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Creative/art director salary
Average creative/art director salary
$125,743
Average Salary for Creative/Art Directors
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Creative/Art Director in the United States stands at $125,743 per year. This figure can vary significantly depending on several factors, including location, years of experience, and the specific industry. For instance, Creative/Art Directors in major urban areas often earn higher salaries due to the demand for skilled professionals in these regions.
Salary Breakdown by State
Different states offer varying salary ranges for this role. For example, states like California and New York typically feature some of the highest salaries, while those in rural areas may earn less. Understanding these geographical differences can help candidates make informed career decisions.
Job Opportunities
Creative/Art Directors work in diverse fields, including advertising, design, film, and digital media. The demand for skilled professionals is growing, making this an excellent time to pursue a career in this field. Additionally, companies are increasingly valuing the impact of design on brand success, leading to more job openings.
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Where can a Creative/Art Director earn more?
Average creative/art director salary by state
The highest-paying states for creative/art directors are California, Iowa, and New York. The lowest average creative/art director salary states are Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Kentucky.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for creative/art directors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $148,398 | $71.35 |
| 2 | New York | $133,391 | $64.13 |
| 3 | Oregon | $128,956 | $62.00 |
| 4 | Vermont | $121,108 | $58.23 |
| 5 | Utah | $121,217 | $58.28 |
| 6 | Washington | $123,487 | $59.37 |
| 7 | Kansas | $132,938 | $63.91 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $121,432 | $58.38 |
| 9 | Illinois | $119,146 | $57.28 |
| 10 | Maine | $128,231 | $61.65 |
| 11 | Idaho | $122,801 | $59.04 |
| 12 | Iowa | $137,300 | $66.01 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $120,158 | $57.77 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $111,240 | $53.48 |
| 15 | Mississippi | $103,944 | $49.97 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $109,408 | $52.60 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $112,662 | $54.16 |
| 18 | Nevada | $110,469 | $53.11 |
| 19 | Louisiana | $102,143 | $49.11 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $105,571 | $50.76 |
| 21 | South Dakota | $96,746 | $46.51 |
| 22 | Connecticut | $105,183 | $50.57 |
| 23 | Michigan | $109,692 | $52.74 |
| 24 | Alabama | $94,873 | $45.61 |
| 25 | Alaska | $112,334 | $54.01 |
| 26 | Montana | $103,780 | $49.89 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $101,955 | $49.02 |
| 28 | Rhode Island | $98,975 | $47.58 |
| 29 | District of Columbia | $101,898 | $48.99 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $84,485 | $40.62 |
| 31 | Virginia | $99,766 | $47.96 |
| 32 | Ohio | $95,208 | $45.77 |
| 33 | Georgia | $94,107 | $45.24 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $81,472 | $39.17 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $92,576 | $44.51 |
| 36 | Colorado | $89,938 | $43.24 |
| 37 | Delaware | $96,471 | $46.38 |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | $86,826 | $41.74 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $89,684 | $43.12 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $89,573 | $43.06 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $69,891 | $33.60 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $86,092 | $41.39 |
| 43 | Texas | $84,670 | $40.71 |
| 44 | Missouri | $87,983 | $42.30 |
| 45 | Maryland | $83,091 | $39.95 |
| 46 | Arizona | $81,991 | $39.42 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $80,903 | $38.90 |
| 48 | Florida | $77,766 | $37.39 |
| 49 | Indiana | $82,208 | $39.52 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $78,272 | $37.63 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $67,205 | $32.31 |
Highest paying cities for creative/art directors
The highest-paying cities for creative/art directors are Cupertino, CA, New York, NY, and Overland Park, KS.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cupertino, CA | $162,307 | $78.03 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $135,256 | $65.03 |
| 3 | Overland Park, KS | $133,934 | $64.39 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $122,241 | $58.77 |
| 5 | Chicago, IL | $120,771 | $58.06 |
| 6 | Minneapolis, MN | $113,010 | $54.33 |
| 7 | Detroit, MI | $110,343 | $53.05 |
| 8 | Raleigh, NC | $104,178 | $50.09 |
| 9 | Cleveland, OH | $97,533 | $46.89 |
| 10 | Atlanta, GA | $94,603 | $45.48 |
| 11 | Milwaukee, WI | $90,037 | $43.29 |
| 12 | Denver, CO | $89,543 | $43.05 |
| 13 | Saint Louis, MO | $89,269 | $42.92 |
| 14 | Philadelphia, PA | $87,337 | $41.99 |
| 15 | Franklin, TN | $86,169 | $41.43 |
| 16 | Irving, TX | $85,368 | $41.04 |
| 17 | Phoenix, AZ | $82,394 | $39.61 |
| 18 | Indianapolis, IN | $81,458 | $39.16 |
| 19 | Saint Petersburg, FL | $80,395 | $38.65 |
Creative/art director salary details
A creative/art director's salary ranges from $78,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $202,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a creative/art director's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $202,000 | $16,833 | $97 |
| 75th Percentile | $161,000 | $13,417 | $77 |
| Average | $125,743 | $10,479 | $60 |
| 25th Percentile | $97,000 | $8,083 | $47 |
| 10th Percentile | $78,000 | $6,500 | $38 |
Highest paying creative/art director jobs
The highest paying types of creative/art directors are executive creative director, senior creative director, and associate creative director.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | $113,489 | $9,457 | $54.56 | 230,711 |
| Designer/Art Director | $97,448 | $8,121 | $46.85 | 53,314 |
| Art Director | $88,367 | $7,364 | $42.48 | 11,472 |
| Freelance Art Director | $85,453 | $7,121 | $41.08 | 9,215 |
| Creative Services Director | $108,980 | $9,082 | $52.39 | 60,237 |
| Creative Director | $137,779 | $11,482 | $66.24 | 11,610 |
Top companies hiring creative/art directors now:
Which companies pay creative/art directors the most?
