Best states for an Artist

Q: What is the best state for artists?

The best state to be an artist is Oregon based on artist salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for artists?

The highest paying state for artists is Arkansas based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for artists?

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

Quoted Expert

Alison Petty Ragguette

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We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for artists in the United States. Artist positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for artists.As artists are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for artists. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as an artist, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.

We figured that the best places for artist 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 artist, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

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

10 best states for artists in 2025

1. Oregon
Total Artist Jobs: 99
Average Annual Salary: $73,421
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $44,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $120,000
Location Quotient:
1.32
Artist Jobs in Oregon
2. Rhode Island
Total Artist Jobs: 25
Average Annual Salary: $70,146
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $41,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $118,000
Location Quotient:
1.13
Artist Jobs in Rhode Island
3. California
Total Artist Jobs: 954
Average Annual Salary: $75,539
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $45,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $124,000
Location Quotient:
1.8
Artist Jobs in California
4. Washington
Total Artist Jobs: 191
Average Annual Salary: $71,839
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $43,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $117,000
Location Quotient:
1.44
Artist Jobs in Washington
5. Connecticut
Total Artist Jobs: 77
Average Annual Salary: $70,130
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $41,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $118,000
Location Quotient:
1.28
Artist Jobs in Connecticut
6. New Hampshire
Total Artist Jobs: 45
Average Annual Salary: $68,398
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $40,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $115,000
Location Quotient:
1.42
Artist Jobs in New Hampshire
7. Utah
Total Artist Jobs: 75
Average Annual Salary: $67,184
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $41,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $109,000
Location Quotient:
1.29
Artist Jobs in Utah
8. Nevada
Total Artist Jobs: 24
Average Annual Salary: $74,007
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $44,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $122,000
Location Quotient:
0.63
Artist Jobs in Nevada
9. New York
Total Artist Jobs: 403
Average Annual Salary: $70,092
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $41,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $118,000
Location Quotient:
1.73
Artist Jobs in New York
10. Idaho
Total Artist Jobs: 24
Average Annual Salary: $68,722
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $42,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $112,000
Location Quotient:
0.8
Artist Jobs in Idaho

How Zippia determines the best states to be an artist

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

Detailed list of the best states for an artist

Rank	State	Average Salary	Lowest 10% Earn	Population	Job Count
1	Oregon	$73,421	$44,000	4,142,776	99
2	Rhode Island	$70,146	$41,000	1,059,639	25
3	California	$75,539	$45,000	39,536,653	954
4	Washington	$71,839	$43,000	7,405,743	191
5	Connecticut	$70,130	$41,000	3,588,184	77
6	New Hampshire	$68,398	$40,000	1,342,795	45
7	Utah	$67,184	$41,000	3,101,833	75
8	Nevada	$74,007	$44,000	2,998,039	24
9	New York	$70,092	$41,000	19,849,399	403
10	Idaho	$68,722	$42,000	1,716,943	24
11	Pennsylvania	$69,508	$40,000	12,805,537	147
12	Massachusetts	$69,461	$41,000	6,859,819	175
13	Arizona	$69,240	$41,000	7,016,270	79
14	Michigan	$66,190	$39,000	9,962,311	122
15	Delaware	$69,636	$40,000	961,939	16
16	Wisconsin	$63,767	$38,000	5,795,483	119
17	District of Columbia	$68,399	$40,000	693,972	44
18	Wyoming	$61,810	$38,000	579,315	16
19	Maryland	$68,747	$40,000	6,052,177	117
20	Maine	$65,685	$39,000	1,335,907	18
21	Vermont	$66,413	$39,000	623,657	11
22	New Mexico	$66,108	$39,000	2,088,070	25
23	Indiana	$62,138	$37,000	6,666,818	112
24	New Jersey	$70,113	$41,000	9,005,644	77
25	Ohio	$64,923	$38,000	11,658,609	115
26	Virginia	$66,721	$38,000	8,470,020	162
27	West Virginia	$64,729	$38,000	1,815,857	14
28	Texas	$62,669	$37,000	28,304,596	355
29	Kentucky	$60,236	$36,000	4,454,189	57
30	Iowa	$60,370	$37,000	3,145,711	60
31	North Dakota	$62,333	$38,000	755,393	11
32	Montana	$64,374	$40,000	1,050,493	10
33	North Carolina	$61,092	$35,000	10,273,419	148
34	South Dakota	$60,289	$37,000	869,666	16
35	Minnesota	$62,831	$38,000	5,576,606	96
36	Hawaii	$61,135	$42,000	1,427,538	14
37	Illinois	$62,625	$37,000	12,802,023	178
38	Colorado	$61,763	$38,000	5,607,154	82
39	Louisiana	$60,554	$35,000	4,684,333	42
40	Nebraska	$59,055	$36,000	1,920,076	34
41	Georgia	$58,393	$34,000	10,429,379	199
42	Alaska	$62,887	$43,000	739,795	8
43	Tennessee	$58,556	$35,000	6,715,984	68
44	Florida	$59,501	$34,000	20,984,400	223
45	Oklahoma	$59,108	$36,000	3,930,864	37
46	Alabama	$58,506	$34,000	4,874,747	53
47	Arkansas	$58,365	$35,000	3,004,279	31
48	Mississippi	$58,819	$35,000	2,984,100	23
49	Kansas	$58,954	$36,000	2,913,123	36
50	South Carolina	$58,845	$34,000	5,024,369	56
51	Missouri	$58,711	$35,000	6,113,532	66

