Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for a senior designer/art director
Quoted expert
Brian Pirman
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you thinking of becoming a senior designer/art director and really want to work at Mattel? Turns out, your chances to become a senior designer/art director are better in some states than others.In order to help you decide which state is the best for senior designer/art directors, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for senior designer/art director jobs.
We figured that the best places for senior designer/art director jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.We found that the South is best for senior designer/art directors, and the West is the worst. Cupertino, CA is the best city in the country for senior designer/art director jobs, where as Oregon is the best state in the country.
10 best states for senior designer/art directors in 2025
1. Oregon
Total senior designer/art director jobs: 447 Average annual salary: $116,581 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $178,000 Location Quotient: 1.48
2. California
Total senior designer/art director jobs: 3,175 Average annual salary: $121,035 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $184,000 Location Quotient: 1.49
3. Utah
Total senior designer/art director jobs: 222 Average annual salary: $112,620 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $173,000 Location Quotient: 0.95
4. Washington
Total senior designer/art director jobs: 807 Average annual salary: $110,288 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location Quotient: 1.52
5. Kansas
Total senior designer/art director jobs: 146 Average annual salary: $115,934 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $173,000 Location Quotient: 0.66
6. Illinois
Total senior designer/art director jobs: 816 Average annual salary: $105,317 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
7. Iowa
Total senior designer/art director jobs: 143 Average annual salary: $120,099 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $175,000 Location Quotient: 0.54
8. Maine
Total senior designer/art director jobs: 68 Average annual salary: $107,649 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 0.7
9. Massachusetts
Total senior designer/art director jobs: 697 Average annual salary: $103,133 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000 Location Quotient: 1.04
10. Idaho
Total senior designer/art director jobs: 72 Average annual salary: $112,273 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $172,000 Location Quotient: 0.6
Senior designer/art director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a senior designer/art director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a senior designer/art director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $116,581 | $76,000 | 4,142,776 | 447 |
| 2 | California | $121,035 | $79,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,175 |
| 3 | Utah | $112,620 | $73,000 | 3,101,833 | 222 |
| 4 | Washington | $110,288 | $71,000 | 7,405,743 | 807 |
| 5 | Kansas | $115,934 | $77,000 | 2,913,123 | 146 |
| 6 | Illinois | $105,317 | $72,000 | 12,802,023 | 816 |
| 7 | Iowa | $120,099 | $82,000 | 3,145,711 | 143 |
| 8 | Maine | $107,649 | $75,000 | 1,335,907 | 68 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $103,133 | $71,000 | 6,859,819 | 697 |
| 10 | Idaho | $112,273 | $72,000 | 1,716,943 | 72 |
| 11 | New York | $103,972 | $71,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,376 |
| 12 | Vermont | $101,459 | $70,000 | 623,657 | 49 |
| 13 | Michigan | $95,578 | $66,000 | 9,962,311 | 473 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $97,306 | $67,000 | 5,576,606 | 399 |
| 15 | South Dakota | $84,992 | $58,000 | 869,666 | 205 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $101,756 | $66,000 | 579,315 | 22 |
| 17 | Nevada | $98,393 | $64,000 | 2,998,039 | 89 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $97,422 | $67,000 | 755,393 | 37 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $100,839 | $69,000 | 9,005,644 | 363 |
| 20 | Louisiana | $82,531 | $50,000 | 4,684,333 | 594 |
| 21 | Montana | $93,889 | $61,000 | 1,050,493 | 49 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $88,038 | $61,000 | 1,342,795 | 98 |
| 23 | Alabama | $78,494 | $48,000 | 4,874,747 | 667 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $78,333 | $50,000 | 2,088,070 | 406 |
