The salary of an Art Director in the United States varies depending on several factors, including experience, location, education level, marketing trend and company sizes.
As of January 01, 2025, the average annual salary for an Art Director in the United States is $150,542. Salary.com reports that pay typically ranges from $129,852 to $178,804, with most professionals earning between $111,015 and $204,535.
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $178,804 | $14,900 | $3,439 | $86 |
| Average | $150,542 | $12,545 | $2,895 | $72 |
| 25th Percentile | $129,852 | $10,821 | $2,497 | $62 |
An entry-level Art Director with less than 1 year of experience earns about $140,165. With 1-2 years of experience, the average salary increases to $141,697. For 2-4 years of experience, the pay typically rises to $143,229. Senior-level professionals with 5-8 years of experience earn around $146,293, and those with over 8 years of experience can expect an average of $149,357.
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level Art Director | $140,165 |
| Intermediate Level Art Director | $141,697 |
| Senior Level Art Director | $143,229 |
| Specialist Level Art Director | $146,293 |
| Expert Level Art Director | $149,357 |
| Entry Level | 7% |
| Mid Level | 6% |
| Senior Level | 5% |
| Top Level | 3% |
| Experienced | 1% |
Salaries in the United States differ widely between states due to factors like cost of living, local economies, and industry presence.
What Am I Worth?
Salaries in the United States can vary greatly between cities due to factors like cost of living, local economies, and industry presence.
As of January 01, 2025, our research reveals a significant shift in Art Director compensation over the past six years. For example, the median salary increased from $132,370 in 2023 to approximately $129,237 in 2024. (For a detailed analysis of Art Director salary trends, click here.)
Key factors like location, experience, industry demand, and economic growth significantly influence salary variations, making them important to consider.
Salary.com job board provides millions of Art Director information for you to search for. Click on search button below to see Art Director job openings or enter a new job title here.
Here are companies hiring for Art Director and their salaries, click below for more details.
| Core Compensation | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Base Salary | $150,542 | 65.9% | ||
| Bonus | $16,671 | 7.3% | ||
| Value of Benefits | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Social Security | $12,792 | 5.6% | ||
| 401K/403B | $7,023 | 3.1% | ||
| Disability | $3,344 | 1.5% | ||
| Healthcare | $8,352 | 3.7% | ||
| Pension | $9,029 | 4.0% | ||
| Time Off | $20,580 | 9.0% | ||
| Total Compensation | $228,333 | 100% | ||
| Degree Level | % of user with this level of education |
|---|---|
| No Diploma | 0.6% |
| High School | 6.3% |
| Associates | 12.7% |
| Bachelors | 67.9% |
| Masters | 12.1% |
| Doctorate | 0.3% |
What Am I Worth?
The average annual salary of Art Director is $150,542. In case you are finding an easy salary calculator, the average hourly pay of Art Director is $72; the average weekly pay of Art Director is $2,895; the average monthly pay of Art Director is $12,545.
An Art Director's earning potential can vary widely depending on several factors, including location, industry, experience, education, and the specific employer. According to the latest salary data by Salary.com, an Art Director earns the most in San Jose, CA, where the annual salary of an Art Director is $188,930.
The highest pay for Art Director is $204,535.
The lowest pay for Art Director is $111,015.
Art Director directs and develops the creative design and execution of visual communications to meet an organization's marketing or advertising objectives. Provides internal clients with design standards, tools, and guidance on communicating corporate image, branding, and identity. Being an Art Director leads the design and production operations of all visual elements including publications, infographics, and social content, that are deployed across digital, interactive and print. Stays current on latest trends. Additionally, Art Director develops a network of vendors, freelance artists, and designers to utilize for project support. Typically requires a bachelor's degree in art, graphic design or equivalent. Typically reports to top management. The Art Director typically manages through subordinate managers and professionals in larger groups of moderate complexity. Provides input to strategic decisions that affect the functional area of responsibility. May give input into developing the budget. To be an Art Director typically requires 3+ years of managerial experience. Capable of resolving escalated issues arising from operations and requiring coordination with other departments.
Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.
Presentation: Presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience. Presentations are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product.
InDesign: nDesign is a desktop publishing software application for creating flyers, brochures, magazines, newspapers, and books. Projects created using InDesign can be shared in both digital and print formats.
Motion Graphics: Motion Graphics is essentially graphic design made video. This style combines sound, text, charts, symbols, and animation, to convey hard data and written information in a compelling and clear way.
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)
With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.
