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Art teacher salary

Quoted expert
Barbara Bonnekessen Ph.D.

Average art teacher salary

$50,188

$24.13 hourly rate

Entry-level art teacher salary
$40,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Average Art Teacher Salary

The average salary for an art teacher stands at approximately $50,188 annually, or around $24 per hour. This figure can fluctuate based on several factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific school district. For instance, art teachers in urban areas may earn more due to higher living costs and demand for specialized educators.

Salary by State

Art teacher salaries vary significantly across different states. For example, states like California and New York often offer higher salaries compared to states with lower costs of living. Understanding these salary differences can help prospective art teachers make informed career decisions.

Highest Paying Opportunities

In addition to state variations, certain industries pay more for art teachers. Positions in private schools or specialized art institutions may provide more competitive salaries. Exploring job listings and salary reports can reveal the highest paying opportunities for aspiring art teachers, ensuring they find a position that aligns with their financial goals.

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Where can an Art Teacher earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
89k
69k
49k
29k
9k
Columbus, OH$60,037
Spartanburg, SC$38,641
Compare salary by company
Vs
104k
84k
64k
44k
24k
Brooklyn Friends School$76,577
Gompers Preparatory Academy$53,601

Art teacher salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, Comparably, Payscale and CareerExplorer, the average salary for an art teacher typically falls between $34,279 and $61,036.
zippia
$50,188yearly
glassdoor[1]
$61,036yearly
indeed[2]
$56,099yearly
comparably[3]
$59,684yearly
Salary.com[4]
$59,218yearly
ZipRecruiter[5]
$50,500yearly
payscale[6]
$48,860yearly
CareerExplorer[7]
$34,279yearly

Average art teacher salary by state

The average art teacher salary in Connecticut, New York, and Alaska are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average art teacher salary states are Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Florida.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for art teachers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Connecticut$63,404$30.48
2Illinois$55,639$26.75
3New York$59,998$28.85
4Maryland$55,836$26.84
5New Jersey$53,606$25.77
6Washington$59,467$28.59
7Nebraska$53,502$25.72
8Ohio$53,216$25.58
9Massachusetts$54,512$26.21
10Kansas$51,799$24.90
11Alaska$59,501$28.61
12Michigan$48,697$23.41
13Rhode Island$53,882$25.90
14Minnesota$50,039$24.06
15New Hampshire$48,051$23.10
16Pennsylvania$48,532$23.33
17California$55,172$26.52
18Wyoming$49,563$23.83
19District of Columbia$53,469$25.71
20New Mexico$46,881$22.54
21Oregon$52,244$25.12
22Vermont$48,639$23.38
23Wisconsin$48,655$23.39
24Virginia$51,333$24.68
25Nevada$45,654$21.95
26Iowa$47,365$22.77
27Montana$46,738$22.47
28Texas$46,520$22.37
29North Dakota$48,030$23.09
30Kentucky$46,542$22.38
31Delaware$45,560$21.90
32Maine$46,910$22.55
33Colorado$43,672$21.00
34Utah$46,427$22.32
35Georgia$45,403$21.83
36Tennessee$43,141$20.74
37North Carolina$44,185$21.24
38Idaho$45,767$22.00
39Missouri$44,760$21.52
40Oklahoma$40,805$19.62
41Hawaii$48,038$23.10
42South Dakota$43,515$20.92
43Florida$40,042$19.25
44Indiana$42,259$20.32
45West Virginia$42,465$20.42
46Arizona$39,140$18.82
47Arkansas$41,061$19.74
48Mississippi$41,218$19.82
49South Carolina$38,098$18.32
50Alabama$41,494$19.95
51Louisiana$39,596$19.04

Highest paying cities for art teachers

The highest-paying cities for art teachers are New York, NY, Anchorage, AK, and San Francisco, CA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New York, NY$60,037$28.86
2Anchorage, AK$59,492$28.60
3San Francisco, CA$57,004$27.41
4Baltimore, MD$55,871$26.86
5Chicago, IL$55,777$26.82
6New Brunswick, NJ$53,645$25.79
7Washington, DC$53,455$25.70
8Salem, OR$52,312$25.15
9Roseville, MN$50,060$24.07
10Detroit, MI$48,727$23.43
11Philadelphia, PA$48,559$23.35
12Dallas, TX$46,575$22.39
13Atlanta, GA$45,582$21.91
14Las Vegas, NV$45,456$21.85
15Kansas City, MO$44,901$21.59
16Denver, CO$43,745$21.03
17Coral Gables, FL$39,678$19.08
18Surprise, AZ$39,311$18.90
19Spartanburg, SC$38,641$18.58

