Average Artist Salary in United States for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Artist salary for 2024 in United States 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 United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does an Artist Make in United States?

An Artist working in United States will typically earn around 77,400 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 35,300 USD to the highest average salary of 119,700 USD.

Average Annual Salary
77,400 USD
Average Monthly Salary
6,450 USD

Lowest Annual Salary
35,300 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary
2,941 USD

Highest Annual Salary
119,700 USD
Highest Monthly Salary
9,975 USD

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

Artist 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 Artist Salaries in United States

So we've looked at the average salaries an Artist will earn in United States. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an Artist can earn between 35,300 USD and 119,700 USD on average in United States. 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 Artist in United States is 81,600 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 81,600 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 81,600 USD.

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 Artist salary in United States, 25% of the population are earning less than 50,600 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 50,600 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 109,700 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 109,700 USD.

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.

Artist Salary by Experience Level in United States

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 artist 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 Artist in United States that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 40,000 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Artist salary would increase to 51,300 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Artist, the average salary would be 79,600 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 95,500 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Artist with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 105,200 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Artist with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 112,700 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
40,000 USD
2-5 Years +34%
51,300 USD
5-10 Years +48%
79,600 USD
10-15 Years +22%
95,500 USD
15-20 Years +9%
105,200 USD
20+ Years +8%
112,700 USD

Artist Salary by Education Level in United States

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 Artist in United States 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 Artist in United States with a high school education can earn an average salary of 50,000 USD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. An Artist in United States with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 57,900 USD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. An Artist in United States with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 84,600 USD.

  • Master's Degree. An Artist in United States with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 109,000 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
50,000 USD
Certificate or Diploma +18%
57,900 USD
Bachelor's Degree +45%
84,600 USD
Master's Degree +31%
109,000 USD

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 United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD 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.

Artist 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 United States, a male artist will earn an average of 78,200 USD, while a female artist will earn around 74,500 USD.

This means that a male artist earns approximately 5% more than a female artist for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United States

Male
78,200 USD
Female -5%
74,500 USD

Artist Average Pay Raise in United States

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 Artist in United States is around 10% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States 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 = ( 10 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that an Artist in United States can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United States for 2024

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

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%

Artist Bonus and Incentive Rates in United States

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 Artist is a low bonus based job, with 35% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

65% 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 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus
35%
No Bonus
65%

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 United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
98,800 USD
Private Sector -6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to an Artist

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Artist in United States.

Job Title Category Salary
Advertising Account Executive Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 102,700 USD
Advertising Account Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 116,400 USD
Advertising Account Planner Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 58,400 USD
Advertising and Promotions Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 158,700 USD
Advertising Coordinator Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 73,500 USD
Advertising Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 151,800 USD
Advertising Operations Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 160,700 USD
Advertising Sales Director Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 166,600 USD
Advertising Strategic Planner Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 102,700 USD
Advertising Team Leader Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 90,900 USD
Animator Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 73,700 USD
Art Director Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 92,100 USD
Art Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 99,400 USD
Artworker Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 57,200 USD
Assistant Art Director Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 76,000 USD
Audio and Video Equipment Technician Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 58,100 USD
Audio Engineer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 68,900 USD
Audiosual Technician Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 54,700 USD
Broadcast Administrator Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 103,600 USD
Catering Sales Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 64,800 USD
Catering Trainer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 71,200 USD
Commercial and Industrial Designer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 59,200 USD
Conference Organiser Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 69,200 USD
Content and Media Production Lead Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 109,700 USD
CopyWriter Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 65,700 USD
Creative Designer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 71,900 USD
Creative Director Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 94,100 USD
Designer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 54,600 USD
Desktop Publisher Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 49,400 USD
Digital Campaign Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 100,300 USD
Digital Media Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 117,100 USD
Digital Media Strategist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 116,400 USD
Director of Events Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 157,600 USD
Director of Graphic Design Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 92,000 USD
Director of Social Media Marketing Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 124,500 USD
Events and Promotions Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 160,700 USD
Events Director Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 165,900 USD
Exhibit Designer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 75,900 USD
Exhibit Display Coordinator Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 68,500 USD
Exhibit Display Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 96,500 USD
Finisher Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 46,700 USD
Graphic Artist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 58,600 USD
Graphic Design Specialist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 69,400 USD
Graphic Designer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 63,200 USD
Graphics Artist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 59,000 USD
Graphics Design Supervisor Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 84,800 USD
Group Creative Director Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 102,700 USD
Imagery Analyst Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 57,400 USD
Imaging Technologist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 52,300 USD
Interaction Designer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 48,600 USD
Media Analyst Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 77,000 USD
Media Executive Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 95,500 USD
Media Planner Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 83,400 USD
Media Production Coordinator Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 70,800 USD
Media Production Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 127,600 USD
Media Project Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 130,400 USD
Media Relations Representative Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 107,300 USD
Media Sales Executive Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 127,700 USD
Meeting and Event Planner Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 74,500 USD
Multimedia Artist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 64,100 USD
Multimedia Specialist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 52,300 USD
Photographer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 51,300 USD
PPC Campaign Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 93,600 USD
Print Production Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 105,800 USD
Product and Brand Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 157,600 USD
Sales Promotion Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 152,900 USD
Search Engine Optimization Specialist (SEO) Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 65,800 USD
Sketch Artist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 63,200 USD
Social Media Executive Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 117,100 USD
Social Media Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 123,000 USD
Social Media Marketing Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 128,200 USD
Social Media Strategist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 115,600 USD
Special Events Supervisor Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 96,500 USD
Technical Typist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 41,500 USD
User Experience UX Designer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 67,300 USD
UX Designer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 59,100 USD

