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Best states for a designer/art director
Quoted expert
Brian Pirman
- Rank 1 - 10
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- 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 designer/art director jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for designer/art directors.As designer/art directors are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for designer/art directors. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a designer/art director, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
In order to get you the best states for designer/art directors, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.Iowa is the best state, and Windsor is the city with the highest pay for designer/art directors.
10 best states for designer/art directors in 2025
1. Iowa
Total designer/art director jobs: 657 Average annual salary: $104,353 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $160,000 Location Quotient: 2.47
2. California
Total designer/art director jobs: 2,971 Average annual salary: $119,582 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $189,000 Location Quotient: 1.39
3. Oregon
Total designer/art director jobs: 451 Average annual salary: $110,067 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000 Location Quotient: 1.48
4. New York
Total designer/art director jobs: 1,443 Average annual salary: $109,894 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $172,000 Location Quotient: 1.53
5. Washington
Total designer/art director jobs: 818 Average annual salary: $104,627 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $168,000 Location Quotient: 1.53
6. Utah
Total designer/art director jobs: 223 Average annual salary: $101,345 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 0.95
7. Kansas
Total designer/art director jobs: 136 Average annual salary: $104,109 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 0.61
8. Massachusetts
Total designer/art director jobs: 677 Average annual salary: $95,154 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 1
9. Maine
Total designer/art director jobs: 65 Average annual salary: $100,877 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 0.67
10. Vermont
Total designer/art director jobs: 45 Average annual salary: $94,405 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000 Location Quotient: 0.8
Designer/art director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a designer/art director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a designer/art director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa | $104,353 | $67,000 | 3,145,711 | 657 |
| 2 | California | $119,582 | $75,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,971 |
| 3 | Oregon | $110,067 | $68,000 | 4,142,776 | 451 |
| 4 | New York | $109,894 | $70,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,443 |
| 5 | Washington | $104,627 | $64,000 | 7,405,743 | 818 |
| 6 | Utah | $101,345 | $62,000 | 3,101,833 | 223 |
| 7 | Kansas | $104,109 | $66,000 | 2,913,123 | 136 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $95,154 | $60,000 | 6,859,819 | 677 |
| 9 | Maine | $100,877 | $65,000 | 1,335,907 | 65 |
| 10 | Vermont | $94,405 | $60,000 | 623,657 | 45 |
| 11 | Idaho | $101,562 | $63,000 | 1,716,943 | 66 |
| 12 | Mississippi | $80,554 | $48,000 | 2,984,100 | 350 |
| 13 | Illinois | $87,320 | $56,000 | 12,802,023 | 792 |
| 14 | Louisiana | $79,028 | $46,000 | 4,684,333 | 569 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $86,149 | $57,000 | 5,576,606 | 408 |
| 16 | Alaska | $99,214 | $60,000 | 739,795 | 22 |
| 17 | Michigan | $80,958 | $52,000 | 9,962,311 | 469 |
| 18 | Nevada | $90,047 | $55,000 | 2,998,039 | 94 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $91,112 | $57,000 | 9,005,644 | 405 |
| 20 | South Dakota | $74,013 | $48,000 | 869,666 | 217 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $87,325 | $58,000 | 755,393 | 36 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $82,392 | $52,000 | 1,342,795 | 97 |
| 23 | Alabama | $73,101 | $43,000 | 4,874,747 | 633 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $87,208 | $55,000 | 579,315 | 16 |
| 25 | Montana | $82,587 | $52,000 | 1,050,493 | 45 |
| 26 | Rhode Island | $77,040 | $49,000 | 1,059,639 | 71 |
| 27 | Connecticut | $81,123 | $51,000 | 3,588,184 | 181 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $74,781 | $45,000 | 10,273,419 | 549 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $92,948 | $70,000 | 1,427,538 | 29 |
| 30 | Georgia | $71,146 | $42,000 | 10,429,379 | 724 |
| 31 | District of Columbia | $72,566 | $45,000 | 693,972 | 205 |
| 32 | Virginia | $70,801 | $43,000 | 8,470,020 | 717 |
| 33 | Oklahoma | $63,467 | $39,000 | 3,930,864 | 550 |
| 34 | Texas | $69,532 | $41,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,174 |
| 35 | Colorado | $70,518 | $44,000 | 5,607,154 | 351 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $71,452 | $43,000 | 2,088,070 | 80 |
| 37 | Ohio | $68,812 | $43,000 | 11,658,609 | 485 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $66,321 | $43,000 | 5,795,483 | 320 |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | $64,091 | $40,000 | 12,805,537 | 643 |
| 40 | Missouri | $66,507 | $42,000 | 6,113,532 | 280 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $51,566 | $31,000 | 3,004,279 | 553 |
| 42 | Delaware | $70,032 | $44,000 | 961,939 | 47 |
| 43 | Arizona | $64,912 | $40,000 | 7,016,270 | 284 |
| 44 | Florida | $64,541 | $36,000 | 20,984,400 | 704 |
| 45 | Maryland | $59,429 | $37,000 | 6,052,177 | 372 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $62,520 | $40,000 | 1,920,076 | 88 |
| 47 | Indiana | $59,867 | $38,000 | 6,666,818 | 269 |
| 48 | West Virginia | $60,642 | $38,000 | 1,815,857 | 38 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $58,702 | $36,000 | 6,715,984 | 226 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $52,232 | $31,000 | 5,024,369 | 183 |
| 51 | Kentucky | $57,156 | $35,000 | 4,454,189 | 124 |
Highest paying states for designer/art directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Designer/Art Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa | $104,353 |
| 2 | California | $119,582 |
| 3 | Oregon | $110,067 |
| 4 | New York | $109,894 |
| 5 | Washington | $104,627 |
| 6 | Utah | $101,345 |
| 7 | Kansas | $104,109 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $95,154 |
| 9 | Maine | $100,877 |
| 10 | Vermont | $94,405 |
| 11 | Idaho | $101,562 |
| 12 | Mississippi | $80,554 |
| 13 | Illinois | $87,320 |
| 14 | Louisiana | $79,028 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $86,149 |
| 16 | Alaska | $99,214 |
| 17 | Michigan | $80,958 |
| 18 | Nevada | $90,047 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $91,112 |
| 20 | South Dakota | $74,013 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $87,325 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $82,392 |
| 23 | Alabama | $73,101 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $87,208 |
| 25 | Montana | $82,587 |
| 26 | Rhode Island | $77,040 |
| 27 | Connecticut | $81,123 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $74,781 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $92,948 |
| 30 | Georgia | $71,146 |
| 31 | District of Columbia | $72,566 |
| 32 | Virginia | $70,801 |
| 33 | Oklahoma | $63,467 |
| 34 | Texas | $69,532 |
| 35 | Colorado | $70,518 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $71,452 |
| 37 | Ohio | $68,812 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $66,321 |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | $64,091 |
| 40 | Missouri | $66,507 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $51,566 |
| 42 | Delaware | $70,032 |
| 43 | Arizona | $64,912 |
| 44 | Florida | $64,541 |
| 45 | Maryland | $59,429 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $62,520 |
| 47 | Indiana | $59,867 |
| 48 | West Virginia | $60,642 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $58,702 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $52,232 |
| 51 | Kentucky | $57,156 |
Expert opinions on the best states for designer/art directors
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for designer/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.
Designer/art director best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025