Art directors
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Art directors in the United States earn a median salary of $114,850 per year — about $55 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 135K people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of +4%.
AI & Automation Risk
Art directors work in a fundamentally digital domain where AI is rapidly advancing in image generation, layout design, and video synthesis. While the role requires high-level human judgment, leadership, and client communication, the core work product can be heavily augmented or automated by AI, significantly increasing productivity and potentially reducing the number of directors needed to oversee creative projects.
Salary by City — What You Actually Take Home
Real purchasing power = salary adjusted for cost of living. Higher = more money in your pocket.
| City | Local Salary | Cost of Living | Real Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington-South Burlington, VTBEST VALUE | $153,890 | Average (100.8) | $152,740 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $170,140 | Above avg (113.1) | $150,488 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $165,210 | Above avg (117.6) | $140,543 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $151,820 | Above avg (110.4) | $137,527 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $145,410 | Above avg (106.7) | $136,261 |
| Waterbury-Shelton, CT | $133,680 | Average (101.0) | $132,383 |
| Worcester, MA | $131,240 | Average (103.0) | $127,440 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $142,990 | Above avg (112.6) | $126,939 |
| Syracuse, NY | $118,560 | Below avg (95.7) | $123,865 |
| Savannah, GA | $117,650 | Below avg (95.9) | $122,670 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $137,560 | Above avg (114.7) | $119,879 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $121,540 | Average (102.4) | $118,671 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | $112,050 | Average (97.3) | $115,150 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $123,420 | Above avg (107.6) | $114,737 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | $103,120 | Below avg (90.0) | $114,596 |