What are the main factors that influence an Artist's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change An Artist's salary?

An Artist's salary grows with experience: an Artist (0-2 years)earns $57,079, an Art Designer II (2-4 years)earns $70,331, an Art Manager (4-5 years)earns $112,319, an Art Director (5+ years)earns $153,345,

What are the highest paying states for an Artist?

Artist salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Artist roles are District of Columbia $63,801, California $63,559, Massachusetts $62,712. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Artist roles make?

Salaries for Artist level roles vary by specialization: Digital Artist: $129,742; ARTIST, FINE ARTIST: $70,034; Environment Artist: $69,772; Artist II: $69,580; Makeup Artist: $61,493.

How do different companies affect an Artist's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Artist roles. Large, established industry leaders like C R Bard Inc ($128,509) and Henry Schein Canada ($124,697) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $82,041.

Artist Salary in the United States

How much does an Artist make in the United States?

As of January 01, 2026, the average salary for an Artist in the United States is $57,623 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $28.

However, an Artist's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

Top Earners (90th percentile): $71,781
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $53,671 to $65,034
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $50,072

Compensation Planning

Develop a Job Description

Pay Equity

2025 Compensation Trend

AI Onboarding

AI-Powered Talent

Salary Salary + Bonus Benefits

View as table

Artist Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$65,034	$5,420	$1,251	$31
Average	$57,623	$4,802	$1,108	$28
25th Percentile	$53,671	$4,473	$1,032	$26

You may get higher pay by adjusting the following factors:

Change Search Criteria

Check out Artist Job Openings in the United States

Graphic Artist

TM3 Solutions, Inc. - BETHESDA, MD

3D Artist Internship

Integration Innovation, Inc. (i3) - HUNTSVILLE, AL

Sharepoint Collection Administrator Graphic Artist

VTG - CHANTILLY, VA

3D Artist

Envision Innovative Solutions - WALL TOWNSHIP, NJ

Search More Artist Jobs in the United States

Key Factors That Influence Artist Salaries

An Artist's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Do Artist Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Artists. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $63,801.
California: $63,559.
Massachusetts: $62,712.

District of Columbia $63,801 California $63,559 Massachusetts $62,712 Washington $62,481 New Jersey $62,458 Alaska $62,377 Connecticut $61,582 New York $61,259

Hawaii $60,228 Rhode Island $59,744 Maryland $59,415 Minnesota $58,966 Colorado $58,793 Illinois $58,736 Oregon $58,517 Delaware $58,355

New Hampshire $58,254 Virginia $58,027 Pennsylvania $57,364 Nevada $57,030 North Dakota $56,920 Michigan $56,748 Wisconsin $56,684 Vermont $56,557

Texas $56,206 Maine $56,183 Arizona $56,148 Ohio $56,108 Georgia $55,578 Indiana $55,313 Wyoming $55,261 Utah $55,180

Iowa $55,146 Kansas $54,869 Louisiana $54,788 North Carolina $54,760 Missouri $54,748 Florida $54,523 Montana $54,402 Nebraska $54,287

Kentucky $54,224 South Carolina $53,993 Tennessee $53,849 Idaho $53,791 New Mexico $53,371 Oklahoma $53,279 Alabama $52,939 South Dakota $52,368

