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Best states for a senior art director
Quoted expert
Brian Pirman
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
It seems like senior art directors are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for senior art directors aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Our research found that Iowa is the best state for senior art directors, while California and Iowa are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Iowa has a median salary of $120,131 and California has the highest median salary among all 50 states for senior art directors.
In order to get you the best states for senior 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 senior art directors.
10 best states for senior art directors in 2025
1. Iowa
Total senior art director jobs: 510 Average annual salary: $120,131 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $187,000 Location Quotient: 7.86
2. California
Total senior art director jobs: 416 Average annual salary: $130,028 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $205,000 Location Quotient: 0.8
3. Oregon
Total senior art director jobs: 65 Average annual salary: $118,428 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $189,000 Location Quotient: 0.88
4. New York
Total senior art director jobs: 332 Average annual salary: $113,878 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000 Location Quotient: 1.45
5. Utah
Total senior art director jobs: 27 Average annual salary: $109,179 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $177,000 Location Quotient: 0.47
6. Vermont
Total senior art director jobs: 18 Average annual salary: $104,879 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000 Location Quotient: 1.31
7. Idaho
Total senior art director jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $111,920 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $180,000 Location Quotient: 0.31
8. Washington
Total senior art director jobs: 69 Average annual salary: $108,293 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $175,000 Location Quotient: 0.53
9. Kansas
Total senior art director jobs: 15 Average annual salary: $113,080 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $180,000 Location Quotient: 0.28
10. Illinois
Total senior art director jobs: 135 Average annual salary: $103,061 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 0.63
Senior art director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a senior art director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a senior art director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa | $120,131 | $77,000 | 3,145,711 | 510 |
| 2 | California | $130,028 | $82,000 | 39,536,653 | 416 |
| 3 | Oregon | $118,428 | $73,000 | 4,142,776 | 65 |
| 4 | New York | $113,878 | $73,000 | 19,849,399 | 332 |
| 5 | Utah | $109,179 | $67,000 | 3,101,833 | 27 |
| 6 | Vermont | $104,879 | $68,000 | 623,657 | 18 |
| 7 | Idaho | $111,920 | $69,000 | 1,716,943 | 9 |
| 8 | Washington | $108,293 | $66,000 | 7,405,743 | 69 |
| 9 | Kansas | $113,080 | $70,000 | 2,913,123 | 15 |
| 10 | Illinois | $103,061 | $64,000 | 12,802,023 | 135 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $106,666 | $67,000 | 9,005,644 | 75 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $97,743 | $63,000 | 755,393 | 9 |
| 13 | Maine | $111,414 | $72,000 | 1,335,907 | 5 |
| 14 | Nevada | $96,652 | $58,000 | 2,998,039 | 24 |
| 15 | South Dakota | $85,911 | $54,000 | 869,666 | 189 |
| 16 | Minnesota | $98,444 | $63,000 | 5,576,606 | 46 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $96,210 | $62,000 | 6,859,819 | 76 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $91,247 | $59,000 | 1,342,795 | 15 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $100,840 | $62,000 | 579,315 | 2 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $90,948 | $58,000 | 3,588,184 | 31 |
| 21 | Alaska | $102,350 | $64,000 | 739,795 | 2 |
| 22 | Michigan | $95,003 | $60,000 | 9,962,311 | 34 |
| 23 | Montana | $94,314 | $58,000 | 1,050,493 | 6 |
| 24 | Mississippi | $76,822 | $44,000 | 2,984,100 | 301 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $85,532 | $55,000 | 1,059,639 | 11 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $86,019 | $54,000 | 12,805,537 | 82 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $74,556 | $42,000 | 4,684,333 | 487 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $85,402 | $52,000 | 693,972 | 22 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $78,453 | $45,000 | 10,273,419 | 55 |
| 30 | Colorado | $77,123 | $47,000 | 5,607,154 | 43 |
| 31 | Ohio | $79,938 | $49,000 | 11,658,609 | 41 |
| 32 | Delaware | $82,286 | $51,000 | 961,939 | 5 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $82,751 | $62,000 | 1,427,538 | 6 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $64,290 | $38,000 | 3,930,864 | 441 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $75,426 | $44,000 | 2,088,070 | 10 |
| 36 | Georgia | $73,893 | $42,000 | 10,429,379 | 53 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $77,091 | $49,000 | 5,795,483 | 16 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $70,760 | $44,000 | 1,920,076 | 12 |
| 39 | Maryland | $69,672 | $43,000 | 6,052,177 | 48 |
| 40 | Virginia | $71,945 | $42,000 | 8,470,020 | 62 |
| 41 | Missouri | $73,105 | $44,000 | 6,113,532 | 24 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $52,210 | $30,000 | 3,004,279 | 476 |
| 43 | Arizona | $67,995 | $40,000 | 7,016,270 | 38 |
| 44 | Alabama | $52,725 | $30,000 | 4,874,747 | 486 |
| 45 | Texas | $66,035 | $37,000 | 28,304,596 | 107 |
| 46 | West Virginia | $68,691 | $41,000 | 1,815,857 | 1 |
| 47 | Indiana | $68,648 | $42,000 | 6,666,818 | 11 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $61,131 | $35,000 | 6,715,984 | 30 |
| 49 | Florida | $58,616 | $33,000 | 20,984,400 | 96 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $62,919 | $37,000 | 4,454,189 | 13 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $51,182 | $29,000 | 5,024,369 | 19 |
Highest paying states for senior art directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Senior Art Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa | $120,131 |
| 2 | California | $130,028 |
| 3 | Oregon | $118,428 |
| 4 | New York | $113,878 |
| 5 | Utah | $109,179 |
| 6 | Vermont | $104,879 |
| 7 | Idaho | $111,920 |
| 8 | Washington | $108,293 |
| 9 | Kansas | $113,080 |
| 10 | Illinois | $103,061 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $106,666 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $97,743 |
| 13 | Maine | $111,414 |
| 14 | Nevada | $96,652 |
| 15 | South Dakota | $85,911 |
| 16 | Minnesota | $98,444 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $96,210 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $91,247 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $100,840 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $90,948 |
| 21 | Alaska | $102,350 |
| 22 | Michigan | $95,003 |
| 23 | Montana | $94,314 |
| 24 | Mississippi | $76,822 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $85,532 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $86,019 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $74,556 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $85,402 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $78,453 |
| 30 | Colorado | $77,123 |
| 31 | Ohio | $79,938 |
| 32 | Delaware | $82,286 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $82,751 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $64,290 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $75,426 |
| 36 | Georgia | $73,893 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $77,091 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $70,760 |
| 39 | Maryland | $69,672 |
| 40 | Virginia | $71,945 |
| 41 | Missouri | $73,105 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $52,210 |
| 43 | Arizona | $67,995 |
| 44 | Alabama | $52,725 |
| 45 | Texas | $66,035 |
| 46 | West Virginia | $68,691 |
| 47 | Indiana | $68,648 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $61,131 |
| 49 | Florida | $58,616 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $62,919 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $51,182 |
Expert opinions on the best states for senior art directors
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for senior 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.
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Updated January 8, 2025