Average Art Therapist Salary in Australia for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Art Therapist salary for 2024 in Australia and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Australian dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the AUD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does an Art Therapist Make in Australia?

An Art Therapist working in Australia will typically earn around 71,400 AUD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 33,500 AUD to the highest average salary of 114,300 AUD.

Average Annual Salary
71,400 AUD
Average Monthly Salary
5,950 AUD

Lowest Annual Salary
33,500 AUD
Lowest Monthly Salary
2,791 AUD

Highest Annual Salary
114,300 AUD
Highest Monthly Salary
9,525 AUD

These are average salaries for an Art Therapist in Australia and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for an Art Therapist to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Art Therapist salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Art Therapist Salaries in Australia

So we've looked at the average salaries an Art Therapist will earn in Australia. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an Art Therapist can earn between 33,500 AUD and 114,300 AUD on average in Australia. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for an Art Therapist in Australia is 79,600 AUD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 79,600 AUD, and 50% of the population earn more than 79,600 AUD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Art Therapist salary in Australia, 25% of the population are earning less than 52,300 AUD while 75% of the population earn more than 52,300 AUD.

75% of the population earn less than 107,300 AUD, and 25% of the population earn more than 107,300 AUD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Art Therapist Salary by Experience Level in Australia

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average art therapist salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. An Art Therapist in Australia that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 36,500 AUD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Art Therapist salary would increase to 51,100 AUD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Art Therapist, the average salary would be 77,000 AUD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 92,100 AUD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Art Therapist with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 99,700 AUD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Art Therapist with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 109,700 AUD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
36,500 AUD
2-5 Years +34%
51,100 AUD
5-10 Years +48%
77,000 AUD
10-15 Years +22%
92,100 AUD
15-20 Years +9%
99,700 AUD
20+ Years +8%
109,700 AUD

Art Therapist Salary by Education Level in Australia

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for an Art Therapist in Australia based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. An Art Therapist in Australia with a high school education can earn an average salary of 45,600 AUD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. An Art Therapist in Australia with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 83,900 AUD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
45,600 AUD
Certificate or Diploma +93%
83,900 AUD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Australia is around 37,800 to 114,000 AUD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Art Therapist Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Australia, a male art therapist will earn an average of 69,400 AUD, while a female art therapist will earn around 77,300 AUD.

This means that a male art therapist earns approximately 10% less than a female art therapist for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Australia

Male
69,400 AUD
Female +10%
77,300 AUD

Art Therapist Average Pay Raise in Australia

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for an Art Therapist in Australia is around 11% every 17 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Australia is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that an Art Therapist in Australia can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Australia for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Australia.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Art Therapist Bonus and Incentive Rates in Australia

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

An Art Therapist is a moderate bonus based job, with 60% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

40% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7%.

Received Bonus
60%
No Bonus
40%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Australia earn approximately 5% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
92,500 AUD
Private Sector -5%
87,900 AUD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to an Art Therapist

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Art Therapist in Australia.

Job Title Category Salary
Aromatherapist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 105,200 AUD
Assistant Spa Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 78,700 AUD
Beauty Advisor Fitness / Hair / Beauty 74,100 AUD
Beauty Educator Fitness / Hair / Beauty 87,200 AUD
Beauty Shop Coordinator Fitness / Hair / Beauty 50,500 AUD
Beauty Specialist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 72,400 AUD
Beauty Supply Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 123,000 AUD
Beauty Therapist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 76,000 AUD
Cosmetic Sales Fitness / Hair / Beauty 41,300 AUD
Cosmetologist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 63,500 AUD
Day Spa Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 140,700 AUD
Esthetician Fitness / Hair / Beauty 30,300 AUD
Fitness and Wellness Coordinator Fitness / Hair / Beauty 78,200 AUD
Fitness Instructor Fitness / Hair / Beauty 49,100 AUD
Grooming Salon Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 111,700 AUD
Hair Replacement Specialist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 112,700 AUD
Hair Stylist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 40,700 AUD
Health Coach Fitness / Hair / Beauty 93,300 AUD
Health Educator Fitness / Hair / Beauty 109,000 AUD
Manicurist and Pedicurist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 29,600 AUD
Massage Therapist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 57,200 AUD
Masseur Fitness / Hair / Beauty 45,000 AUD
Natural Remedy Consultant Fitness / Hair / Beauty 102,700 AUD
Naturopath and Acupuncturist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 40,300 AUD
Occupational Therapist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 60,800 AUD
Occupational Therapy Assistant Fitness / Hair / Beauty 43,400 AUD
Physical Therapy Attendant Fitness / Hair / Beauty 41,400 AUD
Recreational Therapist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 54,700 AUD
Salon Assistant Fitness / Hair / Beauty 42,300 AUD
Salon Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 118,900 AUD
Spa Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 134,700 AUD
Spa Supervisor Fitness / Hair / Beauty 109,700 AUD
Sport and Recreation Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 132,000 AUD
Tattoo Artist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 36,400 AUD
Weight Loss Consultant Fitness / Hair / Beauty 123,000 AUD
Yoga Instructor Fitness / Hair / Beauty 83,100 AUD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Australia, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Adelaide 69,800 AUD
Brisbane 71,200 AUD
Canberra-Queanbeyan 66,200 AUD
Gold Coast-Tweed 65,700 AUD
Gosford 62,500 AUD
Melbourne 75,800 AUD
Newcastle 69,800 AUD
Perth 74,700 AUD
Sunshine Coast 66,900 AUD
Sydney 73,500 AUD
Wollongong 65,700 AUD

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