Arkansas $52,057 West Virginia $51,890 Mississippi $51,389

Top Paying Cities for Artists

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

San Jose: $72,680
San Francisco: $71,966
Oakland: $70,370

San Jose, CA $72,680

San Francisco, CA $71,966

Oakland, CA $70,370

New York, NY $66,780

Queens Village, NY $66,348

Paramus, NJ $65,887

Passaic, NJ $65,829

Bergenfield, NJ $65,771

Stamford, CT $65,685

Huntington, NY $65,627

Newark, NJ $65,253

Bridgeport, CT $65,137

New Brunswick, NJ $64,947

Vallejo, CA $64,826

Middlesex, NJ $64,792

Somerset, NJ $64,740

Petaluma, CA $64,607

Santa Cruz, CA $64,383

Boston, MA $64,267

Monterey, CA $63,979

Fairbanks, AK $63,939

Los Angeles, CA $63,829

Washington, DC $63,801

Seattle, WA $63,697

Santa Rosa, CA $63,685

Juneau, AK $63,518

Orange, CA $63,328

Anchorage, AK $63,224

Anaheim, CA $63,184

Santa Ana, CA $63,098

Nassau, NY $63,063

Long Beach, CA $63,040

Danbury, CT $63,023

Santa Maria, CA $62,827

Everett, WA $62,815

Bremerton, WA $62,533

Trenton, NJ $62,423

Sacramento, CA $62,400

San Diego, CA $62,372

Brockton, MA $62,349

Tacoma, WA $62,325

Santa Barbara, CA $62,245

Lowell, MA $62,014

New Suffolk, NY $61,991

Nashua, NH $61,922

Lompoc, CA $61,830

Ventura, CA $61,772

Stockton, CA $61,755

New Haven, CT $61,640

Atlantic City, NJ $61,490

Hartford, CT $61,363

Modesto, CA $61,334

Poughkeepsie, NY $61,208

New Britain, CT $61,179

Olympia, WA $61,098

Kennewick, WA $61,098

New London, CT $61,087

Norwich, CT $61,069

Lawrence, MA $61,040

Bakersfield, CA $60,879

Riverside, CA $60,798

New Bedford, MA $60,798

Richland, WA $60,741

Portsmouth, NH $60,695

Vineland, NJ $60,683

San Bernardino, CA $60,637

Boulder, CO $60,476

Worcester, MA $60,430

Portland, OR $60,378

Saint Paul, MN $60,309

Minneapolis, MN $60,309

Philadelphia, PA $60,228

Honolulu, HI $59,923

Springfield, MA $59,721

Providence, RI $59,715

Chicago, IL $59,548

Bellingham, WA $59,479

Baltimore, MD $59,415

Chico, CA $59,271

Wilmington, DE $59,173

Pittsfield, MA $59,116

Manchester, NH $59,006

Spokane, WA $58,753

Denver, CO $58,747

Albany, NY $58,476

Troy, NY $58,453

Schenectady, NY $58,332

Burlington, VT $58,205

Portland, ME $58,004

Salem, OR $57,958

Yakima, WA $57,946

Ann Arbor, MI $57,929

Rochester, MN $57,767

Fresno, CA $57,739

Reno, NV $57,739

Milwaukee, WI $57,687

Detroit, MI $57,629

Allentown, PA $57,612

Carson City, NV $57,606

Houston, TX $57,520

Colorado Springs, CO $57,514

Syracuse, NY $57,485

Eugene, OR $57,376

Bismarck, ND $57,306

Gary, IN $57,306

Galveston, TX $57,306

Springfield, OR $57,260

Medford, OR $57,122

Fort Collins, CO $57,099

Austin, TX $57,053

Mesa, AZ $56,932

Phoenix, AZ $56,920

Dallas, TX $56,903

Reading, PA $56,869

Saint Cloud, MN $56,845

Concord, NH $56,794

Madison, WI $56,771

Utica, NY $56,615

Raleigh, NC $56,569

Las Vegas, NV $56,563

Rochester, NY $56,523

Des Moines, IA $56,517

Atlanta, GA $56,425

Battle Creek, MI $56,408

Salt Lake City, UT $56,390

Lancaster, PA $56,304

Champaign, IL $56,292

Harrisburg, PA $56,223

Durham, NC $56,171

Kansas City, MO $56,166

Kansas City, KS $56,154

Fort Worth, TX $56,148

Boca Raton, FL $56,125

Cleveland, OH $56,119

Columbus, OH $56,108

Pittsburgh, PA $56,102

Richmond, VA $56,079

Indianapolis, IN $56,068

Cincinnati, OH $55,993

Petersburg, VA $55,906

Billings, MT $55,779

Lansing, MI $55,779

Huntsville, AL $55,779

Lebanon, PA $55,774

Dayton, OH $55,768

