Best states for a visual artist

Q: What is the best state for visual artists?

The best state to be a visual artist is New Hampshire based on visual artist salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for visual artists?

The highest paying state for visual artists is South Carolina based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for visual artists?

The worst state for visual artists is South Carolina, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Dr. Julia Gaines

Rank 1 - 10
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Are you thinking of becoming a visual artist and really want to work at DreamWorks Animation? Turns out, your chances to become a visual artist are better in some states than others.In fact, our research shows that New Hampshire is the best state for visual artists in America. The best city in America for visual artists with the highest pay is Sparks, NV.

In order to get you the best states for visual artists, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that the Midwest is best for visual artists, and the Northeast is the worst. Sparks, NV is the best city in the country for visual artist jobs, where as New Hampshire is the best state in the country.

10 best states for visual artists in 2026

1. New Hampshire
Total visual artist jobs: 45
Average annual salary: $112,346
Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000
Location Quotient:
1.38
Visual artist jobs in New Hampshire
2. Rhode Island
Total visual artist jobs: 26
Average annual salary: $113,371
Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $178,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
Visual artist jobs in Rhode Island
3. Connecticut
Total visual artist jobs: 85
Average annual salary: $112,323
Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $178,000
Location Quotient:
1.38
Visual artist jobs in Connecticut
4. California
Total visual artist jobs: 976
Average annual salary: $105,432
Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $171,000
Location Quotient:
1.79
Visual artist jobs in California
5. District of Columbia
Total visual artist jobs: 52
Average annual salary: $106,250
Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $172,000
Location Quotient:
1.67
Visual artist jobs in District of Columbia
6. Washington
Total visual artist jobs: 195
Average annual salary: $103,628
Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $168,000
Location Quotient:
1.44
Visual artist jobs in Washington
7. Nevada
Total visual artist jobs: 26
Average annual salary: $133,849
Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $210,000
Location Quotient:
0.67
Visual artist jobs in Nevada
8. Delaware
Total visual artist jobs: 17
Average annual salary: $108,684
Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $175,000
Location Quotient:
0.73
Visual artist jobs in Delaware
9. Idaho
Total visual artist jobs: 27
Average annual salary: $87,554
Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000
Location Quotient:
0.88
Visual artist jobs in Idaho
10. New York
Total visual artist jobs: 422
Average annual salary: $82,339
Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000
Location Quotient:
1.77
Visual artist jobs in New York

Visual artist jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a visual artist

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a visual artist

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	New Hampshire	$112,346	$71,000	1,342,795	45
2	Rhode Island	$113,371	$71,000	1,059,639	26
3	Connecticut	$112,323	$70,000	3,588,184	85
4	California	$105,432	$64,000	39,536,653	976
5	District of Columbia	$106,250	$65,000	693,972	52
6	Washington	$103,628	$63,000	7,405,743	195
7	Nevada	$133,849	$85,000	2,998,039	26
8	Delaware	$108,684	$67,000	961,939	17
9	Idaho	$87,554	$53,000	1,716,943	27
10	New York	$82,339	$51,000	19,849,399	422
11	Maryland	$92,473	$56,000	6,052,177	112
12	Oregon	$82,098	$50,000	4,142,776	103
13	Illinois	$79,631	$48,000	12,802,023	192
14	Iowa	$73,484	$45,000	3,145,711	69
15	Maine	$80,461	$51,000	1,335,907	17
16	Michigan	$75,951	$46,000	9,962,311	115
17	Pennsylvania	$77,190	$47,000	12,805,537	161
18	New Mexico	$79,584	$48,000	2,088,070	26
19	Virginia	$75,085	$45,000	8,470,020	173
20	North Carolina	$74,138	$44,000	10,273,419	135
21	Utah	$68,239	$42,000	3,101,833	78
22	Indiana	$70,140	$42,000	6,666,818	100
23	North Dakota	$73,621	$46,000	755,393	10
24	Arizona	$71,066	$43,000	7,016,270	81
25	Wisconsin	$64,402	$39,000	5,795,483	120
26	Colorado	$70,887	$44,000	5,607,154	87
27	West Virginia	$71,908	$43,000	1,815,857	14
28	Kentucky	$65,654	$39,000	4,454,189	55
29	Wyoming	$56,055	$34,000	579,315	16
30	Kansas	$70,957	$43,000	2,913,123	33
31	New Jersey	$73,246	$45,000	9,005,644	90
32	Vermont	$68,111	$42,000	623,657	10
33	Arkansas	$66,165	$40,000	3,004,279	32
34	Texas	$54,262	$32,000	28,304,596	385
35	Tennessee	$65,022	$39,000	6,715,984	73
36	Florida	$55,233	$32,000	20,984,400	239
37	Massachusetts	$53,952	$34,000	6,859,819	167
38	Georgia	$50,283	$30,000	10,429,379	203
39	Oklahoma	$55,014	$33,000	3,930,864	39
40	Alaska	$63,076	$39,000	739,795	8
41	Hawaii	$49,582	$35,000	1,427,538	14
42	Minnesota	$54,305	$33,000	5,576,606	84
43	Nebraska	$49,709	$30,000	1,920,076	31
44	Alabama	$49,524	$29,000	4,874,747	52
45	South Dakota	$44,286	$27,000	869,666	16
46	Mississippi	$49,207	$29,000	2,984,100	22
47	Louisiana	$43,660	$25,000	4,684,333	43
48	Montana	$50,839	$31,000	1,050,493	10
49	Ohio	$46,091	$27,000	11,658,609	122
50	Missouri	$48,235	$29,000	6,113,532	59
51	South Carolina	$40,402	$24,000	5,024,369	47

