Creative Art Director Salaries in California
How Much Does a Creative Art Director Make in California?
Updated April 01, 2025
As of April 01, 2025,
the average annual pay of Creative Art Director in California is $164,915.
While Salary.com is seeing that Creative Art Director salary in CA can go up to $212,481
or down to $116,508, but most earn between $139,577 and $189,813.
Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors,
including education, certifications, additional skills, and your experience levels.
With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.
Related Job Titles to Creative Art Director
Facing Salary Structure Challenges? Let Our Expert Guide You
The job market is increasingly challenging. Our whitepaper, Navigating the Challenges of Creating Salary Structures, offers guidance on creating salary structures. Provide your phone number and work email to download the full version.
We will handle your contact details in line with our Privacy Policy.
If you prefer not to receive marketing emails from Salary.com, you can opt-out out of marketing communications at any time by clicking unsubscribe.
Choose a prefer time
Choose Your Preferred Time
All times are listed as US Eastern time (Boston/New York)
-
9:00 AM-9:30 AM
-
9:30 AM-10:00 AM
-
10:00 AM-10:30 AM
-
10:30 AM-11:00 AM
-
11:00 AM-11:30 AM
-
11:30 AM-12:00 PM
-
12:00 PM-12:30 PM
-
12:30 PM-1:00 PM
-
1:00 PM-1:30 PM
-
1:30 PM-2:00 PM
-
2:00 PM-2:30 PM
-
2:30 PM-3:00 PM
-
3:00 PM-3:30 PM
-
3:30 PM-4:00 PM
-
4:00 PM-4:30 PM
-
4:30 PM-5:00 PM
-
5:00 PM-5:30 PM
-
5:30 PM-6:00 PM
-
6:00 PM-6:30 PM
-
6:30 PM-7:00 PM
-
7:00 PM-7:30 PM
-
7:30 PM-8:00 PM
Similar Job Salaries to Creative Art Director by Company
Loading results...
| Company | average base salary in (usd) | range |
|---|---|---|
|
LinkedIn
Creative Director - Art Director
|
$198,897/yr
|
RANGE: $165,688 - $232,105
|
|
dentsu
Creative Director (Art), Performance Creative
|
$197,598/yr
|
RANGE: $165,410 - $229,786
|
|
Daniel J Edelman Holdings
Associate Creative Director, Art
|
$171,427/yr
|
RANGE: $143,300 - $199,554
|
|
Assembly Media, Inc
Associate Creative Director, Art
|
$175,258/yr
|
RANGE: $146,709 - $203,807
|
|
H/L Agency
Creative Video Art Director
|
$147,710/yr
|
RANGE: $123,079 - $172,340
|
|
Jellyfish
Creative Director (Art Background)
|
$144,277/yr
|
RANGE: $119,310 - $169,245
|
Top 10 Highest Paying Cities For Creative Art Director Jobs in California
It is important to understand how location impacts your career prospects in the United States.
There are some cities where a Creative Art Director can find a job easily with a greater salary paid then achieve a higher standard of living.
Below is the top cities list for Creative Art Director job salaries in California.
Some cities can pay higher salaries for Creative Art Director jobs, which can indicate that there is a large demand for Creative Art Director positions in this city.
The following table shows top 10 cities where the Creative Art Director salary is higher than other cities in California.
San Jose takes first place in this list, followed by Santa Clara, Fremont.
The Creative Art Director salary is $188,584 in San Jose,
which is higher than the national average. There are 76 cities' Creative Art Director salary higher than national average in California.
The average salary for a Creative Art Director in California is $164,915,
but we found that the city with the highest salary for Creative Art Director jobs is San Jose, CA, and it is higher than Santa Clara.
Creative Art Director jobs in San Jose can have the opportunity to earn higher salaries than in other cities in California.
| CITY | ANNUAL SALARY | MONTHLY PAY | WEEKLY PAY | HOURLY WAGE |
| San Jose | $188,584 | $15,715 | $3,627 | $91 |
| Santa Clara | $188,584 | $15,715 | $3,627 | $91 |
| Fremont | $188,225 | $15,685 | $3,620 | $90 |
| San Francisco | $186,730 | $15,561 | $3,591 | $90 |
| Daly City | $186,730 | $15,561 | $3,591 | $90 |
| Berkeley | $182,588 | $15,216 | $3,511 | $88 |
| Oakland | $182,588 | $15,216 | $3,511 | $88 |
| Hayward | $182,289 | $15,191 | $3,506 | $88 |
| Antioch | $172,271 | $14,356 | $3,313 | $83 |
| Vallejo | $168,205 | $14,017 | $3,235 | $81 |
What Does a Creative Art Director Do?
“Creative direction and art direction at small agencies will typically have a significant amount of overlap, if not being just one combination position,” says Brian Smith, creative director at.
Updated December 12, 2021
They sweat the smaller stuff that a creative director likely doesn’t have time for, such as color choices, fonts, kerning and spacing, and even creating the actual appearance of the finished product.
Updated December 07, 2021
In smaller companies like Startups the Creative Director manages product design, creative strategy, communication and art direction.
Updated November 13, 2021
Employers often hire art directors with a bachelor's degree in areas such as graphic design, web design, art or animation.
Updated November 11, 2021
When comparing the roles of creative director vs art director, there are a number of key differences and similarities:.
Updated October 22, 2021
Empower Your Talent Strategy with Salary.com's Skills Library.
Struggling with Managing Your Job Descriptions?
View Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles, 18 Industries, and 26 Job Families.
Skills LibraryOur job description management tool- JobArchitect streamlines your job description process. Say goodbye to the hassle of crafting job descriptions.
Explore JobArchitectFrequently Asked Questions About a Creative Art Director Salaries
What is the average of a Creative Art Director in California?
The Creative Art Director salary range is from $139,577 to $189,813, and the average Creative Art Director salary is $164,915/year in California.
The Creative Art Director's salary will change in different locations.
Which location pays the highest Creative Art Director salary in the United States?
The Creative Art Director salary in San Jose, CA is $188,584
which is the highest in the US.
What kinds of reasons will influence the Creative Art Director's salary?
Besides the location, employees' education degree, related skills, and work experience also will influence the salary.
Try to improve your skills and experience to get a higher salary for the position of Creative Art Director.
What is the growth rate of the Creative Art Director's salary?
If you are thinking of becoming a Creative Art Director or planning the next step in your career, find the detailed salary report of a Creative Art Director.
