Visual artist earnings span a wide range in the United States. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported a $71,420 mean annual wage for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators, in May 2023. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) reported median 2022 earnings of $51,800 for full-time employed fine artists and $14,030 for part-time employed fine artists. Together, these measures show why “artist earnings” depends heavily on the population and employment measure being used.
Table of contents
- National fine-artist wage distribution
- Earnings by industry
- Earnings by state
- Earnings by metropolitan area
- Current craft-and-fine-artist benchmarks
- Work schedule and education
National fine-artist wage distribution
The BLS May 2023 wage distribution makes the spread especially clear. The 10th-percentile annual wage for U.S. fine artists was $28,390, while the 25th-percentile wage was $38,160. The median was $59,300, meaning half of workers in the BLS occupation were below that figure and half were above it. At the upper end, the 75th-percentile wage was $88,690 and the 90th-percentile wage was $135,420.
The same BLS profile listed a $71,420 mean annual wage. The mean is higher than the median in this distribution, which is consistent with higher wages among workers near the top of the range pulling the average upward. These are annual wage estimates for the fine-artist occupation in May 2023; they are not a guaranteed income for every independent visual artist or a measure of sales from artwork alone. The source is the BLS Occupational Employment and Wages profile for fine artists.
| May 2023 U.S. fine-artist measure | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $28,390 |
| 25th percentile | $38,160 |
| Median | $59,300 |
| Mean | $71,420 |
| 75th percentile | $88,690 |
| 90th percentile | $135,420 |
For readers building a creative life around visual work, the practical point is that a single “average artist salary” can conceal a large distribution. A wage near the lower percentiles and a wage near the upper percentiles describe very different working realities, even though both appear in the same occupational category.
Earnings by industry
The BLS May 2023 data also show substantial differences across industries employing fine artists. The highest listed industry wage in the fine-artist profile was $95,580 for employment services. Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers reported a mean annual wage of $88,880. Fine artists in aerospace product and parts manufacturing had a mean of $83,430, while the federal, state, and local government category excluding schools, hospitals, and the Postal Service reported $83,080.
Other industry figures were closer to or below the national fine-artist mean. Specialized design services reported $66,810, and independent artists, writers, and performers reported $66,180. Performing arts companies reported $58,570. Fine artists in amusement parks and arcades had a mean annual wage of $52,940, while other miscellaneous retailers reported $49,070.
These figures are industry-specific means for May 2023, not rankings of artistic quality or measures of the price of an individual artwork. They describe the average annual wage associated with fine artists in each listed industry. Industry choice can therefore be an important part of the financial structure around creative practice.
Earnings by state
State-level BLS figures for May 2023 show high mean annual wages in several large creative and cultural markets. California fine artists had a mean annual wage of $114,010, followed by New York at $98,130. Massachusetts reported $81,010, New Jersey $78,650, and Connecticut $69,790.
| State | Mean annual wage, May 2023 |
|---|---|
| California | $114,010 |
| New York | $98,130 |
| Massachusetts | $81,010 |
| New Jersey | $78,650 |
| Connecticut | $69,790 |
The state statistics should be read as geographic wage estimates for the BLS fine-artist occupation. They do not establish that every artist in a state earns the listed amount, nor do they isolate gallery sales, commissions, grants, teaching, licensing, or other possible income streams. The same source and measurement period apply across this comparison: the BLS May 2023 fine-artist profile.
Earnings by metropolitan area
Metropolitan-area results provide a more localized view of the May 2023 BLS estimates. Fine artists in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metropolitan area had a mean annual wage of $119,470. The New York-Newark-Jersey City area reported $106,240, while San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward reported $96,190.
The list also includes smaller or less commonly cited labor markets. Fargo, North Dakota-Minnesota reported a mean annual wage of $94,640, and Charleston-North Charleston reported $92,670. Santa Rosa, California reported $82,140, San Diego-Carlsbad $78,140, and Boston-Cambridge-Nashua $73,520.
| Metropolitan area | Mean annual wage, May 2023 |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $119,470 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $106,240 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward | $96,190 |
| Fargo, North Dakota-Minnesota | $94,640 |
| Charleston-North Charleston | $92,670 |
| Santa Rosa, California | $82,140 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad | $78,140 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua | $73,520 |
Metropolitan estimates can differ from state estimates because they describe particular local labor markets and use a different geographic grouping. They are still occupation-level wage figures, rather than a direct forecast of an individual artist’s yearly revenue.
Current craft-and-fine-artist benchmarks
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook provides a newer benchmark for the broader craft-and-fine-artist group. In May 2025, the median annual wage for U.S. craft and fine artists was $55,290. The lowest-paid 10 percent earned less than $31,490 annually, while the highest-paid 10 percent earned more than $131,810. These are May 2025 figures and should not be treated as the same series as the detailed fine-artist wage distribution from May 2023.
Within the May 2025 craft-and-fine-artist figures, the median annual wage was $55,490 for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators, and $46,080 for craft artists. The separate category of artists and related workers, all other, had a median of $71,240.
Industry medians in the same BLS source varied widely. Craft and fine artists in motion picture and sound recording industries had a median annual wage of $132,950. The federal government excluding the Postal Service reported $115,150. By comparison, independent artists, writers, and performers had a median of $49,100, and personal care services had a median of $38,790.
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Craft and Fine Artists identifies these as May 2025 pay benchmarks. The broader occupation, the median rather than mean measure, and the newer date are important when comparing them with the May 2023 BLS profile.
Work schedule and education
The NEA’s 2022 indicator adds context that wage tables alone cannot show: whether an artist works full time or part time. In 2022, 37 percent of employed artists worked part time, compared with 27 percent of all employed workers. Median annual earnings for full-time employed fine artists were $51,800, while the median for part-time employed fine artists was $14,030.
Education-level figures in the same NEA report show different earnings patterns among full-time employed artists. Artists with some college had median annual earnings of $53,250, compared with $46,750 for other cultural workers and $49,730 for workers overall with some college. Artists with an associate degree had median earnings of $57,160, while other cultural workers with an associate degree had median earnings of $46,820.
Among full-time employed artists with a master’s degree or higher, median annual earnings were $82,830 in 2022. The comparable median was $95,890 for workers overall with a master’s degree or higher. For part-time employed artists with a master’s degree or higher, median annual earnings were $25,760; the corresponding figures were $23,730 for other cultural workers and $40,650 for workers overall.
These schedule and education figures come from the NEA report Measuring the Arts: Indicator A.7, What Are the Earnings for Artists and Other Cultural Workers?. They measure 2022 median annual earnings and distinguish artists, other cultural workers, and workers overall. That distinction matters when using the numbers to think about sustainable creative work, especially where part-time employment is common.