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Job outlook for medical illustrators in the United States
Are medical illustrator jobs in demand?
Medical illustrator job and salary trends over time
Medical illustrator jobs over time
Medical illustrator job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 182 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 213 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 238 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 224 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 216 | 0.00% |
Average medical illustrator salary over time
Medical illustrator salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $52,144 | $25.07 | +3.5% |
| 2025 | $50,361 | $24.21 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $49,195 | $23.65 | --0.3% |
| 2023 | $49,335 | $23.72 | --2.5% |
| 2022 | $50,600 | $24.33 | +9.3% |
Medical illustrator jobs by state
Most common states for medical illustrators
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 141 | 20% |
| 2 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 364 | 19% |
| 3 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 490 | 17% |
| 4 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 905 | 16% |
| 5 | Delaware | 961,939 | 142 | 15% |
| 6 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 299 | 14% |
| 7 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 245 | 14% |
| 8 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 765 | 13% |
| 9 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 1,593 | 12% |
| 10 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 1,264 | 12% |
| 11 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 496 | 11% |
| 12 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 198 | 11% |
| 13 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 839 | 10% |
| 14 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 312 | 10% |
| 15 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 297 | 10% |
| 16 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 458 | 9% |
| 17 | California | 39,536,653 | 3,261 | 8% |
| 18 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 216 | 7% |
| 19 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 8 | 0% |
| 20 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 1 | 0% |
Medical Illustrator job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of medical illustrator experts
Louisiana College
University of Cincinnati- Clermont College
Flagler College
Arizona State University
Mississippi College
Albion College
California State University - Stanislaus
Kansas City Art Institute
Wayne State University
University of Oklahoma
Saint Xavier University
Oakland University
Duke University
University of Missouri - Columbia
Wilson College
Weill Cornell Medicine
What will help Medical Illustrators increase their earning potential?
Kathryn Baczeski: The best way to maximize your salary potential is to learn as many skills as you can, specifically in your medium and any medium adjacent to yours. This will allow you to be able to work multiple positions in any career. For example, if you are a ceramic artist, learning how to work by handbuilding, wheel-throwing, and mold making/slip casting will enhance your chances of being able to work in a variety of capacities in a job as opposed to just one style of creating work. In addition to making art, the processes for finalizing those works can assist you in the technician end of working in any studio. Back to the example of someone working as a ceramic artist, learning how to fire work in electric, gas, atmospheric and wood kilns is a lot more versatile than just being able to finalize work in one method. On the backend of being able to know how to work all of those different machines, learning how to repair them is also a valuable skill so knowing the machines you work with, allows you to specialize in different areas of your field. Continuing this style of education by taking workshops and classes in similar mediums (for ceramics that could be glass or metal working courses) will allow you to understand similar processes in different studio applications, reinforcing those skills. Finally, learning how to teach first time learners what you know about an art practice of medium is also a way to maximize a salary potential in finding part-time opportunities, one on one lessons and teaching to those who might be interested and starting to learn about an artistic process. This opens the door to many ways of making income and diversifying your ability to earn money from multiple sources and employers.
Dr. Andy Curran
Professor, Area CoordinatorUniversity of Cincinnati- Clermont College
Digital Media Communications
What soft skills should all Medical Illustrators possess?
Dr. Andy Curran: -Creative skills
-Problem solving
-Communication (written & verbal)
-Project management (personnel, budgeting, time, resources)
What hard/technical skills are most important for Medical Illustrators?
Dr. Andy Curran: -File management
-Computer literacy skills
-Software proficiency
Diana Lodi
Assistant Professor of Graphic DesignFlagler College
Department of Visual and Performing Arts
How have salaries changed over time for Medical Illustrators?
Diana Lodi: Salaries have progressed at a steady state. There has always been an emphasis on finding Graphic Designers who are also well-versed in web design, app development, and UX design. Possessing knowledge in AI and VR technologies could also impact pay scales in the future.
Prescott Perez-Fox
Lecturer - Graphic Information TechnologyArizona State University
The Polytechnic School
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Medical Illustrator job market given the pandemic?