Highest paying states for artists

Rank	State	Avg. Artist Salary
1	Oregon	$73,421
2	Rhode Island	$70,146
3	California	$75,539
4	Washington	$71,839
5	Connecticut	$70,130
6	New Hampshire	$68,398
7	Utah	$67,184
8	Nevada	$74,007
9	New York	$70,092
10	Idaho	$68,722
11	Pennsylvania	$69,508
12	Massachusetts	$69,461
13	Arizona	$69,240
14	Michigan	$66,190
15	Delaware	$69,636
16	Wisconsin	$63,767
17	District of Columbia	$68,399
18	Wyoming	$61,810
19	Maryland	$68,747
20	Maine	$65,685
21	Vermont	$66,413
22	New Mexico	$66,108
23	Indiana	$62,138
24	New Jersey	$70,113
25	Ohio	$64,923
26	Virginia	$66,721
27	West Virginia	$64,729
28	Texas	$62,669
29	Kentucky	$60,236
30	Iowa	$60,370
31	North Dakota	$62,333
32	Montana	$64,374
33	North Carolina	$61,092
34	South Dakota	$60,289
35	Minnesota	$62,831
36	Hawaii	$61,135
37	Illinois	$62,625
38	Colorado	$61,763
39	Louisiana	$60,554
40	Nebraska	$59,055
41	Georgia	$58,393
42	Alaska	$62,887
43	Tennessee	$58,556
44	Florida	$59,501
45	Oklahoma	$59,108
46	Alabama	$58,506
47	Arkansas	$58,365
48	Mississippi	$58,819
49	Kansas	$58,954
50	South Carolina	$58,845
51	Missouri	$58,711

Expert opinions on the best states for artists

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Artists to find work opportunities?
A
Alison Petty Ragguette
Professor of Art & Graduate Coordinator, CSUSB
Most teaching opportunities are online at the moment. Our alums who graduate did gain some online teaching skills, so I would say they have an advantage.

Artist best states FAQs

What is the best state for artists?

What is the highest paying state for artists?

What is the worst state for artists?

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Best states for Artists

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total Artist Jobs:	99
Average Annual Salary:	$73,421
Lowest 10 Percent Earn:	$44,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn:	$120,000
Location Quotient:	1.32

Best states for an Artist

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

10 best states for artists in 2025

1. Oregon

2. Rhode Island

3. California

4. Washington

5. Connecticut

6. New Hampshire

7. Utah

8. Nevada

9. New York

10. Idaho