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Senior art director salary
Average senior art director salary
$103,294
Understanding Senior Art Director Salaries
The role of a Senior Art Director plays a crucial part in shaping visual branding and marketing strategies. According to current data, the average salary for Senior Art Directors is $103,294 per year, with variations influenced by geographic location and industry specifics. For instance, states like California and New York often report higher salaries due to the concentration of media and advertising firms.
Experience also significantly impacts earning potential. Senior professionals with over ten years in the field can earn upwards of $120,000 annually, whereas those just starting may see salaries closer to $80,000. The industry of employment matters too; sectors like technology and entertainment frequently offer more competitive compensation.
To maximize your earning potential, consider roles in major metropolitan areas where demand for creative talent is high. Additionally, pursuing specializations within the art direction field, such as digital advertising or UX design, can open doors to higher-paying positions. By staying updated on industry trends and continuously honing your skills, you can enhance your career trajectory.
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Where can a Senior Art Director earn more?
Senior art director salary estimates from across the web
Average senior art director salary by state
The average senior art director salary in California, Iowa, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior art director salary states are Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior art directors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa | $120,131 | $57.76 |
| 2 | California | $130,028 | $62.51 |
| 3 | Oregon | $118,428 | $56.94 |
| 4 | New York | $113,878 | $54.75 |
| 5 | Utah | $109,179 | $52.49 |
| 6 | Vermont | $104,879 | $50.42 |
| 7 | Idaho | $111,920 | $53.81 |
| 8 | Washington | $108,293 | $52.06 |
| 9 | Kansas | $113,080 | $54.37 |
| 10 | Illinois | $103,061 | $49.55 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $106,666 | $51.28 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $97,743 | $46.99 |
| 13 | Maine | $111,414 | $53.56 |
| 14 | Nevada | $96,652 | $46.47 |
| 15 | South Dakota | $85,911 | $41.30 |
| 16 | Minnesota | $98,444 | $47.33 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $96,210 | $46.25 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $91,247 | $43.87 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $100,840 | $48.48 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $90,948 | $43.73 |
| 21 | Alaska | $102,350 | $49.21 |
| 22 | Michigan | $95,003 | $45.67 |
| 23 | Montana | $94,314 | $45.34 |
| 24 | Mississippi | $76,822 | $36.93 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $85,532 | $41.12 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $86,019 | $41.36 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $74,556 | $35.84 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $85,402 | $41.06 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $78,453 | $37.72 |
| 30 | Colorado | $77,123 | $37.08 |
| 31 | Ohio | $79,938 | $38.43 |
| 32 | Delaware | $82,286 | $39.56 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $82,751 | $39.78 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $64,290 | $30.91 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $75,426 | $36.26 |
| 36 | Georgia | $73,893 | $35.53 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $77,091 | $37.06 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $70,760 | $34.02 |
| 39 | Maryland | $69,672 | $33.50 |
| 40 | Virginia | $71,945 | $34.59 |
| 41 | Missouri | $73,105 | $35.15 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $52,210 | $25.10 |
| 43 | Arizona | $67,995 | $32.69 |
| 44 | Alabama | $52,725 | $25.35 |
| 45 | Texas | $66,035 | $31.75 |
| 46 | West Virginia | $68,691 | $33.02 |
| 47 | Indiana | $68,648 | $33.00 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $61,131 | $29.39 |
| 49 | Florida | $58,616 | $28.18 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $62,919 | $30.25 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $51,182 | $24.61 |
Highest paying cities for senior art directors
The highest-paying cities for senior art directors are San Francisco, CA, Portland, OR, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $144,593 | $69.52 |
| 2 | Portland, OR | $117,941 | $56.70 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $114,101 | $54.86 |
| 4 | Kansas City, KS | $113,090 | $54.37 |
| 5 | Seattle, WA | $109,303 | $52.55 |
| 6 | Chicago, IL | $103,941 | $49.97 |
| 7 | Minneapolis, MN | $98,498 | $47.35 |
| 8 | Boston, MA | $96,334 | $46.31 |
| 9 | Las Vegas, NV | $96,042 | $46.17 |
| 10 | Grand Rapids, MI | $93,728 | $45.06 |
| 11 | Fairfield, CT | $90,854 | $43.68 |
| 12 | Philadelphia, PA | $86,573 | $41.62 |
| 13 | Washington, DC | $85,406 | $41.06 |
| 14 | Westerville, OH | $79,073 | $38.02 |
| 15 | Boulder, CO | $77,389 | $37.21 |
| 16 | Charlotte, NC | $76,286 | $36.68 |
| 17 | Atlanta, GA | $74,685 | $35.91 |
| 18 | Kansas City, MO | $73,434 | $35.30 |
| 19 | Richmond, VA | $71,511 | $34.38 |
| 20 | Chandler, AZ | $67,936 | $32.66 |
Senior art director salary details
A senior art director's salary ranges from $63,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $167,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior art director's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $167,000 | $13,917 | $80 |
| 75th Percentile | $133,000 | $11,083 | $64 |
| Average | $103,294 | $8,608 | $50 |
| 25th Percentile | $79,000 | $6,583 | $38 |
| 10th Percentile | $63,000 | $5,250 | $30 |
Highest paying senior art director jobs
The highest paying types of senior art directors are executive creative director, senior creative director, and associate creative director.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creative Services Director | $108,980 | $9,082 | $52.39 | 60,237 |
| Creative Director | $137,779 | $11,482 | $66.24 | 11,610 |
| Creative/Art Director | $125,743 | $10,479 | $60.45 | 10,403 |
| Studio Director | $99,189 | $8,266 | $47.69 | 9,277 |
| Freelance Art Director | $85,453 | $7,121 | $41.08 | 9,215 |
| Designer/Art Director | $97,448 | $8,121 | $46.85 | 53,314 |
Top companies hiring senior art directors now:
Which companies pay senior art directors the most?