Prescott Perez-Fox: It may sound obvious, but remote interviewing will become normal. Remote work in general is here to stay. The ability to communicate to a camera and work a productive day from your home office is essential in the modern era. All that advice about shaking hands is demoted to a footnote. Ditch the suits and ties for a crisp black t-shirt.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Medical Illustrators?
Benjamin Ivey: The enduring impact the pandemic will have on recent graduates will be a reliance on teleconferencing and online visual communication. Before coronavirus, we were accustomed to meeting "in person" for classes, interviews, and conferences. We only needed to be online for email, social media, and the occasional video. Now, it's the new norm for all classes and group meetings to have an online component. Employers are expecting to see portfolios and resumes online. Meeting in-person for your first job interview will be outmoded in favor of meeting via FaceTime or Zoom. Since many recent graduates are savvy with this technology, I don't foresee the trend changing anytime soon. People have quickly and readily embraced it.
What type of skills will young Medical Illustrators need?
Benjamin Ivey: Employers want to know that you are a good problem solver. New software, social media platforms, and computers are always coming down the pipe, so younger generations are expected to understand those needs and trends. If you are the kind of employee who can suggest better/faster/cheaper ways of working, then you are a golden investment for any company.
What experience really stands out on Medical Illustrator resumes?
Benjamin Ivey: The best experiences that stand out to me are when students put projects or hobbies to teach themselves a skill. School can only give you so much education. But when students take the initiative to learn something outside of class, they are taking their education. This shows me they are trainable and motivated. If a student says, "I taught myself how to 3D print", "I designed this web app for fun," or even "I like to fix old cars on the weekend, "... these are things that show you are a life-long learner and it often separates you from the crowd. I've heard many success stories from my former students who go for job offers simply because they put one or two personal projects like this into their portfolio and resume.
David Abbott
ChairAlbion College
Department of Music
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Medical Illustrators?
David Abbott: Clearly academic challenges of not getting either enough material and/or not being able to receive it as effectively as traditional in class experiencial learning has potentially negative consequences not unlike that of pre-college students although generally to a lesser degree of negative impact. Much virtual teaching can be effective and Albion has utilized this to a great deal as have many other colleges and R1 institutions. We offer combined virtual/ in person "hybrid", as well as all virtual only and all in person teaching both in classes and applied music lessons.
It remains to be seen in the coming post-pandemic years how much of a deleterious effect this pandemic will ultimately have on learning. My personal view is that the effects will vary but overall there will be negative implications across many colleges and universities. Much will depend on the success of testing/tracing which in the case of Albion College where we were very diligent and effective including use of an Aura tracking app required of all students, we were able to isolate and quarantine students suspected of illness, or with positive test results of COVID, safely isolate them for the required time and then they returned to lasses as before. During quarantine/isolation, all Albion students had virtual access to all classes after making arrangements with their individual instructors.
In comparison, I know Hillsdale College not more than 40 miles away, while an outstanding academic institution with enviably high standards, was decimated by the pandemic, simply because the administration chose not to follow science and they had at one point no less 175 positive covid cases, in early November while Albion had an average of only 3-5 on campus. I understood that the virus ravaged their music department and shut down most if not all live instruction. These numbers continued to rise in the next two weeks (Albion had only 11 total cases, all safely in isolation while Hillsdale's numbers exceeded 200 and more), it became difficult for many schools who ultimately chose to send their students home as a precaution to avoiding massive infection. Albion did this with 11 positive cases simply to follow recommended state guidelines. My understanding was Hillsdale hung on for much longer and continued to keep students on campus in spite of these dangerously high numbers of life threatening infections.
I pray their students/faculty ultimately left safe and mostly out of danger by the end of Fall semester and perhaps this was their way of maintaining academic integrity by keeping students on campus. At Albion, we ultimately sent students home only 7 school days earlier than our planned close of classes. We employed a controversial "module" system that essentially compressed 14 week classes into 7 weeks and classes met avg 5 days a week compared to the traditional 2-3x per week. Ultimately faculty/students hated this model and accepted it simply in an effort to keep students on campus for learning rather than keep everyone home in virtual only as many colleges and universities chose to do. We are continuing this module system now in the current Spring semester. We intend to return to traditional classes if at all possible by Fall '21.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Medical Illustrators?