Creative/art director salaries at Meta and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average creative/art director salary at companies like TBWA Worldwide and Jack Morton Worldwide are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $198,745 | $95.55 |
| 2 | Apple | $187,669 | $90.23 |
| 3 | TBWA Worldwide | $172,665 | $83.01 |
| 4 | Jack Morton Worldwide | $171,698 | $82.55 |
| 5 | Logitech | $170,773 | $82.10 |
| 6 | Amazon | $169,538 | $81.51 |
| 7 | Grey Group | $166,571 | $80.08 |
| 8 | Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Worldwide Inc | $166,143 | $79.88 |
| 9 | Wpp Us Holdings Inc | $156,887 | $75.43 |
| 10 | Texas Children's Hospital | $153,983 | $74.03 |
| 11 | Wunderman Thompson | $149,363 | $71.81 |
| 12 | Draftfcb | $149,197 | $71.73 |
| 13 | Edelman Financial Engines | $144,549 | $69.49 |
| 14 | Addison Group | $140,025 | $67.32 |
| 15 | Vertafore | $137,440 | $66.08 |
| 16 | PDA | $135,514 | $65.15 |
| 17 | Talkspace | $135,367 | $65.08 |
| 18 | LERMA | $134,829 | $64.82 |
| 19 | BGB Group | $134,283 | $64.56 |
| 20 | The Richards Group | $134,049 | $64.45 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Creative/Art Director salary by industry
The average creative/art director salary varies across industries:
- The average creative/art director salary in the technology industry is $152,495, the highest of any industry.
- The average creative/art director salary in the finance industry is $147,670.
- Creative/art directors in the non profits industry earn an average salary of $86,118, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for creative/art directors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $152,495 | $73.31 |
| 2 | Professional | $147,670 | $71.00 |
| 3 | Finance | $142,365 | $68.44 |
| 4 | Health Care | $134,245 | $64.54 |
| 5 | Media | $134,099 | $64.47 |
| 6 | Retail | $115,223 | $55.40 |
| 7 | Non Profits | $86,118 | $41.40 |
High paying creative/art director jobs
Creative/art director salary trends
The average creative/art director salary has risen by $20,696 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average creative/art director earned $105,047 annually, but today, they earn $125,743 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for creative/art directors over the last decade.
Compare creative/art director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average creative/art director salary over time
Compare creative/art director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Creative/art director salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $126,000 | $60.45 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | $122,000 | $58.56 | +1.5% |
| 2024 | $120,000 | $57.66 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | $120,000 | $57.49 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | $116,000 | $55.82 | +0.1% |
Recently added creative/art director salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WPP PLC | Creative Director, Art (Health) | New York, NY | 06/27/2025 | $100,000 |
| CSU Careers | Director of Finance (Administrator II)-College of Liberal and Creative Arts | San Francisco, CA | 06/21/2025 | $120,000 |
| Administrator II | Director of Finance (Administrator II)-College of Liberal and Creative Arts | San Francisco, CA | 06/21/2025 | $120,000 |
| Accenture | Creative Agency Art Director | Seattle, WA | 06/20/2025 | $58,400 |
| Accenture | Creative Agency Art Director | Los Angeles, CA | 06/20/2025 | $58,400 |
| California State University System | Director of Finance (Administrator II)-College of Liberal and Creative Arts | San Francisco, CA | 06/20/2025 | $120,000 |
| Workinprogress | Associate Creative Director, Art Director | Boulder, CO | 05/26/2025 | $125,000 |
| Apple | Associate Creative Director, Art Director | Los Angeles, CA | 05/20/2025 | $170,100 |
| Godfrey Dadich Partners | Creative Director, Art | San Francisco, CA | 05/17/2025 | $170,000 |
| Teksystems | Content-Associate Creative Art Director | Menlo Park, CA | 05/14/2025 | $187,830 |
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