Pueblo, CO $55,768

Appleton, WI $55,751

Buffalo, NY $55,728

Racine, WI $55,699

Charlotte, NC $55,693

Saint Louis, MO $55,676

Springfield, IL $55,653

Elkhart, IN $55,641

York, PA $55,641

Gastonia, NC $55,635

Benton Harbor, MI $55,635

Beaumont, TX $55,601

Lorain, OH $55,589

Toledo, OH $55,566

Binghamton, NY $55,537

Rock Hill, SC $55,532

Rockford, IL $55,503

Fargo, ND $55,474

Elyria, OH $55,474

Flagstaff, AZ $55,434

Fort Lauderdale, FL $55,399

Miami, FL $55,365

Duluth, MN $55,272

Bangor, ME $55,197

Cedar Rapids, IA $55,134

Louisville, KY $55,105

Grand Rapids, MI $55,094

Hialeah, FL $55,088

Casper, WY $55,007

Scranton, PA $54,938

New Orleans, LA $54,921

Virginia Beach, VA $54,915

Akron, OH $54,886

Peoria, IL $54,811

Sarasota, FL $54,800

Green Bay, WI $54,760

Baton Rouge, LA $54,731

Charleston, SC $54,719

Nashville, TN $54,702

Jamestown, NY $54,690

Davenport, IA $54,690

Tucson, AZ $54,662

Cheyenne, WY $54,644

Saint Petersburg, FL $54,627

Tampa, FL $54,615

Omaha, NE $54,604

Port Arthur, TX $54,581

Evansville, IN $54,581

Bradenton, FL $54,558

Santa Fe, NM $54,454

Orlando, FL $54,396

Clearwater, FL $54,333

Canton, OH $54,212

La Crosse, WI $54,212

Grand Forks, ND $54,195

Albuquerque, NM $54,178

Tulsa, OK $54,178

Newport News, VA $54,172

High Point, NC $54,154

Ogden, UT $54,131

Corpus Christi, TX $54,085

Laramie, WY $54,051

Norfolk, VA $54,051

Rock Island, IL $54,016

Saginaw, MI $54,005

Jacksonville, FL $53,999

Salisbury, NC $53,987

Memphis, TN $53,976

Moline, IL $53,947

Fort Myers, FL $53,930

Waterloo, IA $53,855

Spartanburg, SC $53,797

Lincoln, NE $53,768

Fort Wayne, IN $53,757

Birmingham, AL $53,693

Cedar Falls, IA $53,682

Provo, UT $53,676

Springfield, OH $53,670

San Antonio, TX $53,659

Greensboro, NC $53,636

South Bend, IN $53,630

Winston Salem, NC $53,624

Boise, ID $53,607

Savannah, GA $53,567

Muskegon, MI $53,463

Lima, OH $53,394

Lake Charles, LA $53,371

Anderson, IN $53,359

Lexington, KY $53,342

Augusta, GA $53,325

Greenville, SC $53,325

Wichita, KS $53,273

Tuscaloosa, AL $53,273

Columbia, SC $53,221

Bloomington, IN $53,077

Roanoke, VA $53,042

Asheville, NC $52,967

Knoxville, TN $52,869

Shreveport, LA $52,864

Wilmington, NC $52,789

Frankfort, KY $52,679

Oklahoma City, OK $52,639

Chillicothe, OH $52,616

Longview, TX $52,610

Topeka, KS $52,593

Mobile, AL $52,506

Terre Haute, IN $52,483

Erie, PA $52,478

Altoona, PA $52,449

Melbourne, FL $52,432

Amarillo, TX $52,408

Killeen, TX $52,391

Fayetteville, AR $52,345

Sioux Falls, SD $52,305

Chattanooga, TN $52,270

Idaho Falls, ID $52,264

Gainesville, FL $52,143

Portsmouth, OH $52,115

Little Rock, AR $52,103

Lynchburg, VA $52,103

Lafayette, LA $52,080

Youngstown, OH $52,080

Temple, TX $52,057

Daytona Beach, FL $52,045

Clarksville, TN $52,040

Pensacola, FL $52,034

Hopkinsville, KY $51,861

Charleston, WV $51,855

Florence, SC $51,826

Sioux City, IA $51,792

Macon, GA $51,625

Tallahassee, FL $51,619

Fayetteville, NC $51,608

Waco, TX $51,596

Wichita Falls, TX $51,596

Pine Bluff, AR $51,573

Vincennes, IN $51,463

Lubbock, TX $51,440

Great Falls, MT $51,406

Alamogordo, NM $51,400

Abilene, TX $51,354

Rapid City, SD $51,279

Monroe, LA $51,279

Albany, GA $51,244

Huntington, WV $51,239

Jackson, MS $51,233

Greenville, MS $51,227

Parkersburg, WV $51,170

Montgomery, AL $51,158

Johnstown, PA $51,147

Springfield, MO $51,100

Biloxi, MS $51,072

Sumter, SC $50,951

