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The national median salary for Craft Artists is $38,480 per year ($18.50/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $31,346 and $52,083 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $65,853 per year. There are approximately 4,370 craft artists employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Create or reproduce handmade objects for sale and exhibition using a variety of techniques, such as welding, weaving, pottery, and needlecraft.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+2.1%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
1K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
12K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
2% from new growth98% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers
NAICS 711500
1K
$43,750
Sporting Goods, Hobby, and Musical Instrument Retailers
NAICS 459100
710
$35,370
Other Miscellaneous Retailers
NAICS 459900
220
$33,590
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
NAICS 327000
190
$35,400
Miscellaneous Store Retailers (4594 and 4595 only)
NAICS 4590A1
170
$29,250
Wage range across top 5 industries: $29,250 to $43,750 (50% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$10.88
$22,630
P25
$15.07
$31,346
P50MEDIAN
$18.50
$38,480
P75
$25.04
$52,083
P90
$31.66
$65,853
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 craft artists salary?
The national median salary for Craft Artists is $38,480 per year ($18.50/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $31,346 and $52,083 annually.
How much do top-earning craft artists make?
The 90th percentile salary for Craft Artists is $65,853 per year ($31.66/hr). The 75th percentile is $52,083 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for craft artists?
Entry-level Craft Artists (10th percentile) earn approximately $22,630 per year ($10.88/hr). The 25th percentile is $31,346 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.