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The national median salary for Art Directors is $111,030 per year ($53.38/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $80,142 and $160,451 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $211,411 per year. There are approximately 50,370 art directors employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual productions and media, such as print, broadcasting, video, and film. Direct workers engaged in artwork or layout design.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+4.2%
Faster than average
Annual openings
12K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
135K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
5% from new growth95% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
5 years or more
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services
NAICS 541800
14K
$108,810
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
4K
$104,540
Motion Picture and Video Industries
NAICS 512100
3K
$133,650
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers
NAICS 513100
3K
$91,570
Specialized Design Services
NAICS 541400
3K
$103,230
Wage range across top 5 industries: $91,570 to $133,650 (46% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$29.35
$61,048
P25
$38.53
$80,142
P50MEDIAN
$53.38
$111,030
P75
$77.14
$160,451
P90
$101.64
$211,411
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average art directors salary?
The national median salary for Art Directors is $111,030 per year ($53.38/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $80,142 and $160,451 annually.
How much do top-earning art directors make?
The 90th percentile salary for Art Directors is $211,411 per year ($101.64/hr). The 75th percentile is $160,451 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for art directors?
Entry-level Art Directors (10th percentile) earn approximately $61,048 per year ($29.35/hr). The 25th percentile is $80,142 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.