Arts, Design & Media

Art Directors

SOC 27-1011

Own the look of a campaign, publication, or product and lead the designers under it.

The job

Median pay

$115k

$82k to $163k typical range

Outlook, 2025 to 2035

Growing fast

+4.2% projected

Openings a year

12k

BLS projection

Typical education

Bachelor's

Our model

AI displacement risk

Very high

How much of this job AI may do instead of the person

Works with AI

3/100

AI alongside the person rather than instead of them

AI exposure

86th pct

More exposed than 86% of occupations · modeled estimate · 78th pct in Microsoft's data

Future-proof

47/100

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Weigh it against Graphic DesignersPay, outlook, entry and AI exposure side by side See where it pays mostMassachusetts leads at $149k; every state is below Find careers like itOpen the map at Art Directors and explore its neighbours See open jobsArt Directors roles hiring now Learn the skillsCourses for Art Directors, who lean most on active listening Real pay & reviewsWhat Art Directors say they actually earn

Key skills

Active Listening
Speaking
Reading Comprehension
Critical Thinking
Writing
Active Learning

Pay and jobs by state

BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
California	12,430	0.7	2.0×	$138k
New York	8,720	0.9	2.6×	$137k
Illinois	2,960	0.5	1.4×	$104k
Florida	2,520	0.3	0.7×	$100k
Texas	2,480	0.2	0.5×	$88k
Massachusetts	1,850	0.5	1.5×	$149k
New Jersey	1,840	0.4	1.3×	$129k
North Carolina	1,586	0.3	0.9×	$90k~
Georgia	1,420	0.3	0.8×	$110k
Pennsylvania	1,250	0.2	0.6×	$97k

All 51 states

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
Connecticut	1,160	0.7	2.0×	$72k
Michigan	1,080	0.2	0.7×	$87k
Ohio	1,050	0.2	0.6×	$94k
Oregon	1,040	0.5	1.6×	$134k
Tennessee	930	0.3	0.8×	$90k
Minnesota	920	0.3	0.9×	$110k
Missouri	780	0.3	0.8×	$101k
Wisconsin	730	0.2	0.7×	$81k
Colorado	720	0.3	0.7×	$100k
Virginia	670	0.2	0.5×	$101k
Washington	650	0.2	0.5×	$121k
Maryland	570	0.2	0.6×	$98k
South Carolina	550	0.2	0.7×	$88k
Arizona	450	0.1	0.4×	$104k~
Kansas	419	0.3	0.8×	$60k~
Indiana	350	0.1	0.3×	$106k
Kentucky	320	0.2	0.5×	$76k
Washington DC	310	0.4	1.3×	$186k~
Nevada	290	0.2	0.6×	$98k
Oklahoma	290	0.2	0.5×	$81k
Utah	290	0.2	0.5×	$107k
Iowa	280	0.2	0.5×	$81k
Idaho	242	0.3	0.8×	$81k~
Arkansas	240	0.2	0.5×	$72k
Alabama	210	0.1	0.3×	$77k
Maine	201	0.3	0.9×	$100k~
Louisiana	160	0.1	0.2×	$84k
New Hampshire	160	0.2	0.7×	$132k
Nebraska	140	0.1	0.4×	$73k
Delaware	105	0.2	0.6×	$110k~
Montana	100	0.2	0.6×	$74k
Mississippi	90	0.1	0.2×	$66k
Rhode Island	90	0.2	0.5×	$73k
Vermont	80	0.3	0.8×	$129k
Wyoming	63	0.2	0.7×	$92k~
New Mexico	60	0.1	0.2×	$97k~
Alaska	40	0.1	0.4×	$75k
Hawaii	40	0.1	0.2×	$89k
North Dakota	30	0.1	0.2×	$83k
South Dakota	30	0.1	0.2×	$67k
West Virginia	30	0.0	0.1×	$64k

Top metro areas

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ8,980 jobs · $143k median
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA6,590 jobs · $138k median
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN2,560 jobs · $105k median
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA2,390 jobs · $165k median
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH1,550 jobs · $152k median
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX1,210 jobs · $88k median
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA1,190 jobs · $111k median
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL1,090 jobs · $103k median

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Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.