National Salary Info » Highest Paying States for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators

Highest-paying States for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators

The highest-paying states for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $110,970, New York is the highest paying state for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators. It is followed by Washington (average annual salary $85,440). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators in a specific state, use the links in the table.

Table 1. Highest-paying States for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators (2022 Survey)

Rank	State	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	New York	$110,970	$54,520	1,770
2	Washington	$85,440	$55,600	580
3	Massachusetts	$75,820	$31,980	170
4	Illinois	$73,540	$50,140	260
5	California	$71,880	$47,090	1,280
6	Minnesota	$71,600	$38,490	110
7	New Jersey	$66,650	$46,650	150
8	Maryland	$64,520	$31,790	50
9	Oregon	$59,350	$45,840	150
10	Georgia	$56,360	$36,980	430
11	Kansas	$53,500	$29,050	40
12	Arizona	$52,220	$28,190	70
13	Oklahoma	$52,000	$31,070	50
14	North Carolina	$51,220	$36,210	210
15	Vermont	$51,180	$31,510	60
16	Indiana	$50,270	$38,830	40
17	New Mexico	$50,110	$23,920	140
18	Virginia	$49,030	$29,630	110
19	Nevada	$49,010	$37,380	0
20	Maine	$48,110	$25,690	40
21	Wisconsin	$46,650	$29,530	270
22	Hawaii	$46,260	$23,540	70
23	Iowa	$46,090	$24,660	50
24	Ohio	$45,500	$22,270	440
25	Alabama	$43,190	$37,080	30
26	Utah	$42,950	$35,350	200
27	Connecticut	$41,600	$41,250	80
28	Colorado	$41,560	$27,490	150
29	Florida	$41,270	$27,490	1,200
30	Texas	$40,130	$21,990	1,320
31	Nebraska	$39,740	$24,190	50
32	Alaska	$37,540	$24,750	0
33	Michigan	$37,380	$29,300	140
34	Pennsylvania	$37,220	$25,290	100
35	Puerto Rico	$35,900	$23,080	50
36	New Hampshire	$35,330	$29,810	160
37	Tennessee	$35,040	$29,130	100
38	Montana	$34,110	$19,520	90
39	South Carolina	$31,950	$28,440	180
40	Kentucky	$27,490	$21,990	120
41	Louisiana	$25,770	$20,090	170
42	Mississippi	$23,470	$19,890	30
43	Missouri	$23,190	$23,190	280
44	Arkansas	$19,590	$18,360	90
45	West Virginia	$18,000	$15,690	30

Note: some states are missing from this table because the median salary information of fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators in those states is not available at this time.