Columbus, GA $50,945

Twin Falls, ID $50,910

Pascagoula, MS $50,835

Kingsport, TN $50,686

Gulfport, MS $50,668

Alexandria, LA $50,478

Fort Smith, AR $50,334

El Paso, TX $50,178

Helena, MT $50,104

Las Cruces, NM $49,919

Harlingen, TX $49,758

Pocatello, ID $49,706

Florence, AL $49,689

Brownsville, TX $49,677

Dothan, AL $49,585

Mcallen, TX $49,556

Columbus, MS $49,130

Altus, OK $48,865

Lawton, OK $48,755

Pierre, SD $48,548

What Skills Can Increase an Artist's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Presentation (Mentioned in 5.22% Job Postings): 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.
Photoshop (Mentioned in 2.43% Job Postings): Photoshop is an image creation, graphic design and photo editing software developed by Adobe. It is used to demonstrate knowledge of image resolution, image size, and image file format for web, video, and print.
Sales Systems (Mentioned in 1.74% Job Postings): Tracking and containing relevant information about the sale using tools and software to organize the sales process.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Presentation	5.22%
Photoshop	2.43%
Sales Systems	1.74%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an Artist's salary.

Study Design: Can increase your salary by up to 32%.
Consulting: Can increase your salary by up to 16%.
Leadership: Can increase your salary by up to 15%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Study Design	$76,063	32%
Consulting	$66,843	16%
Leadership	$66,267	15%
Innovation	$64,538	12%
Illustration	$63,386	10%
Project Management	$62,810	9%

Get Latest Data

Artist Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how an Artist's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on January 01, 2026

$53,671

Average $57,623/year

$65,034

$4,473

Average $4,802/month

$5,420

$1,032

Average $1,108/week

$1,251

$26

Average $28/hour

$31

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$65,034	$5,420	$1,251	$31
Average	$57,623	$4,802	$1,108	$28
25th Percentile	$53,671	$4,473	$1,032	$26

Salaries of jobs related to Artist

Salary Trends for Artist

Salaries for an Artist can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $55,993 in 2023 to around $55,901 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Artist salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Artist Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$55,993

2024

$56,258

2025

$55,901

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$55,993
2024	$56,258
2025	$55,901
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Artist

Social Security

401(k)

Disability

Healthcare

Pension

Time Off (days)

For Employers

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution.

Compensation Planning

Biotechnology

the United States

Find Your Next Artist Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Artist job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

For Employees

Get a Salary Increase

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Search Job Openings

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

For Employers

Adjust Employee Salary

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Price My Industry Jobs

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

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.

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
Job and employee pricing reports
Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.

Learn about