Average Assistant Art Director Salary in San Jose, United States for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Assistant Art Director salary for 2026 in San Jose 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 Assistant Art Director Make in San Jose?

An Assistant Art Director working in San Jose will typically earn around 83,800 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 39,500 USD to the highest average salary of 130,400 USD.

Average Annual Salary83,800 USD
Average Monthly Salary6,983 USD
Average Lowest Salary39,500 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary3,291 USD
Average Highest Salary130,400 USD
Highest Monthly Salary10,866 USD

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

Assistant Art Director 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 Assistant Art Director Salaries in San Jose

So we've looked at the average salaries an Assistant Art Director will earn in San Jose. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an Assistant Art Director can earn between 39,500 USD and 130,400 USD on average in San Jose. 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 Assistant Art Director in San Jose is 88,600 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 88,600 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 88,600 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 Assistant Art Director salary in San Jose, 25% of the population are earning less than 57,800 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 57,800 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 114,900 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 114,900 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.

Assistant Art Director Salary by Experience Level in San Jose

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 Assistant Art Director 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 Assistant Art Director in San Jose that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 45,800 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Assistant Art Director salary would increase to 68,900 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Assistant Art Director, the average salary would be 89,800 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 109,000 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Assistant Art Director with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 116,400 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Assistant Art Director with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 127,700 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
45,800 USD
2-5 Years+42%
68,900 USD
5-10 Years+31%
89,800 USD
10-15 Years+23%
109,000 USD
15-20 Years+6%
116,400 USD
20+ Years+10%
127,700 USD

Assistant Art Director Salary by Education Level in San Jose

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 Assistant Art Director in San Jose 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 Assistant Art Director in San Jose with a high school education can earn an average salary of 60,400 USD.
  • Certificate or Diploma. An Assistant Art Director in San Jose with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 87,000 USD.
  • Bachelor's Degree. An Assistant Art Director in San Jose with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 114,300 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School-
60,400 USD
Certificate or Diploma+47%
87,000 USD
Bachelor's Degree+34%
114,300 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.

Assistant Art Director 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 San Jose, a male assistant art director will earn an average of 74,900 USD, while a female assistant art director will earn around 71,200 USD.

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

Average Salary by Gender Chart in San Jose

Male-
74,900 USD
Female-5%
71,200 USD

Assistant Art Director Average Pay Raise in San Jose

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 Assistant Art Director in San Jose is around 11% 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 = ( 11 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that an Assistant Art Director in San Jose can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in San Jose for 2026

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%

Assistant Art Director Bonus and Incentive Rates in San Jose

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 Assistant Art Director is a moderate bonus based job, with 52% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

48% 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 4% to 5%.

Received Bonus-
52%
No Bonus-
48%

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 Assistant Art Director

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Assistant Art Director in San Jose.