John Ferry: I believe so - how can we have something this significant happen and not have it affect our lives in a noticeable way. I actually think there are advantages to having this happen . . . If you look for the positives you'll find them . . . if you look for the negatives you'll find them . . . I can't speculate on what that impact will be - but, we'll all be impacted, Professors and Students. At the very least we are all a lot more familiar with how to navigate virtual meetings.
Maria Bologna
Wayne State University
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Medical Illustrator job market given the pandemic?
Maria Bologna: Biggest trend is recent grads are no longer limited to their location for work (studios and companies all around the world are now offering fully remote positions).
What skills stand out on Medical Illustrator resumes?
Maria Bologna: Highly sought after skills that employers are looking for related to interactivity (motion graphics, animation, video editing)
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Medical Illustrator job market given the pandemic?
Tess Elliot: We've already seen great investment in technology and digital media in all sectors of the job market and I see this trend continuing.
What Medical Illustrator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Tess Elliot: An art graduate should always follow their passion and enhance skills they are drawn to. A painter should simply continue painting if that is their passion. Artists often don't fit neatly into a defined career path. Keep making art if you need a gap year, keep working on your portfolio, and reach out to your professors, they will continue to support you.
What general advice would you give to a Medical Illustrator?
Tess Elliot: Stay true to yourself. Be patient and have confidence in yourself and your work. Artists early in their careers often don't make money from their work. This is okay. Find a way to support yourself while continuing to make and share your work and things will fall into place. Seek out that unique path to career fulfillment.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Medical Illustrators?
Cathie Ruggie Saunders: Yes, absolutely. Events of this caliber become imprinted memories that never go away. All a student will have to say is that they are a graduate of 2020, and everyone will know what that means. A collective consciousness of the nightmare kind. But aside from the abrupt goodbyes they were forced to do were the myriad of opportunities lost. So many of Saint Xavier University's graduates are first-generation. Not only were they looking forward to their graduation, but their parents were, since the parents were not able to do it themselves. And on a larger theatre, they are graduating into a world barely recognizable, despite the fact that they have been exposed, in their lifetime, to 9/11, school shootings, drastic climate change, systemic racism and more. Now, a global health crisis that has affected every facet of life as we knew it.
What experience really stands out on Medical Illustrator resumes?
Cathie Ruggie Saunders: Experiences that stand out on resumes include ones that challenge the student beyond their known capabilities. Experiences that acquaint them with diverse modes of seeing, thinking, collaborating. Travel opens their perspectives and calls upon them to dig deep within themselves to find solutions to problems they have never encountered before. Internships are the usual, but not the only. In my youth, I spent a summer on an archeological expedition, literally digging up artifacts from previous civilizations and trying to piece together their culture, in hopes of understanding mine better. My daughters spent a summer working at a World Bird Sanctuary, rehabilitating birds of prey and raptors, learning captive breeding, and for educational outreach, carrying 12-foot long snakes for children's viewing on school field trips. It can be anything that you have never done before, or thought you could never do. Because that demonstrates your courage and resilience. And that is needed to succeed.
Carol Anne Ketelsen
Career Consultant for CAS and SONOakland University
School of Nursing, College of Arts and Sciences
What Medical Illustrator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Carol Anne Ketelsen: A gap year after you graduate can be beneficial if planned and used wisely. During the pandemic we have seen many universities and companies offer training programs, certifications, and micro-internships. If someone was going to take a gap year, they should plan how they will spend their time and how the activities they engage in will enhance their career goals. An employer will ask why they took the time off, what they did, what they learned, and how that applied to their future.
When it comes to skills, the graduate should use the time to expand their knowledge of their career. What skills are critical for this occupation? What skills does the candidate lack? A gap year is a great opportunity to develop those skills through volunteer opportunities, part-time work experiences, internships, travel, and enhanced learning. A graduate will want to explore the possibilities and determine how those will enhance their chosen career. Additionally, a graduate will want to review the technical skills needed for their field. If you choose to take the gap time, you do not want to fall behind when starting your career search.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Medical Illustrator job market given the pandemic?
