Best states for an Art Director

Q: What is the best state for art directors?

The best state to be an art director is Washington based on art director salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for art directors?

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

Q: What is the worst state for art directors?

The worst state for art directors is Arkansas, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted Expert

Brian Pirman

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Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to art director jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. In order to help you decide which state is the best for art directors, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for art director jobs.

We figured that the best places for 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.If you are currently seeking employment as an art director, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

If you're looking for an Art Director job, here are five companies hiring now:

10 best states for art directors in 2025

1. Washington
Total Art Director Jobs: 164
Average Annual Salary: $116,811
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $74,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $183,000
Location Quotient:
0.92
Art Director Jobs in Washington
2. Oregon
Total Art Director Jobs: 114
Average Annual Salary: $108,462
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $69,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $170,000
Location Quotient:
1.12
Art Director Jobs in Oregon
3. California
Total Art Director Jobs: 874
Average Annual Salary: $110,627
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $69,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $175,000
Location Quotient:
1.22
Art Director Jobs in California
4. New York
Total Art Director Jobs: 524
Average Annual Salary: $95,885
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $63,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $144,000
Location Quotient:
1.67
Art Director Jobs in New York
5. New Jersey
Total Art Director Jobs: 104
Average Annual Salary: $99,556
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $66,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $149,000
Location Quotient:
0.53
Art Director Jobs in New Jersey
6. Vermont
Total Art Director Jobs: 21
Average Annual Salary: $90,667
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $60,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $135,000
Location Quotient:
1.12
Art Director Jobs in Vermont
7. Kansas
Total Art Director Jobs: 27
Average Annual Salary: $101,123
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $67,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $150,000
Location Quotient:
0.36
Art Director Jobs in Kansas
8. North Dakota
Total Art Director Jobs: 15
Average Annual Salary: $88,166
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $59,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $129,000
Location Quotient:
0.66
Art Director Jobs in North Dakota
9. Connecticut
Total Art Director Jobs: 60
Average Annual Salary: $89,185
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $59,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $133,000
Location Quotient:
0.74
Art Director Jobs in Connecticut
10. Iowa
Total Art Director Jobs: 21
Average Annual Salary: $104,474
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $71,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $153,000
Location Quotient:
0.24
Art Director Jobs in Iowa

Art Director JobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an art director

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

Detailed list of the best states for an art director

Rank	State	Average Salary	Lowest 10% Earn	Population	Job Count
1	Washington	$116,811	$74,000	7,405,743	164
2	Oregon	$108,462	$69,000	4,142,776	114
3	California	$110,627	$69,000	39,536,653	874
4	New York	$95,885	$63,000	19,849,399	524
5	New Jersey	$99,556	$66,000	9,005,644	104
6	Vermont	$90,667	$60,000	623,657	21
7	Kansas	$101,123	$67,000	2,913,123	27
8	North Dakota	$88,166	$59,000	755,393	15
9	Connecticut	$89,185	$59,000	3,588,184	60
10	Iowa	$104,474	$71,000	3,145,711	21
11	Maine	$95,126	$64,000	1,335,907	13
12	Alaska	$95,624	$62,000	739,795	8
13	Minnesota	$88,390	$60,000	5,576,606	81
14	Massachusetts	$87,365	$58,000	6,859,819	147
15	Idaho	$95,837	$60,000	1,716,943	11
16	Nevada	$82,753	$51,000	2,998,039	27
17	South Dakota	$74,322	$50,000	869,666	176
18	Illinois	$79,944	$53,000	12,802,023	202
19	Mississippi	$74,135	$47,000	2,984,100	279
20	Montana	$82,621	$53,000	1,050,493	12
21	New Hampshire	$77,932	$52,000	1,342,795	25
22	Wyoming	$84,182	$55,000	579,315	5
23	Louisiana	$71,191	$44,000	4,684,333	464
24	North Carolina	$76,487	$49,000	10,273,419	92
25	District of Columbia	$74,711	$49,000	693,972	49
26	Hawaii	$72,969	$57,000	1,427,538	147
27	Rhode Island	$72,391	$48,000	1,059,639	15
28	Ohio	$73,888	$49,000	11,658,609	81
29	Georgia	$71,593	$45,000	10,429,379	104
30	Virginia	$71,727	$47,000	8,470,020	113
31	Tennessee	$72,774	$47,000	6,715,984	45
32	West Virginia	$60,023	$39,000	1,815,857	263
33	Utah	$65,717	$41,000	3,101,833	42
34	Michigan	$66,672	$44,000	9,962,311	85
35	Texas	$65,480	$40,000	28,304,596	231
36	Arizona	$64,831	$40,000	7,016,270	73
37	Colorado	$65,840	$43,000	5,607,154	83
38	Oklahoma	$58,294	$38,000	3,930,864	415
39	Pennsylvania	$64,326	$42,000	12,805,537	127
40	Wisconsin	$67,188	$45,000	5,795,483	45
41	Delaware	$68,672	$45,000	961,939	10
42	Missouri	$65,354	$44,000	6,113,532	48
43	New Mexico	$63,624	$40,000	2,088,070	17
44	South Carolina	$50,992	$32,000	5,024,369	694
45	Alabama	$51,473	$33,000	4,874,747	532
46	Nebraska	$61,868	$42,000	1,920,076	17
47	Florida	$60,202	$37,000	20,984,400	148
48	Maryland	$58,553	$38,000	6,052,177	76
49	Indiana	$59,578	$40,000	6,666,818	37
50	Kentucky	$56,720	$37,000	4,454,189	25
51	Arkansas	$53,915	$35,000	3,004,279	16

