Pay by state · 47 states
Art Director Salary by State (2026)
Art Directors earn the most in Massachusetts at $149,320 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $57,580 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $114,850. All 47 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $149,320Massachusetts
- National median
- $114,850BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $57,580Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 47of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Art Director salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of art directors OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MAMassachusetts | $149,320 | $101,290 | $169,710 | 1,850 | $141,192 |
| 2 | CACalifornia | $137,780 | $106,470 | $192,380 | 12,430 | $124,440 |
| 3 | NYNew York | $137,320 | $105,750 | $198,330 | 8,720 | $127,241 |
| 4 | OROregon | $133,840 | $103,310 | $185,240 | 1,040 | $129,488 |
| 5 | NHNew Hampshire | $132,000 | $83,020 | $134,520 | 160 | $126,722 |
| 6 | VTVermont | $129,260 | $96,270 | $153,890 | 80 | $131,955 |
| 7 | NJNew Jersey | $129,200 | $101,450 | $163,540 | 1,840 | $118,745 |
| 8 | WAWashington | $121,170 | $82,790 | $157,140 | 650 | $113,229 |
| 9 | GAGeorgia | $110,430 | $52,900 | $157,750 | 1,420 | $114,681 |
| 10 | MNMinnesota | $109,700 | $89,380 | $134,990 | 920 | $111,234 |
| 11 | UTUtah | $106,500 | $75,900 | $132,130 | 290 | $107,724 |
| 12 | INIndiana | $105,690 | $82,960 | $141,460 | 350 | $113,245 |
| 13 | ILIllinois | $103,550 | $79,820 | $134,680 | 2,960 | $103,594 |
| 14 | VAVirginia | $101,150 | $83,480 | $125,120 | 670 | $100,045 |
| 15 | MOMissouri | $100,940 | $79,030 | $126,360 | 780 | $111,147 |
| 16 | MEMaine | $100,300 | $70,470 | $138,120 | N/A | $103,349 |
| 17 | COColorado | $99,990 | $81,910 | $123,570 | 720 | $97,029 |
| 18 | FLFlorida | $99,660 | $73,680 | $126,200 | 2,520 | $96,370 |
| 19 | MDMaryland | $98,400 | $80,470 | $125,440 | 570 | $93,751 |
| 20 | NVNevada | $98,070 | $70,130 | $128,170 | 290 | $98,091 |
| 21 | PAPennsylvania | $97,450 | $76,670 | $113,610 | 1,250 | $99,875 |
| 22 | OHOhio | $94,390 | $77,570 | $120,430 | 1,050 | $101,742 |
| 23 | NCNorth Carolina | $90,000 | $82,340 | $99,690 | N/A | $95,414 |
| 24 | TNTennessee | $89,860 | $71,590 | $125,590 | 930 | $97,812 |
| 25 | HIHawaii | $89,300 | $63,090 | $108,780 | 40 | $81,218 |
| 26 | TXTexas | $88,270 | $75,510 | $108,320 | 2,480 | $90,947 |
| 27 | SCSouth Carolina | $87,990 | $80,090 | $129,040 | 550 | $93,857 |
| 28 | MIMichigan | $86,660 | $65,000 | $121,620 | 1,080 | $90,067 |
| 29 | LALouisiana | $83,640 | $70,720 | $103,800 | 160 | $94,822 |
| 30 | NDNorth Dakota | $83,170 | $78,740 | $95,260 | 30 | $93,493 |
| 31 | WIWisconsin | $81,130 | $66,240 | $106,260 | 730 | $86,221 |
| 32 | IAIowa | $80,940 | $70,770 | $106,910 | 280 | $92,227 |
| 33 | IDIdaho | $80,680 | $78,680 | $80,680 | N/A | $84,487 |
| 34 | OKOklahoma | $80,680 | $73,900 | $99,990 | 290 | $91,846 |
| 35 | ALAlabama | $77,220 | $66,190 | $98,240 | 210 | $86,937 |
| 36 | KYKentucky | $76,160 | $59,530 | $98,320 | 320 | $84,473 |
| 37 | AKAlaska | $75,200 | $67,230 | $94,250 | 40 | $73,467 |
| 38 | MTMontana | $73,850 | $51,030 | $83,920 | 100 | $78,028 |
| 39 | NENebraska | $73,270 | $60,130 | $90,650 | 140 | $81,318 |
| 40 | RIRhode Island | $72,550 | $66,250 | $107,810 | 90 | $70,933 |
| 41 | ARArkansas | $71,930 | $62,060 | $82,070 | 240 | $82,738 |
| 42 | CTConnecticut | $71,900 | $69,990 | $130,280 | 1,160 | $69,395 |
| 43 | SDSouth Dakota | $66,610 | $61,060 | $74,660 | 30 | $75,192 |
| 44 | MSMississippi | $66,020 | $53,790 | $87,920 | 90 | $75,926 |
| 45 | WVWest Virginia | $63,550 | $53,150 | $82,490 | 30 | $71,008 |
| 46 | KSKansas | $60,460 | $57,990 | $96,120 | N/A | $67,127 |
| 47 | PRPuerto Rico | $57,580 | $46,490 | $64,290 | 80 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Art Directors, that changes the ranking: Massachusetts leads on raw pay at $149,320, while Massachusetts leads once prices are taken into account at $141,192.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Art Director pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Art Directors the most?
Massachusetts reports the highest median wage for Art Directors at $149,320 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by California ($137,780) and New York ($137,320).
Which state pays Art Directors the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Art Directors at $57,580 a year, $91,740 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Art Directors earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Massachusetts first at $141,192 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $149,320. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.