Highest paying states for visual artists

Rank	State	Avg. Visual Artist Salary
1	New Hampshire	$112,346
2	Rhode Island	$113,371
3	Connecticut	$112,323
4	California	$105,432
5	District of Columbia	$106,250
6	Washington	$103,628
7	Nevada	$133,849
8	Delaware	$108,684
9	Idaho	$87,554
10	New York	$82,339
11	Maryland	$92,473
12	Oregon	$82,098
13	Illinois	$79,631
14	Iowa	$73,484
15	Maine	$80,461
16	Michigan	$75,951
17	Pennsylvania	$77,190
18	New Mexico	$79,584
19	Virginia	$75,085
20	North Carolina	$74,138
21	Utah	$68,239
22	Indiana	$70,140
23	North Dakota	$73,621
24	Arizona	$71,066
25	Wisconsin	$64,402
26	Colorado	$70,887
27	West Virginia	$71,908
28	Kentucky	$65,654
29	Wyoming	$56,055
30	Kansas	$70,957
31	New Jersey	$73,246
32	Vermont	$68,111
33	Arkansas	$66,165
34	Texas	$54,262
35	Tennessee	$65,022
36	Florida	$55,233
37	Massachusetts	$53,952
38	Georgia	$50,283
39	Oklahoma	$55,014
40	Alaska	$63,076
41	Hawaii	$49,582
42	Minnesota	$54,305
43	Nebraska	$49,709
44	Alabama	$49,524
45	South Dakota	$44,286
46	Mississippi	$49,207
47	Louisiana	$43,660
48	Montana	$50,839
49	Ohio	$46,091
50	Missouri	$48,235
51	South Carolina	$40,402

Expert opinions on the best states for visual artists

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for visual artists to find work opportunities?
Dr. Julia Gaines
Director, Professor, Percussion, University of Missouri - Columbia
Education is still a top market, and that will be needed in every state. Even private studios have evolved to teaching online, all over the world. The location has now become a bit more irrelevant. As long as you can work with a computer well, you should be able to get a job in the education field. Even international opportunities will be more relevant to students, at this point.

Visual artist best states FAQs

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Best states for Visual Artists

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total visual artist jobs:	45
Average annual salary:	$112,346
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$71,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$176,000
Location Quotient:	1.38

Best states for a visual artist

10 best states for visual artists in 2026

1. New Hampshire

2. Rhode Island

3. Connecticut

4. California

5. District of Columbia

6. Washington

7. Nevada

8. Delaware

9. Idaho

10. New York