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Art Director salary
Average art director salary
$88,367
How much does an art director make?
The average art director salary in the United States is $88,367. Art director salaries typically range between $57,000 and $135,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for art directors is $42.48 per hour.
Art director salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Art directors earn the highest average salary in Washington.
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Where can an Art Director earn more?
Art Director salary estimates from across the web
Average art director salary by state
Highest paying states for art directors
Rank  | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $116,811 | $56.16 |
| 2 | Oregon | $108,462 | $52.15 |
| 3 | California | $110,627 | $53.19 |
| 4 | New York | $95,885 | $46.10 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $99,556 | $47.86 |
| 6 | Vermont | $90,667 | $43.59 |
| 7 | Kansas | $101,123 | $48.62 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $88,166 | $42.39 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $89,185 | $42.88 |
| 10 | Iowa | $104,474 | $50.23 |
| 11 | Maine | $95,126 | $45.73 |
| 12 | Alaska | $95,624 | $45.97 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $88,390 | $42.50 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $87,365 | $42.00 |
| 15 | Idaho | $95,837 | $46.08 |
| 16 | Nevada | $82,753 | $39.79 |
| 17 | South Dakota | $74,322 | $35.73 |
| 18 | Illinois | $79,944 | $38.43 |
| 19 | Mississippi | $74,135 | $35.64 |
| 20 | Montana | $82,621 | $39.72 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $77,932 | $37.47 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $84,182 | $40.47 |
| 23 | Louisiana | $71,191 | $34.23 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $76,487 | $36.77 |
| 25 | District of Columbia | $74,711 | $35.92 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $72,969 | $35.08 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $72,391 | $34.80 |
| 28 | Ohio | $73,888 | $35.52 |
| 29 | Georgia | $71,593 | $34.42 |
| 30 | Virginia | $71,727 | $34.48 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $72,774 | $34.99 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $60,023 | $28.86 |
| 33 | Utah | $65,717 | $31.59 |
| 34 | Michigan | $66,672 | $32.05 |
| 35 | Texas | $65,480 | $31.48 |
| 36 | Arizona | $64,831 | $31.17 |
| 37 | Colorado | $65,840 | $31.65 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $58,294 | $28.03 |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | $64,326 | $30.93 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $67,188 | $32.30 |
| 41 | Delaware | $68,672 | $33.02 |
| 42 | Missouri | $65,354 | $31.42 |
| 43 | New Mexico | $63,624 | $30.59 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $50,992 | $24.52 |
| 45 | Alabama | $51,473 | $24.75 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $61,868 | $29.74 |
| 47 | Florida | $60,202 | $28.94 |
| 48 | Maryland | $58,553 | $28.15 |
| 49 | Indiana | $59,578 | $28.64 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $56,720 | $27.27 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $53,915 | $25.92 |
Highest paying cities for art directors
The highest-paying cities for art directors are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Beaverton, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $123,660 | $59.45 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $118,286 | $56.87 |
| 3 | Beaverton, OR | $108,195 | $52.02 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $95,947 | $46.13 |
| 5 | Minneapolis, MN | $88,412 | $42.51 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $87,565 | $42.10 |
| 7 | Las Vegas, NV | $82,414 | $39.62 |
| 8 | Chicago, IL | $80,365 | $38.64 |
| 9 | Raleigh, NC | $77,626 | $37.32 |
| 10 | Cleveland, OH | $75,733 | $36.41 |
| 11 | Washington, DC | $74,708 | $35.92 |
| 12 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $72,997 | $35.09 |
| 13 | Atlanta, GA | $71,867 | $34.55 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $66,141 | $31.80 |
| 15 | Boulder, CO | $65,929 | $31.70 |
| 16 | Saint Louis, MO | $65,566 | $31.52 |
| 17 | Salt Lake City, UT | $65,164 | $31.33 |
| 18 | Philadelphia, PA | $64,726 | $31.12 |
| 19 | Tampa, FL | $61,122 | $29.39 |
| 20 | Oklahoma City, OK | $58,223 | $27.99 |
Art Directors are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Art Director salary details
An art director's salary ranges from $57,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $135,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an art director's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $135,000 | $11,250 | $65 |
| 75th Percentile | $110,000 | $9,167 | $53 |
| Average | $88,367 | $7,364 | $42 |
| 25th Percentile | $70,000 | $5,833 | $34 |
| 10th Percentile | $57,000 | $4,750 | $27 |
Highest paying art director jobs
The highest paying types of art directors are associate creative director, creative director, and creative/art director.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic Design Manager | $66,975 | $5,581 | $32.20 | 48,269 |
| Visual Designer | $86,495 | $7,208 | $41.58 | 46,815 |
| Lead Graphic Designer | $76,009 | $6,334 | $36.54 | 46,260 |
| Graphic Designer | $49,450 | $4,121 | $23.77 | 45,625 |
| Creative Services Director | $108,980 | $9,082 | $52.39 | 60,237 |
| Freelance Art Director | $85,453 | $7,121 | $41.08 | 9,215 |
Top companies hiring art directors now:
Which companies pay art directors the most?