Highest paying states for art directors

Rank	State	Avg. Art Director Salary
1	Washington	$116,811
2	Oregon	$108,462
3	California	$110,627
4	New York	$95,885
5	New Jersey	$99,556
6	Vermont	$90,667
7	Kansas	$101,123
8	North Dakota	$88,166
9	Connecticut	$89,185
10	Iowa	$104,474
11	Maine	$95,126
12	Alaska	$95,624
13	Minnesota	$88,390
14	Massachusetts	$87,365
15	Idaho	$95,837
16	Nevada	$82,753
17	South Dakota	$74,322
18	Illinois	$79,944
19	Mississippi	$74,135
20	Montana	$82,621
21	New Hampshire	$77,932
22	Wyoming	$84,182
23	Louisiana	$71,191
24	North Carolina	$76,487
25	District of Columbia	$74,711
26	Hawaii	$72,969
27	Rhode Island	$72,391
28	Ohio	$73,888
29	Georgia	$71,593
30	Virginia	$71,727
31	Tennessee	$72,774
32	West Virginia	$60,023
33	Utah	$65,717
34	Michigan	$66,672
35	Texas	$65,480
36	Arizona	$64,831
37	Colorado	$65,840
38	Oklahoma	$58,294
39	Pennsylvania	$64,326
40	Wisconsin	$67,188
41	Delaware	$68,672
42	Missouri	$65,354
43	New Mexico	$63,624
44	South Carolina	$50,992
45	Alabama	$51,473
46	Nebraska	$61,868
47	Florida	$60,202
48	Maryland	$58,553
49	Indiana	$59,578
50	Kentucky	$56,720
51	Arkansas	$53,915

Expert opinions on the best states for art directors

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Art Directors to find work opportunities?
B
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.

Art Director best states FAQs

What is the best state for art directors?

What is the highest paying state for art directors?

What is the worst state for art directors?

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Best states for Art Directors

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total Art Director Jobs:	164
Average Annual Salary:	$116,811
Lowest 10 Percent Earn:	$74,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn:	$183,000
Location Quotient:	0.92

Best states for an Art Director

If you're looking for an Art Director job, here are five companies hiring now:

10 best states for art directors in 2025

1. Washington

2. Oregon

3. California

4. New York

5. New Jersey

6. Vermont

7. Kansas

8. North Dakota

9. Connecticut

10. Iowa