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Creative director/owner salary
Average creative director/owner salary
$124,243
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Average creative director/owner salary by state
Highest paying states for creative directors/owner
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $147,115 | $70.73 |
| 2 | Iowa | $140,656 | $67.62 |
| 3 | California | $136,315 | $65.54 |
| 4 | Utah | $117,210 | $56.35 |
| 5 | Mississippi | $116,365 | $55.94 |
| 6 | Illinois | $129,687 | $62.35 |
| 7 | North Carolina | $129,846 | $62.43 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $129,659 | $62.34 |
| 9 | Kansas | $131,539 | $63.24 |
| 10 | Oregon | $124,008 | $59.62 |
| 11 | Alabama | $112,477 | $54.08 |
| 12 | Maine | $118,314 | $56.88 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $122,045 | $58.68 |
| 14 | Louisiana | $110,967 | $53.35 |
| 15 | Michigan | $119,967 | $57.68 |
| 16 | Washington | $122,072 | $58.69 |
| 17 | Vermont | $115,562 | $55.56 |
| 18 | Idaho | $120,347 | $57.86 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $117,851 | $56.66 |
| 20 | Georgia | $115,847 | $55.70 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $103,225 | $49.63 |
| 22 | Delaware | $111,201 | $53.46 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $104,033 | $50.02 |
| 24 | Virginia | $121,301 | $58.32 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $110,871 | $53.30 |
| 26 | Nevada | $107,904 | $51.88 |
| 27 | Montana | $107,168 | $51.52 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $118,926 | $57.18 |
| 29 | Ohio | $110,700 | $53.22 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $110,802 | $53.27 |
| 31 | Connecticut | $111,506 | $53.61 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $105,060 | $50.51 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $95,423 | $45.88 |
| 34 | Rhode Island | $103,210 | $49.62 |
| 35 | Alaska | $103,433 | $49.73 |
| 36 | Maryland | $98,442 | $47.33 |
| 37 | Missouri | $97,617 | $46.93 |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | $99,182 | $47.68 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $86,724 | $41.69 |
| 40 | Florida | $90,495 | $43.51 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $95,490 | $45.91 |
| 42 | Texas | $94,117 | $45.25 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $99,414 | $47.80 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $95,754 | $46.04 |
| 45 | Indiana | $97,663 | $46.95 |
| 46 | Arizona | $83,881 | $40.33 |
| 47 | Colorado | $90,123 | $43.33 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $93,713 | $45.05 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $82,335 | $39.58 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $89,216 | $42.89 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $76,778 | $36.91 |
Creative director/owner salary details
A creative director/owner's salary ranges from $64,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $237,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a creative director/owner's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $237,000 | $19,750 | $114 |
| 75th Percentile | $174,000 | $14,500 | $84 |
| Average | $124,243 | $10,354 | $60 |
| 25th Percentile | $88,000 | $7,333 | $42 |
| 10th Percentile | $64,000 | $5,333 | $31 |
Highest paying creative director/owner jobs
The highest paying types of creative directors/owner are executive creative director, senior creative director, and associate creative director.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | $90,334 | $7,528 | $43.43 | 86,486 |
| 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/owner now:
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Creative director/owner salary trends
The average creative director/owner salary has risen by $20,450 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average creative director/owner earned $103,793 annually, but today, they earn $124,243 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for creative directors/owner over the last decade.
Compare creative director/owner salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average creative director/owner salary over time
Compare creative director/owner salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Creative director/owner salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $124,000 | $59.73 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $120,000 | $57.86 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | $119,000 | $56.97 | +0.3% |
| 2022 | $118,000 | $56.80 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | $115,000 | $55.16 | +0.1% |
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