| 25 | Connecticut | $87,691 | $60,000 | 3,588,184 | 196 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $84,277 | $53,000 | 10,273,419 | 512 |
| 27 | Alaska | $95,972 | $66,000 | 739,795 | 29 |
| 28 | Virginia | $81,516 | $54,000 | 8,470,020 | 666 |
| 29 | Rhode Island | $82,523 | $57,000 | 1,059,639 | 68 |
| 30 | District of Columbia | $84,052 | $56,000 | 693,972 | 223 |
| 31 | Georgia | $77,598 | $48,000 | 10,429,379 | 705 |
| 32 | Mississippi | $86,393 | $53,000 | 2,984,100 | 60 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $70,049 | $47,000 | 1,815,857 | 295 |
| 34 | Ohio | $79,059 | $54,000 | 11,658,609 | 431 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $70,895 | $43,000 | 5,024,369 | 841 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $75,196 | $52,000 | 5,795,483 | 307 |
| 37 | Delaware | $80,504 | $54,000 | 961,939 | 53 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $69,999 | $45,000 | 3,930,864 | 500 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $88,860 | $68,000 | 1,427,538 | 30 |
| 40 | Pennsylvania | $72,426 | $49,000 | 12,805,537 | 606 |
| 41 | Colorado | $72,868 | $47,000 | 5,607,154 | 365 |
| 42 | Missouri | $74,839 | $50,000 | 6,113,532 | 227 |
| 43 | Texas | $69,388 | $43,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,104 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $71,758 | $46,000 | 6,715,984 | 214 |
| 45 | Maryland | $68,921 | $46,000 | 6,052,177 | 388 |
| 46 | Arizona | $69,836 | $45,000 | 7,016,270 | 303 |
| 47 | Florida | $69,346 | $41,000 | 20,984,400 | 723 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $70,995 | $48,000 | 1,920,076 | 88 |
| 49 | Indiana | $69,011 | $47,000 | 6,666,818 | 241 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $68,605 | $44,000 | 3,004,279 | 95 |
| 51 | Kentucky | $65,487 | $43,000 | 4,454,189 | 133 |
Highest paying states for senior designer/art directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Senior Designer/Art Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $116,581 |
| 2 | California | $121,035 |
| 3 | Utah | $112,620 |
| 4 | Washington | $110,288 |
| 5 | Kansas | $115,934 |
| 6 | Illinois | $105,317 |
| 7 | Iowa | $120,099 |
| 8 | Maine | $107,649 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $103,133 |
| 10 | Idaho | $112,273 |
| 11 | New York | $103,972 |
| 12 | Vermont | $101,459 |
| 13 | Michigan | $95,578 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $97,306 |
| 15 | South Dakota | $84,992 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $101,756 |
| 17 | Nevada | $98,393 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $97,422 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $100,839 |
| 20 | Louisiana | $82,531 |
| 21 | Montana | $93,889 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $88,038 |
| 23 | Alabama | $78,494 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $78,333 |
| 25 | Connecticut | $87,691 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $84,277 |
| 27 | Alaska | $95,972 |
| 28 | Virginia | $81,516 |
| 29 | Rhode Island | $82,523 |
| 30 | District of Columbia | $84,052 |
| 31 | Georgia | $77,598 |
| 32 | Mississippi | $86,393 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $70,049 |
| 34 | Ohio | $79,059 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $70,895 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $75,196 |
| 37 | Delaware | $80,504 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $69,999 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $88,860 |
| 40 | Pennsylvania | $72,426 |
| 41 | Colorado | $72,868 |
| 42 | Missouri | $74,839 |
| 43 | Texas | $69,388 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $71,758 |
| 45 | Maryland | $68,921 |
| 46 | Arizona | $69,836 |
| 47 | Florida | $69,346 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $70,995 |
| 49 | Indiana | $69,011 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $68,605 |
| 51 | Kentucky | $65,487 |
Expert opinions on the best states for senior designer/art directors
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for senior designer/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.
Senior designer/art director best states FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common arts, entertainment, sports, and media questions.
Search for senior designer/art director jobs
Updated January 8, 2025