Healthcare Practitioners
Art Therapists
SOC 29-9179
Use visual art-making as a therapeutic process with mental health clients.
The job
Median pay
$78k
$59k to $106k typical range
BLS figure for Therapists, All Other
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+13% projected
BLS figure for Therapists, All Other
Openings a year
4k
BLS figure for Therapists, All Other
Typical education
Master's plus license
Our model
AI exposure
Not measured
No task data or O*NET work context for this role, so it is not ranked
Future-proof
72/100
Key skills
- Art methods
- Therapy
- Assessment
- Empathy
- Documentation
Pay and jobs by state: Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations (group)
Group figures. BLS reports no numbers for Art Therapists on its own; this is the group it belongs to. 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.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 990,550 | 54.4 | 0.9× | $123k |
| Texas | 802,150 | 57.0 | 0.9× | $83k |
| Florida | 667,930 | 67.3 | 1.1× | $81k |
| New York | 617,600 | 63.7 | 1.0× | $104k |
| Pennsylvania | 437,740 | 72.2 | 1.1× | $82k |
| Ohio | 409,590 | 73.8 | 1.2× | $81k |
| Illinois | 378,880 | 62.1 | 1.0× | $85k |
| North Carolina | 327,500 | 66.3 | 1.1× | $81k |
| Georgia | 305,500 | 62.5 | 1.0× | $84k |
| Michigan | 294,910 | 67.0 | 1.1× | $84k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 284,830 | 66.5 | 1.1× | $103k |
| Massachusetts | 250,740 | 68.9 | 1.1× | $100k |
| Virginia | 230,590 | 56.1 | 0.9× | $87k |
| Tennessee | 218,160 | 66.5 | 1.1× | $79k |
| Indiana | 211,490 | 66.1 | 1.1× | $81k |
| Arizona | 210,400 | 64.9 | 1.0× | $93k |
| Missouri | 208,140 | 70.9 | 1.1× | $79k |
| Minnesota | 196,480 | 66.6 | 1.1× | $99k |
| Washington | 192,470 | 54.2 | 0.9× | $109k |
| Wisconsin | 189,800 | 64.5 | 1.0× | $86k |
| Maryland | 172,320 | 62.4 | 1.0× | $99k |
| Colorado | 154,720 | 53.8 | 0.8× | $98k |
| Louisiana | 147,700 | 76.3 | 1.2× | $74k |
| South Carolina | 146,120 | 63.4 | 1.0× | $80k |
| Alabama | 145,300 | 68.7 | 1.1× | $67k |
| Kentucky | 141,040 | 70.5 | 1.1× | $79k |
| Connecticut | 118,720 | 70.0 | 1.1× | $100k |
| Oklahoma | 113,620 | 66.5 | 1.1× | $79k |
| Oregon | 108,210 | 55.0 | 0.9× | $118k |
| Kansas | 97,480 | 67.8 | 1.1× | $78k |
| Arkansas | 92,160 | 70.7 | 1.1× | $75k |
| Iowa | 92,100 | 59.1 | 0.9× | $78k |
| Utah | 87,620 | 50.5 | 0.8× | $82k |
| Mississippi | 86,090 | 74.0 | 1.2× | $67k |
| Nevada | 76,300 | 49.2 | 0.8× | $96k |
| Nebraska | 68,630 | 67.0 | 1.1× | $82k |
| West Virginia | 64,450 | 91.9 | 1.4× | $77k |
| New Mexico | 52,060 | 59.8 | 0.9× | $86k |
| Idaho | 51,500 | 60.1 | 0.9× | $84k |
| New Hampshire | 45,550 | 66.7 | 1.1× | $96k |
| Maine | 45,100 | 70.4 | 1.1× | $87k |
| Delaware | 36,200 | 74.7 | 1.2× | $97k |
| Hawaii | 35,830 | 57.1 | 0.9× | $106k |
| South Dakota | 35,450 | 77.5 | 1.2× | $78k |
| Rhode Island | 33,680 | 67.2 | 1.1× | $97k |
| Montana | 32,120 | 62.8 | 1.0× | $82k |
| North Dakota | 30,480 | 71.0 | 1.1× | $80k |
| Washington DC | 29,790 | 42.4 | 0.7× | $100k |
| Vermont | 21,730 | 71.5 | 1.1× | $87k |
| Alaska | 21,500 | 66.0 | 1.1× | $106k |
| Wyoming | 14,810 | 52.8 | 0.8× | $83k |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ603,870 jobs · $109k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA339,340 jobs · $110k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN279,160 jobs · $91k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX231,020 jobs · $94k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD213,800 jobs · $96k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX188,810 jobs · $89k median
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH184,840 jobs · $102k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL182,360 jobs · $84k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Art Therapists interactively →BLS does not publish this occupation on its own. Pay and outlook here are BLS's figures for Therapists, All Other (SOC 29-1129), the occupation it is grouped with, so the real figures for this job could sit either side of them. Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.