Average fine arts major salary

Updated September 14, 2023

$50,533

$25,00010%

$50,533Median

$98,00090%

What is the average fine arts major salary in the US?

The national average salary for a fine arts major graduate in the United States is $50,533 per year or $24.3 per hour.There is a huge gap between the top 10 percent earners and the bottom 10 percent earners -- about $73,000. The top 10 percent earn over $98,000, while the bottom 10 percent make less than $25,000 annually.Most jobs for fine arts majors are in technology companies and professional companies.New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, California, and Washington have the highest paying jobs for fine arts major graduates.

Best paying cities

$61,570

$60,871

$58,334

Average fine arts salary by company

Fine arts major graduates can expect good job security. However, some industries pay higher than others.Employers that have the highest concentration of job opportunities for fine arts majors are technology companies and professional companies.The two companies that report the highest salaries for fine arts major graduates are Meta and Apple.Companies like School of Visual Concepts and School of the Art Institute of Chicago also pay high salaries to fine arts major graduates.

Average salary by company

Rank	Company	Zippia score	Average fine arts salary
1	1.Meta	4.8	$106,842
2	2.Apple	4.8	$93,482
3	3.School of Visual Concepts	4.3	$84,811
4	4.School of the Art Institute of Chicago	4.1	$73,338
5	5.CDM Smith	4.8	$72,650
6	6.Academy of Art University	4.1	$71,241
7	7.Deloitte	4.7	$69,551
8	8.The Art Institute of Chicago	4.2	$69,239
9	9.New York University	4.8	$68,851
10	10.Columbia University in the City of New York	4.2	$67,239
11	11.The Metropolitan Museum of Art	4.8	$65,121
12	12.Maryland Institute College of Art	3.5	$63,727
13	13.HDR	4.7	$63,575
14	14.Pratt Institute	4.7	$62,854
15	15.ViacomCBS	4.6	$62,809
16	16.Amazon	4.7	$62,247
17	17.NBCUniversal	4.8	$62,244
18	18.Forever 21	4.2	$60,405
19	19.The Walt Disney Company	4.6	$57,785
20	20.Independent Contractor	4.2	$57,780

Average fine arts major salary by city

The national average salary for a fine arts major graduate in the USA is $50,533 annually or $24.3 hourly.The top city when it comes to salaries for fine arts majors is New York, NY at $61,570 per year.The New York, NY average entry-level salary for fine arts majors is $30,000.Other cities that offer high paying job opportunities for fine arts majors are San Francisco, CA, Boston, MA, Washington, DC, Des Moines, WA, Hartford, CT, and Providence, RI.The highest earning states when it comes to salaries for fine arts major graduates are New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, California, and Washington.Nebraska, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and South Dakota are at the bottom for competitive pay.

Average salary by location

Rank	City	Average fine arts salary	Salary range
1	New York, NY	$61,570	$31k $90k
2	San Francisco, CA	$60,871	$31k $90k
3	Boston, MA	$58,334	$31k $90k
4	Washington, DC	$58,223	$31k $90k
5	Des Moines, WA	$57,518	$31k $90k
6	Hartford, CT	$56,340	$31k $90k
7	Providence, RI	$53,877	$31k $90k
8	Arlington, VA	$53,347	$31k $90k
9	Baltimore, MD	$53,219	$31k $90k
10	Philadelphia, PA	$52,031	$31k $90k
11	Albany, OR	$51,388	$31k $90k
12	Portland, ME	$50,276	$31k $90k
13	Chicago, IL	$49,094	$31k $90k
14	Urban Honolulu, HI	$48,360	$31k $90k
15	Saint Paul, MN	$48,023	$31k $90k
16	Las Vegas, NV	$47,648	$31k $90k
17	Raleigh, NC	$46,833	$31k $90k
18	Columbus, OH	$46,407	$31k $90k
19	Madison, WI	$46,069	$31k $90k
20	Phoenix, AZ	$45,256	$31k $90k

Average fine arts major salary by state

The darker areas on the map show where fine arts majors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average salary