Salary Comparison by City

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

City Average Salary
Atlanta 81,600 USD
Austin 96,050 USD
Baltimore 81,600 USD
Boston 86,200 USD
Bristol 66,900 USD
Chicago 99,500 USD
Cincinnati 75,200 USD
Cleveland 75,500 USD
Dallas 94,400 USD
Denver 91,600 USD
Detroit 88,850 USD
Honolulu 69,600 USD
Houston 99,600 USD
Indianapolis 87,750 USD
Iowa City 67,250 USD
Jacksonville 91,250 USD
Kansas City 83,050 USD
Kent 68,900 USD
Las Vegas 84,700 USD
Long Beach 77,600 USD
Los Angeles 101,250 USD
Memphis 85,100 USD
Miami 79,150 USD
Minneapolis 73,900 USD
New Orleans 78,950 USD
New York 104,900 USD
Oakland 80,000 USD
Oklahoma City 86,200 USD
Orlando 72,550 USD
Philadelphia 96,850 USD
Phoenix 100,550 USD
Sacramento 83,300 USD
San Antonio 99,700 USD
San Diego 93,850 USD
San Francisco 89,000 USD
San Jose 93,750 USD
Seattle 93,200 USD
Tampa 74,700 USD
Vancouver 71,200 USD
Washington D.C. 88,250 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

City Average Salary
Alabama 85,000 USD
Alaska 73,750 USD
Arizona 86,700 USD
Arkansas 82,200 USD
California 95,600 USD
Colorado 85,650 USD
Connecticut 83,600 USD
Delaware 75,150 USD
District of Columbia 76,800 USD
Florida 93,850 USD
Georgia 92,800 USD
Hawaii 78,050 USD
Idaho 78,150 USD
Illinois 91,650 USD
Indiana 88,750 USD
Iowa 83,550 USD
Kansas 81,800 USD
Kentucky 86,150 USD
Louisiana 85,250 USD
Maine 79,450 USD
Maryland 88,150 USD
Massachusetts 90,250 USD
Michigan 90,000 USD
Minnesota 87,650 USD
Mississippi 84,850 USD
Missouri 88,100 USD
Montana 80,900 USD
Nebraska 80,850 USD
Nevada 85,550 USD
New Hampshire 78,500 USD
New Jersey 93,400 USD
New Mexico 81,300 USD
New York 97,350 USD
North Carolina 87,700 USD
North Dakota 73,000 USD
Ohio 92,700 USD
Oklahoma 83,500 USD
Oregon 83,500 USD
Pennsylvania 92,100 USD
Rhode Island 77,250 USD
South Carolina 83,500 USD
South Dakota 75,100 USD
Tennessee 86,300 USD
Texas 94,700 USD
Utah 81,650 USD
Vermont 73,900 USD
Virginia 92,600 USD
Washington 88,350 USD
West Virginia 79,550 USD
Wisconsin 86,000 USD
Wyoming 76,100 USD

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