Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 27-1013 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$55,494
$26.68/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Fine Artists salary in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS August 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$32K
P25$38K
P50$55K
P75$83K
P90$144K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
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Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- professional & business services openings are at 5.0% (JOLTS, August 2026). A balanced market where the median is a solid, competitive anchor.
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Merit budget: Wages in professional services are rising about 2.5% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.1-2.6% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $55,494 to $83,200 (market median to the 75th percentile). The median-to-P75 range keeps offers competitive.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Fine Artists pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role fell 8.4% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 2.5% wage growth of Professional & Business Services (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · MODERATE
Professional & Business Services is running a 5.0% job-openings rate with quits at 2.1% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted down from 5.8% to 5.0% over the past quarter.
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 4.6 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is wider than typical, so expect large pay differences by experience, employer size, and geography; build generous ranges and differentiate strongly.
What changed recently
Sep 29, 2026JOLTS August 2026: sector openings eased to 5.0% (down 119K). BLS revised July up from 4.8% to 5.5%, so last month's third straight decline did not happen. Quits recovered to 2.1%; layoffs fell 56K.
Sep 1, 2026JOLTS July 2026: sector openings fell for a third month to 4.8% (June revised to 5.1%), and hires dropped 188K, the largest pullback of any sector. Quits slid to 1.8%.
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 5.5% (down 0.3pp), still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS August 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators is $55,494 per year ($26.68/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $37,565 and $83,200 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $144,206 per year. There are approximately 11,220 fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media and techniques.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-1.2%
Slower than average
Annual openings
2K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
27K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% 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
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
3K
$49,650
Motion Picture and Video Industries
NAICS 512100
840
$154,570
Other Miscellaneous Retailers
NAICS 459900
770
N/A
Software Publishers
NAICS 513200
610
$124,130
Performing Arts Companies
NAICS 711100
550
$55,490
Wage range across top 5 industries: $49,650 to $154,570 (211% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$15.21
$31,637
P25
$18.06
$37,565
P50MEDIAN
$26.68
$55,494
P75
$40.00
$83,200
P90
$69.33
$144,206
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Active
Openings Rate
5.0%
Quits Rate
2.1%
Professional & Business Services openings fell 119K to 1.19M in August, rate 5.0%. BLS revised July up sharply, from 4.8% to 5.5%, so the three-month cooling reported last release did not happen: the sector is volatile, not in steady decline. Hires rose 36K, quits recovered to 2.1%, and layoffs fell 56K.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators salary?
The national median salary for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators is $55,494 per year ($26.68/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $37,565 and $83,200 annually.
How much do top-earning fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators make?
The 90th percentile salary for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators is $144,206 per year ($69.33/hr). The 75th percentile is $83,200 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators?
Entry-level Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators (10th percentile) earn approximately $31,637 per year ($15.21/hr). The 25th percentile is $37,565 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 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.
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