Job TitleCategorySalary
Advertising Account ExecutiveAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events102,700 USD
Advertising Account ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events116,400 USD
Advertising Account PlannerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events58,400 USD
Advertising CoordinatorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events73,500 USD
Advertising ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events151,800 USD
Advertising Operations ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events160,700 USD
Advertising Sales DirectorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events166,600 USD
Advertising Strategic PlannerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events102,700 USD
Advertising Team LeaderAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events90,900 USD
Advertising and Promotions ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events158,700 USD
AnimatorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events73,700 USD
Art DirectorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events92,100 USD
Art ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events99,400 USD
ArtistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events77,400 USD
ArtworkerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events57,200 USD
Audio EngineerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events68,900 USD
Audio and Video Equipment TechnicianAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events58,100 USD
Audiosual TechnicianAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events54,700 USD
Broadcast AdministratorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events103,600 USD
Catering SalesAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events64,800 USD
Catering TrainerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events71,200 USD
Commercial and Industrial DesignerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events59,200 USD
Conference OrganiserAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events69,200 USD
Content and Media Production LeadAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events109,700 USD
CopyWriterAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events65,700 USD
Creative DesignerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events71,900 USD
Creative DirectorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events94,100 USD
Designer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events54,600 USD
Desktop PublisherAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events49,400 USD
Digital Campaign ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events100,300 USD
Digital Media ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events117,100 USD
Digital Media StrategistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events116,400 USD
Director of EventsAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events157,600 USD
Director of Graphic DesignAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events92,000 USD
Director of Social Media MarketingAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events124,500 USD
Events DirectorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events165,900 USD
Events and Promotions ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events160,700 USD
Exhibit DesignerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events75,900 USD
Exhibit Display CoordinatorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events68,500 USD
Exhibit Display ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events96,500 USD
FinisherAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events46,700 USD
Graphic ArtistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events58,600 USD
Graphic Design SpecialistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events69,400 USD
Graphic DesignerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events63,200 USD
Graphics ArtistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events59,000 USD
Graphics Design SupervisorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events84,800 USD
Group Creative DirectorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events102,700 USD
Imagery AnalystAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events57,400 USD
Imaging TechnologistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events52,300 USD
Interaction DesignerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events48,600 USD
Media AnalystAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events77,000 USD
Media ExecutiveAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events95,500 USD
Media PlannerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events83,400 USD
Media Production CoordinatorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events70,800 USD
Media Production ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events127,600 USD
Media Project ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events130,400 USD
Media Relations RepresentativeAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events107,300 USD
Media Sales ExecutiveAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events127,700 USD
Meeting and Event PlannerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events74,500 USD
Multimedia ArtistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events64,100 USD
Multimedia SpecialistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events52,300 USD
PPC Campaign ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events93,600 USD
PhotographerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events51,300 USD
Print Production ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events105,800 USD
Product and Brand ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events157,600 USD
Sales Promotion ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events152,900 USD
Search Engine Optimization Specialist (SEO)Advertising / Graphic Design / Events65,800 USD
Sketch ArtistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events63,200 USD
Social Media ExecutiveAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events117,100 USD
Social Media ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events123,000 USD
Social Media Marketing ManagerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events128,200 USD
Social Media StrategistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events115,600 USD
Special Events SupervisorAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events96,500 USD
Technical TypistAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events41,500 USD
UX DesignerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events59,100 USD
User Experience UX DesignerAdvertising / Graphic Design / Events67,300 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.

CityAverage Salary
Atlanta72,700 USD
Austin87,000 USD
Baltimore75,400 USD
Boston76,800 USD
Bristol61,700 USD
Chicago84,800 USD
Cincinnati64,100 USD
Cleveland70,800 USD
Dallas85,100 USD
Denver80,200 USD
Detroit79,600 USD
Honolulu61,700 USD
Houston88,300 USD
Indianapolis81,300 USD
Iowa City59,900 USD
Jacksonville80,000 USD
Kansas City76,000 USD
Kent58,000 USD
Las Vegas78,500 USD
Long Beach68,800 USD
Los Angeles92,100 USD
Memphis78,900 USD
Miami73,100 USD
Minneapolis63,400 USD
New Orleans70,000 USD
New York92,500 USD
Oakland72,400 USD
Oklahoma City75,100 USD
Orlando62,100 USD
Philadelphia83,700 USD
Phoenix82,200 USD
Sacramento74,200 USD
San Antonio80,500 USD
San Diego80,500 USD
San Francisco78,500 USD
Seattle75,100 USD
Tampa64,800 USD
Vancouver63,900 USD
Washington D.C.79,600 USD

Salary Comparison by State

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

StateAverage Salary
Alabama79,600 USD
Alaska65,100 USD
Arizona79,600 USD
Arkansas71,800 USD
California83,700 USD
Colorado78,700 USD
Connecticut74,500 USD
Delaware69,200 USD
District of Columbia65,900 USD
Florida87,300 USD
Georgia78,400 USD
Hawaii71,000 USD
Idaho71,900 USD
Illinois83,300 USD
Indiana83,700 USD
Iowa69,800 USD
Kansas73,300 USD
Kentucky71,200 USD
Louisiana74,700 USD
Maine74,100 USD
Maryland78,200 USD
Massachusetts80,300 USD
Michigan79,000 USD
Minnesota80,200 USD
Mississippi70,900 USD
Missouri79,700 USD
Montana70,500 USD
Nebraska69,700 USD
Nevada74,600 USD
New Hampshire67,800 USD
New Jersey84,200 USD
New Mexico69,200 USD
New York86,100 USD
North Carolina78,200 USD
North Dakota67,800 USD
Ohio87,200 USD
Oklahoma74,500 USD
Oregon76,000 USD
Pennsylvania80,900 USD
Rhode Island69,100 USD
South Carolina72,700 USD
South Dakota66,200 USD
Tennessee83,300 USD
Texas82,200 USD
Utah73,300 USD
Vermont63,200 USD
Virginia82,200 USD
Washington74,900 USD
West Virginia69,400 USD
Wisconsin80,000 USD
Wyoming63,700 USD

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