Art teacher salary details

An art teacher's salary ranges from $40,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $62,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average art teacher salary graph
Average art teacher salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an art teacher's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$62,000$5,167$30
75th Percentile$56,000$4,667$27
Average$50,188$4,182$24
25th Percentile$44,000$3,667$21
10th Percentile$40,000$3,333$19

Highest paying art teacher jobs

The highest paying types of art teachers are student teacher, reading teacher, and history teacher.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Teacher Internship$48,398$4,033$23.27105,496
Elementary School Teacher$52,161$4,347$25.0884,607
Long Term Substitute Teacher$42,808$3,567$20.5869,133
Summer School Teacher$52,828$4,402$25.4086,467
Spanish Teacher$52,445$4,370$25.2154,666
Reading Teacher$55,452$4,621$26.6668,234

How would you rate the starting salaries for art teachers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Barbara Bonnekessen Ph.D.

Professor and Dean, Eastern Illinois University

Starting salaries depend on the particular job you take (and having a master's degree will always increase that). That depends on your abilities (initially documented through your academic work), mobility, and sometimes sheer luck. But most people hold 5-7 jobs during their lifetime, and each job change could be a career move to better pay and a better work environment and more exciting work. Liberal arts graduates increase their wages by 43% throughout their work-life (compared to the business at 44% and STEM at 50%); the abovementioned broad educational portfolio of the liberal arts graduate allows for that movement. And while salaries are necessary, don't forget to factor in job satisfaction with a supportive work environment and work in which you can take pride.

Which companies pay art teachers the most?

Art teacher salaries at Brooklyn Friends School and Success Academy Charter Schools are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average art teacher salary at companies like Greens Farms Academy and Atlanta International School are highly competitive.

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$48,000$47,400$46,800$46,200$45,600$45,000
MaleFemale

Art Teacher salary by industry

The average art teacher salary varies across industries:

  • The average art teacher salary in the education industry is $49,855, the highest of any industry.
  • The average art teacher salary in the finance industry is $49,816.
  • Art teachers in the government industry earn an average salary of $43,054, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for art teachers

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Education$49,855$23.97
2Retail$49,816$23.95
3Non Profits$47,728$22.95
4Government$43,054$20.70

High paying art teacher jobs

Art teacher salary trends

The average art teacher salary has risen by $6,671 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average art teacher earned $43,517 annually, but today, they earn $50,188 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for art teachers over the last decade.

Compare art teacher salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average art teacher salary over time

Compare art teacher salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Art teacher salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$50,200$24.13+2.1%
2024$49,100$23.63+2.4%
2023$48,000$23.06+1.8%
2022$47,100$22.63+2.4%
2021$46,000$22.09+1.6%

Recently added art teacher salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Lansing School DistrictK-8 Art TeacherLansing, MI06/29/2025$46,942
ZetacharterschoolsArt TeacherNew York, NY06/29/2025$62,000
Linwood CenterArt TeacherEllicott City, MD06/28/2025$30,000
Sheldon ISDArt TeacherNome, TX06/28/2025$65,000
Boys & Girls Club of Sarasota and Desoto CountiesArt TeacherVenice, FL06/28/2025$27,131
Bank Street College of EducationAfter School Fiber Arts TeacherNew York, NY06/27/2025$104,350
Burlington Township School DistrictAnticipated Opening: Art TeacherBurlington, NJ06/27/2025$66,354
Sauvie Island SchoolArt TeacherPortland, OR06/27/2025$62,610
Eagle County School DistrictArt Teacher-GcmsBoone, CO06/27/2025$50,500
Middletown Township Public SchoolsArt Teacher-ReplacementDowne, NJ06/27/2025$60,023

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