also provides opportunities to lead innovative projects and drive brand success. Understanding these factors can help aspiring and current Creative Directors navigate their career paths effectively.
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Where can a Creative Director earn more?
Creative director salary estimates from across the web
Average creative director salary by state
The average creative director salary in California, New York, and Washington are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average creative director salary states are Indiana, Kentucky, and Nebraska.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for creative directors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $165,697 | $79.66 |
| 2 | New York | $145,570 | $69.99 |
| 3 | Washington | $144,458 | $69.45 |
| 4 | Alaska | $143,583 | $69.03 |
| 5 | Vermont | $126,894 | $61.01 |
| 6 | Illinois | $125,414 | $60.30 |
| 7 | Kansas | $139,976 | $67.30 |
| 8 | Idaho | $134,116 | $64.48 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $132,965 | $63.93 |
| 10 | Oregon | $123,107 | $59.19 |
| 11 | Wyoming | $118,181 | $56.82 |
| 12 | Iowa | $138,937 | $66.80 |
| 13 | Mississippi | $114,883 | $55.23 |
| 14 | Maine | $133,968 | $64.41 |
| 15 | Louisiana | $112,838 | $54.25 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $119,656 | $57.53 |
| 17 | Nevada | $124,860 | $60.03 |
| 18 | Massachusetts | $115,088 | $55.33 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $114,365 | $54.98 |
| 20 | Georgia | $115,128 | $55.35 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $110,782 | $53.26 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $113,947 | $54.78 |
| 23 | Michigan | $114,952 | $55.27 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $114,238 | $54.92 |
| 25 | Montana | $111,204 | $53.46 |
| 26 | South Dakota | $98,472 | $47.34 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $108,008 | $51.93 |
| 28 | Connecticut | $114,458 | $55.03 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $92,668 | $44.55 |
| 30 | Texas | $104,417 | $50.20 |
| 31 | Utah | $100,535 | $48.33 |
| 32 | Pennsylvania | $108,817 | $52.32 |
| 33 | Delaware | $105,376 | $50.66 |
| 34 | Virginia | $102,832 | $49.44 |
| 35 | Ohio | $101,574 | $48.83 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $103,964 | $49.98 |
| 37 | Colorado | $96,891 | $46.58 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $87,204 | $41.92 |
| 39 | Arizona | $96,015 | $46.16 |
| 40 | Hawaii | $106,953 | $51.42 |
| 41 | Missouri | $93,730 | $45.06 |
| 42 | Maryland | $91,406 | $43.95 |
| 43 | Alabama | $80,715 | $38.81 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $88,775 | $42.68 |
| 45 | Florida | $90,170 | $43.35 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | $92,415 | $44.43 |
| 47 | Indiana | $87,187 | $41.92 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $86,200 | $41.44 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $83,916 | $40.34 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $80,991 | $38.94 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $83,364 | $40.08 |
Highest paying cities for creative directors
The highest-paying cities for creative directors are Menlo Park, CA, Seattle, WA, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Menlo Park, CA | $184,999 | $88.94 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $151,616 | $72.89 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $151,007 | $72.60 |
| 4 | Portland, ME | $138,984 | $66.82 |
| 5 | Chicago, IL | $127,849 | $61.47 |
| 6 | Las Vegas, NV | $127,456 | $61.28 |
| 7 | Portland, OR | $123,240 | $59.25 |
| 8 | Raleigh, NC | $122,919 | $59.10 |
| 9 | Detroit, MI | $116,376 | $55.95 |
| 10 | Atlanta, GA | $116,256 | $55.89 |
| 11 | Boston, MA | $116,037 | $55.79 |
| 12 | Washington, DC | $115,027 | $55.30 |
| 13 | Minneapolis, MN | $114,737 | $55.16 |
| 14 | Philadelphia, PA | $110,169 | $52.97 |
| 15 | Austin, TX | $105,950 | $50.94 |
| 16 | Arlington, VA | $103,776 | $49.89 |
| 17 | Columbus, OH | $101,519 | $48.81 |
| 18 | Salt Lake City, UT | $99,758 | $47.96 |
| 19 | Phoenix, AZ | $97,221 | $46.74 |
| 20 | Boulder, CO | $96,752 | $46.52 |
Creative Directors are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Creative director salary details
A creative director's salary ranges from $82,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $228,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a creative director's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $228,000 | $19,000 | $110 |
| 75th Percentile | $179,000 | $14,917 | $86 |
| Average | $137,779 | $11,482 | $66 |
| 25th Percentile | $105,000 | $8,750 | $50 |
| 10th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
Highest paying creative director jobs
The highest paying types of creative directors are executive creative director, senior creative director, and associate creative director.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic Design Manager | $66,975 | $5,581 | $32.20 | 48,269 |
| Designer/Art Director | $97,448 | $8,121 | $46.85 | 53,314 |
| Freelance Art Director | $85,453 | $7,121 | $41.08 | 9,215 |
| Art Director | $88,367 | $7,364 | $42.48 | 11,472 |
| Creative Services Director | $108,980 | $9,082 | $52.39 | 60,237 |
| Creative/Art Director | $125,743 | $10,479 | $60.45 | 10,403 |
Top companies hiring creative directors now:
Which companies pay creative directors the most?