Art director salaries at The Walt Disney Company and Penske Media are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average art director salary at companies like Meta and ViacomCBS are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Walt Disney Company | $175,293 | $84.28 |
| 2 | Penske Media | $172,066 | $82.72 |
| 3 | Meta | $169,812 | $81.64 |
| 4 | ViacomCBS | $161,613 | $77.70 |
| 5 | Zoox | $158,880 | $76.38 |
| 6 | Apple | $156,923 | $75.44 |
| 7 | Secret Level | $156,354 | $75.17 |
| 8 | Nike | $154,426 | $74.24 |
| 9 | THINX | $153,382 | $73.74 |
| 10 | Microsoft | $152,638 | $73.38 |
| 11 | Amazon | $151,107 | $72.65 |
| 12 | Vox Media | $146,737 | $70.55 |
| 13 | Pace University | $145,808 | $70.10 |
| 14 | Square | $144,483 | $69.46 |
| 15 | Okta | $143,394 | $68.94 |
| 16 | DreamWorks Animation | $143,155 | $68.82 |
| 17 | Calvin Klein | $143,030 | $68.76 |
| 18 | Riot Games | $142,863 | $68.68 |
| 19 | NBCUniversal | $142,395 | $68.46 |
| 20 | $142,287 | $68.41 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Art Director salary by industry
The average art director salary varies across industries:
- The average art director salary in the technology industry is $114,664, the highest of any industry.
- The average art director salary in the finance industry is $99,819.
- Art directors in the retail industry earn an average salary of $88,942, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for art directors
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $114,664 | $55.13 |
| 2 | Media | $99,819 | $47.99 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $92,385 | $44.42 |
| 4 | Professional | $90,701 | $43.61 |
| 5 | Retail | $88,942 | $42.76 |
High Paying Art Director Jobs
Art Director salary trends
The average art director salary has risen by $14,544 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average art director earned $73,823 annually, but today, they earn $88,367 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for art directors over the last decade.
Compare art director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average art director salary over time
Compare art director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
- Columbus, OH
Art Director salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $88,400 | $42.48 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $85,600 | $41.15 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | $84,300 | $40.52 | +0.3% |
| 2022 | $84,000 | $40.40 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | $81,600 | $39.23 | +0.1% |
Recently added art director salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Razorfish | Art Director | West Hollywood, CA | 12/16/2024 | $75,000 |
| M Booth | Art Director Nyc/Hybrid | California, MD | 12/16/2024 | $90,000 |
| Publicis Groupe | Art Director | San Francisco, CA | 12/16/2024 | $75,000 |
| Publicisgroupe | Art Director | Philadelphia, PA | 12/16/2024 | $68,785 |
| RR Donnelley | Art Director | Atlanta, GA | 12/15/2024 | $74,600 |
| Paperless Post | Art Director | New York, NY | 12/15/2024 | $97,500 |
| Harry's Seafood | Art Director, Flamingo | New York, NY | 12/15/2024 | $91,600 |
| University of Southern California | Art Director | Los Angeles, CA | 12/15/2024 | $103,518 |
| Fabfitfun | Art Director | Los Angeles, CA | 12/15/2024 | $85,000 |
| Amazon.Co.Uk Limited | Art Director, Prime Video Global Brand Strategy & Governance | Los Angeles, CA | 12/14/2024 | $108,400 |
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