Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
27-1013 Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media and techniques.
National estimates for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
Industry profile for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
Geographic profile for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
National estimates for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 9,430 |
11.9 % |
$ 33.18 |
$ 69,010 |
7.8 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 9.34 |
$ 17.94 |
$ 29.24 |
$ 46.44 |
$ 60.54 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 19,430 |
$ 37,310 |
$ 60,820 |
$ 96,580 |
$ 125,930 |
Industry profile for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers |
2,440 |
5.40 |
$ 29.69 |
$ 61,760 |
| Motion Picture and Video Industries |
1,000 |
0.32 |
$ 40.51 |
$ 84,260 |
| Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services |
390 |
0.09 |
$ 35.20 |
$ 73,220 |
| Specialized Design Services |
360 |
0.27 |
$ 34.88 |
$ 72,550 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
290 |
0.01 |
$ 32.93 |
$ 68,500 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers |
2,440 |
5.40 |
$ 29.69 |
$ 61,760 |
| Motion Picture and Video Industries |
1,000 |
0.32 |
$ 40.51 |
$ 84,260 |
| Specialized Design Services |
360 |
0.27 |
$ 34.88 |
$ 72,550 |
| Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing |
250 |
0.09 |
$ 21.28 |
$ 44,260 |
| Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services |
390 |
0.09 |
$ 35.20 |
$ 73,220 |
Top paying industries for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:
Geographic profile for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
1,280 |
0.08 |
1.16 |
$ 31.57 |
$ 65,660 |
| Texas |
930 |
0.08 |
1.14 |
$ 13.10 |
$ 27,250 |
| Georgia |
650 |
0.15 |
2.22 |
$ 30.52 |
$ 63,480 |
| Florida |
400 |
0.05 |
0.70 |
$ 26.51 |
$ 55,150 |
| Ohio |
380 |
0.07 |
1.09 |
$ 19.82 |
$ 41,230 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Georgia |
650 |
0.15 |
2.22 |
$ 30.52 |
$ 63,480 |
| Utah |
160 |
0.10 |
1.53 |
$ 31.28 |
$ 65,050 |
| Louisiana |
180 |
0.10 |
1.49 |
$ 18.42 |
$ 38,310 |
| Washington |
270 |
0.09 |
1.28 |
$ 32.21 |
$ 67,000 |
| Idaho |
60 |
0.08 |
1.21 |
(8) |
(8) |
Top paying states for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 57.94 |
$ 120,510 |
| Connecticut |
60 |
0.04 |
0.58 |
$ 51.51 |
$ 107,140 |
| New Jersey |
190 |
0.05 |
0.73 |
$ 39.34 |
$ 81,830 |
| Minnesota |
90 |
0.03 |
0.48 |
$ 35.01 |
$ 72,820 |
| Oregon |
100 |
0.05 |
0.82 |
$ 33.40 |
$ 69,470 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
2,110 |
0.24 |
3.63 |
$ 58.29 |
$ 121,240 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
510 |
0.20 |
2.94 |
$ 31.92 |
$ 66,390 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
210 |
0.08 |
1.21 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
210 |
0.08 |
1.23 |
$ 30.46 |
$ 63,350 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
210 |
0.11 |
1.60 |
$ 34.80 |
$ 72,370 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
160 |
0.07 |
1.09 |
$ 34.69 |
$ 72,140 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
120 |
0.03 |
0.42 |
$ 29.41 |
$ 61,180 |
| Columbus, OH |
80 |
0.08 |
1.20 |
$ 22.38 |
$ 46,550 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA |
80 |
0.16 |
2.35 |
$ 17.32 |
$ 36,020 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
70 |
0.04 |
0.59 |
$ 35.21 |
$ 73,230 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Provo-Orem, UT |
70 |
0.26 |
3.90 |
$ 30.47 |
$ 63,380 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
2,110 |
0.24 |
3.63 |
$ 58.29 |
$ 121,240 |
| Asheville, NC |
40 |
0.20 |
3.03 |
$ 13.52 |
$ 28,110 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
510 |
0.20 |
2.94 |
$ 31.92 |
$ 66,390 |
| Savannah, GA |
30 |
0.17 |
2.53 |
$ 23.42 |
$ 48,720 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA |
80 |
0.16 |
2.35 |
$ 17.32 |
$ 36,020 |
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC |
50 |
0.13 |
1.98 |
$ 47.59 |
$ 98,990 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT |
40 |
0.12 |
1.76 |
$ 57.20 |
$ 118,980 |
| Boise City, ID |
40 |
0.11 |
1.64 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
210 |
0.11 |
1.60 |
$ 34.80 |
$ 72,370 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
2,110 |
0.24 |
3.63 |
$ 58.29 |
$ 121,240 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT |
40 |
0.12 |
1.76 |
$ 57.20 |
$ 118,980 |
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC |
50 |
0.13 |
1.98 |
$ 47.59 |
$ 98,990 |
| Salt Lake City, UT |
50 |
0.06 |
0.91 |
$ 36.81 |
$ 76,560 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
70 |
0.04 |
0.59 |
$ 35.21 |
$ 73,230 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
210 |
0.11 |
1.60 |
$ 34.80 |
$ 72,370 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
160 |
0.07 |
1.09 |
$ 34.69 |
$ 72,140 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 33.74 |
$ 70,170 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 32.06 |
$ 66,690 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
510 |
0.20 |
2.94 |
$ 31.92 |
$ 66,390 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:
About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