Victoria Szabo Ph.D.: There are two areas. The first is that we are seeing more and more people working remotely, which means effective ways to connect. The pandemic might mean that the move to the gig economy is accelerated but also that "talent" can cross state and international borders more easily. However, people will still need to organize and share their work in online organizations and structures. Therefore I see a need for collaboration tools and systems that also integrate content management and project collaboration more actively. We already rely on shared document and spreadsheet authoring in our daily work. More robust organizational, tagging, and discovery systems for shared resources will be a must. This might take the form of image archives, 3D models, and even virtual world environments. Data analysis and visualization will continue to be important parts of the puzzle as will increasingly automated, AI-supported discovery environments. The second is an acceleration in the trend towards extended reality. We are already seeing a renaissance of interest in virtual reality systems. The convergence of social media, virtual reality, and conferencing tools will accelerate - maybe also with some gamification elements, for better or for worse. Once people are out and about, this might transition more into augmented- and mixed-reality environments, but the need for the data substrate will remain.
What skills stand out on Medical Illustrator resumes?
Victoria Szabo Ph.D.: Aside from some experience with some basic coding packages and systems (think Python, R, and web frameworks), I would say that experience with project management, success in working on team-based projects, and the ability to demonstrate growth and development over time are the most important. Sophisticated understanding of search algorithms, metadata standards, and user tracking would also help.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Medical Illustrators to find work opportunities?
Victoria Szabo Ph.D.: Information science training offers opportunities in lots of sectors. You can go into IT management or support, data analyst positions in industry, work web development, database design, user instruction, or systems administration in libraries and archives. You could also get into data journalism, educational administration, or human resources - the needs are everywhere.
Dr. Julia Gaines
Director, Professor, PercussionUniversity of Missouri - Columbia
School of Music
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Medical Illustrator job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Julia Gaines: The biggest trends for post-pandemic will be jobs for AV/IT work. The making of videos for just about every profession but including the distribution of music has grown exponentially in the field. I think entrepreneurs who can do this will contract out for music educators/performers everywhere. I think the teaching profession will now be asking, "what is your experience with online instruction delivery?" That will now be a qualification for all teachers, and we, at the university level, will have to do better preparing our teachers for this new education world.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Medical Illustrators to find work opportunities?
Dr. Julia Gaines: Education is still a top market, and that will be needed in every state. Even private studios have evolved to teaching online, all over the world. The location has now become a bit more irrelevant. As long as you can work with a computer well, you should be able to get a job in the education field. Even international opportunities will be more relevant to students, at this point.
What type of skills will young Medical Illustrators need?
Philip Lindsey: Communication skills, creative and critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, work well independently, and in a team, tech-savvy, broad knowledge (liberal arts) + disciplinary knowledge.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Medical Illustrators to find work opportunities?
Philip Lindsey: Graphic Design: metropolitan areas. However, graphic design is everywhere, and any company/business that relies on images and text incorporates graphic Design. So the job market is quite broad.
How do you envision technology impacting Medical Illustrators in the next 5 years?
Philip Lindsey: Graphic design has become increasingly tech-oriented. Graduates will need to understand industry-standard software and hardware to be competitive.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Medical Illustrators?
Yiye Zhang Ph.D.: I am very proud to have witnessed the efficiency and dedication of our colleagues around the globe during the pandemic. Medical informaticians worked around the clock virtually while maintaining close collaboration with our clinical colleagues to deliver the necessary data to inform healthcare policy and assist with clinical decision-making. In this sense, you could say that the impact on our job productivity was kept minimal.
I do think the pandemic will have an enduring impact on everyone, including our graduates, through the changing mode of learning, the changing economy, and the changing avenue for networking and job hunting. It requires a change in perspective in terms of how we learn and network, but it also opens the door to career opportunities that, perhaps, were impossible to consider due to the physical distance.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Medical Illustrators to find work opportunities?
Yiye Zhang Ph.D.: The healthcare sector: hospitals, clinics, public health departments, biotechnology, healthcare consulting, among others. We train our graduates with medical informatics knowledge and skill sets so they can take their informatics training to bring data-driven insights to healthcare across the nation.
How do you envision technology impacting Medical Illustrators in the next 5 years?
Yiye Zhang Ph.D.: We all realized, more than ever, the importance of healthcare and public health through this pandemic. We need fair and actionable analytics, based on accurate data and reliable and scalable informatics platforms for delivering virtual care. Advances in technology will help us achieve these goals.