Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Long-term incentive is not shown for this role. Equity awards are only disclosed publicly for the named executive officers of public companies, so no market figure exists for most jobs. See executive pay disclosures.
Typical experience: 12 to 18 years at the Director level, per widely used corporate career-level norms (Radford, Mercer, and SHRM career-level frameworks). Actual expectations vary by function, industry, and company size.
Work with creative directors to develop design solutions.
Present final layouts to clients for approval.
Manage own accounts and projects, working within budget and scheduling requirements.
Confer with creative, art, copywriting, or production department heads to discuss client requirements and presentation concepts and to coordinate creative activities.
Confer with clients to determine objectives, budget, background information, and presentation approaches, styles, and techniques.
Top skills:SpeakingActive ListeningReading ComprehensionJudgment and Decision MakingCritical ThinkingTime Management
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Art Director pay by experience level
Entry level$67,000
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$85,500
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$119,000
Mid-career median pay
Senior$168,500
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$220,500
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+4.2%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
12,300
projected openings per year
Growing about as fast as average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Art Director salary by industry
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
27,420 workers
$131,000
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services
16,040 workers
$137,000
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
4,550 workers
$118,000
Publishing Industries
3,860 workers
$131,500
Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries
3,260 workers
$164,500
Management of Companies and Enterprises
3,240 workers
$160,000
Management of Companies and Enterprises
3,240 workers
$160,000
Motion Picture and Video Industries
3,080 workers
$167,000
Specialized Design Services
3,070 workers
$113,500
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers
2,770 workers
$117,000
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
Pay trend
National median annual wage, 2020 to 2025: $97,270 to $114,850.
+18.1% over this period
Medians as published each May in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national estimates. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS.
Pay by experience level
How annual pay for this occupation spreads from newcomers to the highest paid, aged to 2026.
Entry10th percentile
$67,000
Early career25th percentile
$85,500
Median50th percentile
$119,000
Experienced75th percentile
$168,500
Top earners90th percentile
$220,500
Bands are the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages for this occupation nationally. Percentiles reflect the full mix of tenure, employer, and location, so they approximate but do not equal years of experience. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates.
Where this job pays most
Top-paying states for this occupation, average annual wage aged to 2026.
State averages for this occupation from the BLS OEWS state estimates. Cost of living differs by state; a higher wage does not always mean more buying power.
The abilities employers and analysts most associate with this occupation.
SpeakingActive ListeningReading ComprehensionJudgment and Decision MakingCritical ThinkingTime Management
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET occupational database.
Typical duties and FLSA status
Core duties
Work with creative directors to develop design solutions.
Present final layouts to clients for approval.
Manage own accounts and projects, working within budget and scheduling requirements.
Confer with creative, art, copywriting, or production department heads to discuss client requirements and presentation concepts and to coordinate creative activities.
Confer with clients to determine objectives, budget, background information, and presentation approaches, styles, and techniques.
FLSA classification (typical)
Typically Exempt · Executive exemption
Managerial roles at this level typically qualify for the Executive exemption because they customarily direct the work of two or more full-time employees and have authority over hiring, firing, or promotion decisions. Actual classification depends on the specific job duties, salary basis, and any applicable state or local rules. The current federal salary threshold for exemption is $684 per week ($35,568 per year), per the 2020 Department of Labor rule; the 2024 rule that would have raised the threshold was struck down by federal court in November 2024.
Pay outlook
Five-year pay outlook for this title
2026$134,000
2027$138,500
2028$143,500
2029$148,500
2030$154,000
2031$159,000
Projection assumes market wages keep rising about 3.5% a year, consistent with recent wage growth measured by the BLS Employment Cost Index. It reflects market movement for the title, not individual raises or promotions, which vary.
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Sources and assumptions
Modeled market estimate, aged to 2026. Underlying source families are BLS OEWS May 2025 for BLS-mapped occupations and the 2018–19 collection for corporate titles. Annual aging is compounded at approximately 3–4%; geographic, industry and company-size repricing are modeled. See the role details and methodology for the applicable source and assumptions.
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Related occupations from O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Art Director make?
The average base salary for a Art Director in the United States is $134,000 per year, or about $64.42 per hour.
What is the typical salary range?
Pay typically falls between $85,500 and $168,500 per year (25th to 75th percentile) depending on experience, location, industry, and organization size.
How does this compare with other Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media roles?
The Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media job family averages $88,500 across 45 roles tracked by WePayFairly.
Need a defensible market price for this role? WePayFairly data is compiled from published survey sources and maintained by compensation professionals.
Need Art Director pay benchmarked for your organization, or defensible compensation analysis for a dispute or valuation? Grahall builds it from primary sources, backed by an expert who testifies.