Creative director salaries at Apple and Meta are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average creative director salary at companies like Airbnb and Ropes & Gray are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $226,183 | $108.74 |
| 2 | Meta | $221,411 | $106.45 |
| 3 | Airbnb | $219,354 | $105.46 |
| 4 | Ropes & Gray | $213,434 | $102.61 |
| 5 | $213,076 | $102.44 | |
| 6 | Bloomberg | $212,522 | $102.17 |
| 7 | The Howard Hughes | $209,110 | $100.53 |
| 8 | Okta | $208,829 | $100.40 |
| 9 | Zoox | $208,229 | $100.11 |
| 10 | THINX | $204,718 | $98.42 |
| 11 | Trailer Park | $197,552 | $94.98 |
| 12 | Netflix | $197,116 | $94.77 |
| 13 | Amazon | $196,284 | $94.37 |
| 14 | Fullscreen | $196,170 | $94.31 |
| 15 | Citi | $193,996 | $93.27 |
| 16 | Riot Games | $193,954 | $93.25 |
| 17 | Blurb | $193,408 | $92.98 |
| 18 | BBDO Detroit | $190,671 | $91.67 |
| 19 | Mayo Clinic | $190,366 | $91.52 |
| 20 | Trion Worlds | $190,144 | $91.42 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Creative Director salary by industry
The average creative director salary varies across industries:
- The average creative director salary in the technology industry is $162,278, the highest of any industry.
- The average creative director salary in the finance industry is $159,581.
- Creative directors in the retail industry earn an average salary of $149,826, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for creative directors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $162,278 | $78.02 |
| 2 | Finance | $159,581 | $76.72 |
| 3 | Professional | $158,526 | $76.21 |
| 4 | Start-up | $157,924 | $75.92 |
| 5 | Media | $154,871 | $74.46 |
| 6 | Manufacturing | $154,803 | $74.42 |
| 7 | Retail | $149,826 | $72.03 |
High paying creative director jobs
Creative director salary trends
The average creative director salary has risen by $22,677 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average creative director earned $115,102 annually, but today, they earn $137,779 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for creative directors over the last decade.
Compare creative director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average creative director salary over time
Compare creative director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Creative director salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $138,000 | $66.24 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | $133,000 | $64.16 | +1.5% |
| 2024 | $131,000 | $63.18 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | $131,000 | $62.99 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | $127,000 | $61.17 | +0.1% |
Recently added creative director salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexis Nexis | Creative Director | Raleigh, NC | 06/30/2025 | $133,300 |
| Ibotta | Creative Director | Denver, CO | 06/30/2025 | $125,000 |
| Marsh McLennan Agency-Michigan | Lippincott-Director, Creative Technology | Clifton Park, NY | 06/30/2025 | $130,000 |
| Versa Networks | Brand & Creative Director | Santa Clara, CA | 06/29/2025 | $170,000 |
| Orb Aerospace | Creative Director | Lowell, MI | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Amazon | Packaging Creative Director, Device Packaging Experience | Seattle, WA | 06/28/2025 | $162,300 |
| Givaudan | Job Opportunities Creative Fragrance Team Director | East Hanover, NJ | 06/28/2025 | $170,000 |
| Gusto | Creative Director | Denver, CO | 06/28/2025 | $172,000 |
| Full Swing Golf Inc. | Creative Director | Carlsbad, CA | 06/28/2025 | $120,000 |
| Amazon.com, Inc. | Packaging Creative Director, Device Packaging Experience | San Francisco, CA | 06/27/2025 | $162,300 |
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