Fine arts major average salary by state

State	Average fine arts major salary	Average hourly rate
New York	$61,498	$29.57
Massachusetts	$58,516	$28.13
New Jersey	$58,025	$27.90
California	$57,467	$27.63
Washington	$57,180	$27.49
Connecticut	$56,593	$27.21
Rhode Island	$54,102	$26.01
Maryland	$53,143	$25.55
Virginia	$52,023	$25.01
Pennsylvania	$51,653	$24.83
Oregon	$51,203	$24.62
New Hampshire	$50,953	$24.50
Delaware	$50,766	$24.41
Vermont	$50,138	$24.10
Maine	$49,976	$24.03
Michigan	$49,735	$23.91
Alaska	$49,724	$23.91
Illinois	$48,891	$23.51
Hawaii	$48,351	$23.25
West Virginia	$48,285	$23.21
Minnesota	$48,012	$23.08
Nevada	$47,880	$23.02
Ohio	$47,049	$22.62
North Dakota	$47,023	$22.61
Wisconsin	$46,698	$22.45
North Carolina	$46,224	$22.22
Arizona	$45,226	$21.74
Colorado	$45,141	$21.70
Idaho	$44,544	$21.42
Texas	$44,531	$21.41
Utah	$44,052	$21.18
Georgia	$43,392	$20.86
Iowa	$43,392	$20.86
Indiana	$43,280	$20.81
New Mexico	$43,151	$20.75
Kansas	$42,919	$20.63
Kentucky	$42,645	$20.50
Wyoming	$42,607	$20.48
Tennessee	$42,495	$20.43
Missouri	$42,075	$20.23
Florida	$41,733	$20.06
South Carolina	$41,567	$19.98
Montana	$41,408	$19.91
Alabama	$41,304	$19.86
Nebraska	$41,267	$19.84
Louisiana	$40,943	$19.68
Arkansas	$40,897	$19.66
Mississippi	$39,999	$19.23
South Dakota	$39,514	$19.00
Oklahoma	$38,268	$18.40

Highest paying jobs for fine arts majors

Rank	Job title	Average salary	Open jobs
1	Senior Designer	$102,058	47,503
2	Product Designer	$102,032	98,465
3	Front End Developer	$92,147	124,876
4	User Experience Designer	$91,159	52,582
5	Storyboard Artist	$90,053	3,757
6	Assistant Professor	$87,099	30,531
7	Visual Designer	$86,494	46,815
8	Senior Artist	$83,393	3,665
9	Color And Materials Designer	$83,085	51,032
10	User Interaction Designer	$82,651	54,146
11	Visual Artist	$81,872	7,209
12	Web Developer	$78,975	227,881
13	Design Consultant	$77,802	59,470
14	3D Artist	$74,720	3,978
15	Business Analyst	$74,430	170,514
16	Data Analyst	$74,342	167,520
17	Quality Assurance Tester	$74,139	82,396
18	Senior Graphic Designer	$73,921	46,310
19	Analyst	$73,007	253,138
20	Digital Designer	$72,987	61,109

Average fine arts major salary by industry

The type of industry that a fine arts major graduate works in can influence their earning potential.Our analysis shows that media companies, manufacturing companies, and professional companies pay higher-than-average wages for fine arts major graduates.media companies pay fine arts major graduates the highest wages, averaging $52,498 per year. Manufacturing companies and professional companies pay well too, at $49,403 and $48,804, respectively.At $43,410, the average salary for fine arts majors in the government industry is lower than other industries.

Average salary by industry

Rank	Industry	Average fine arts major salary	Range
1	Media	$52,498	$33k $74k
2	Manufacturing	$49,403	$33k $74k
3	Professional	$48,804	$33k $74k
4	Finance	$48,292	$33k $74k
5	Retail	$47,256	$33k $74k
6	Education	$46,311	$33k $74k
7	Government	$43,410	$33k $74k

Salary history for fine arts major graduates

This data shows the national average salary between 2011-2020 among Fine Arts major graduates.

Fine arts major salary by experience level

Average salary by experience level salaries by experience level

The salary for a fine arts major graduate can range from $27,199 to $73,703 depending on the amount of work experience that the person has. Data on how experience level affects salary is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level average salary by experience level	$27,200	$13.08
Mid-level average salary by experience level	$38,300	$18.42
Senior-level average salary by experience level	$73,700	$35.43

Salaries for related majors

Rank	Major	Average salary	Range
1	Design And Visual Communication	$61,809	$33k $85k
2	Interior Design	$56,785	$33k $85k
3	Music	$52,899	$33k $85k
4	Art Studies	$52,801	$33k $85k
5	Visual And Performing Arts	$52,654	$33k $85k
6	Music Performance	$52,211	$33k $85k
7	Graphic Design	$50,589	$33k $85k
8	Theatre	$50,427	$33k $85k
9	Entertainment Business	$48,049	$33k $85k
10	Photography	$47,855	$33k $85k
11	Dance	$45,818	$33k $85k