Senior art director salaries at DoorDash and PVH are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior art director salary at companies like Credit Karma and Apple are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DoorDash | $177,411 | $85.29 |
| 2 | PVH | $171,557 | $82.48 |
| 3 | Credit Karma | $170,637 | $82.04 |
| 4 | Apple | $167,950 | $80.75 |
| 5 | Wieden+Kennedy | $160,828 | $77.32 |
| 6 | Microsoft | $159,847 | $76.85 |
| 7 | Amazon | $159,620 | $76.74 |
| 8 | ViacomCBS | $159,308 | $76.59 |
| 9 | Warby Parker | $155,653 | $74.83 |
| 10 | Sephora | $154,759 | $74.40 |
| 11 | Bain & Company | $152,865 | $73.49 |
| 12 | The New York Times Company | $152,368 | $73.25 |
| 13 | Expedia Group | $150,931 | $72.56 |
| 14 | Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia | $149,897 | $72.07 |
| 15 | BLITZ | $148,169 | $71.24 |
| 16 | Glassdoor | $147,477 | $70.90 |
| 17 | NBCUniversal | $146,662 | $70.51 |
| 18 | TBWA Worldwide | $145,420 | $69.91 |
| 19 | Barnes & Noble | $144,614 | $69.53 |
| 20 | R/GA | $144,164 | $69.31 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Art Director salary by industry
The average senior art director salary varies across industries:
- The average senior art director salary in the professional industry is $112,256, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior art director salary in the finance industry is $111,930.
- Senior art directors in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $108,371, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior art directors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $112,256 | $53.97 |
| 2 | Retail | $111,930 | $53.81 |
| 3 | Media | $110,049 | $52.91 |
| 4 | Technology | $109,503 | $52.65 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $108,371 | $52.10 |
High paying senior art director jobs
Senior art director salary trends
The average senior art director salary has risen by $17,001 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior art director earned $86,293 annually, but today, they earn $103,294 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for senior art directors over the last decade.
Compare senior art director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior art director salary over time
Compare senior art director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior art director salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $103,000 | $49.66 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | $100,000 | $48.10 | +1.5% |
| 2024 | $98,500 | $47.37 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | $98,200 | $47.23 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | $95,400 | $45.86 | +0.1% |
Recently added senior art director salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapp | Senior Art Director | Dallas, TX | 06/29/2025 | $72,000 |
| Monks | Senior Art Director | Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $85,000 |
| WPP PLC | Senior Digital Art Director | Detroit, MI | 06/28/2025 | $60,000 |
| Sia Partners | Senior Art Director | New York, NY | 06/28/2025 | $115,000 |
| Trailer Park Group | Senior Art Director | Hollywood, FL | 06/28/2025 | $117,374 |
| Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners | Senior Art Director | New York, NY | 06/27/2025 | $100,000 |
| Monks | Senior Art Director | Los Angeles, CA | 06/27/2025 | $90,000 |
| Teamwass | Senior Art Director | Fine, NY | 06/27/2025 | $90,000 |
| Monks | Senior Art Director | Denver, CO | 06/26/2025 | $85,000 |
| Omnicom Health | Senior Art Director | Fine, NY | 06/26/2025 | $75,000 |
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