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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023

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)
10,910 8.2 % $ 34.34 $ 71,420 7.1 %

Percentile wage estimates for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 13.65 $ 18.34 $ 28.51 $ 42.64 $ 65.10
Annual Wage (2) $ 28,390 $ 38,160 $ 59,300 $ 88,690 $ 135,420


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 2,900 4.50 $ 31.82 $ 66,180
Software Publishers 690 0.11 (8) (8)
Motion Picture and Video Industries 540 0.13 $ 43.34 $ 90,140
Other Miscellaneous Retailers 470 0.09 $ 23.59 $ 49,070
Amusement Parks and Arcades 430 0.19 $ 25.45 $ 52,940

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 2,900 4.50 $ 31.82 $ 66,180
Specialized Design Services 310 0.20 $ 32.12 $ 66,810
Amusement Parks and Arcades 430 0.19 $ 25.45 $ 52,940
Performing Arts Companies 210 0.16 $ 28.16 $ 58,570
Motion Picture and Video Industries 540 0.13 $ 43.34 $ 90,140

Top paying industries for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Employment Services 190 0.01 $ 45.95 $ 95,580
Motion Picture and Video Industries 540 0.13 $ 43.34 $ 90,140
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers 170 0.06 $ 42.73 $ 88,880
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 50 0.01 $ 40.11 $ 83,430
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) 80 (7) $ 39.94 $ 83,080


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.



Map of employment of fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators by state, May 2023


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 2,570 0.14 1.99 $ 54.81 $ 114,010
Texas 1,480 0.11 1.52 $ 21.40 $ 44,510
North Carolina 640 0.13 1.87 (8) (8)
Georgia 540 0.11 1.58 $ 33.14 $ 68,940
Ohio 310 0.06 0.80 $ 21.73 $ 45,210


Map of location quotient of fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators by state, May 2023


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)
North Dakota 80 0.20 2.73 (8) (8)
California 2,570 0.14 1.99 $ 54.81 $ 114,010
North Carolina 640 0.13 1.87 (8) (8)
New Mexico 110 0.13 1.82 $ 26.97 $ 56,100
South Carolina 280 0.13 1.76 $ 28.10 $ 58,440


Map of annual mean wages of fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators by state, May 2023


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)
California 2,570 0.14 1.99 $ 54.81 $ 114,010
New York (8) (8) (8) $ 47.18 $ 98,130
Massachusetts 80 0.02 0.32 $ 38.95 $ 81,010
New Jersey 80 0.02 0.25 $ 37.81 $ 78,650
Connecticut 150 0.09 1.28 $ 33.55 $ 69,790



Map of employment of fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators by area, May 2023


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)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2,070 0.33 4.66 $ 57.44 $ 119,470
Austin-Round Rock, TX 490 0.40 5.54 (8) (8)
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 380 0.10 1.33 $ 20.32 $ 42,260
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 370 0.13 1.81 $ 33.97 $ 70,660
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 350 0.25 3.53 $ 29.85 $ 62,090
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 230 0.05 0.72 (8) (8)
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 210 0.18 2.47 $ 33.39 $ 69,460
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 180 0.09 1.19 $ 37.46 $ 77,920
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 160 0.05 0.69 $ 26.08 $ 54,240
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 130 0.16 2.19 $ 30.13 $ 62,670


Map of location quotient of fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators by area, May 2023


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)
Santa Fe, NM 60 0.93 12.90 (8) (8)
Warner Robins, GA 40 0.55 7.68 $ 31.89 $ 66,340
Austin-Round Rock, TX 490 0.40 5.54 (8) (8)
Fargo, ND-MN 60 0.40 5.54 $ 45.50 $ 94,640
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2,070 0.33 4.66 $ 57.44 $ 119,470
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 350 0.25 3.53 $ 29.85 $ 62,090
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 100 0.24 3.39 (8) (8)
Asheville, NC 50 0.23 3.18 $ 26.18 $ 54,450
Ogden-Clearfield, UT 60 0.21 2.94 $ 26.58 $ 55,290
Provo-Orem, UT 60 0.20 2.79 $ 27.30 $ 56,780


Map of annual mean wages of fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators by area, May 2023


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)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2,070 0.33 4.66 $ 57.44 $ 119,470
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA (8) (8) (8) $ 51.08 $ 106,240
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA (8) (8) (8) $ 46.25 $ 96,190
Fargo, ND-MN 60 0.40 5.54 $ 45.50 $ 94,640
Charleston-North Charleston, SC 60 0.17 2.38 $ 44.56 $ 92,670
Santa Rosa, CA 30 0.16 2.21 $ 39.49 $ 82,140
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 80 0.05 0.73 $ 37.57 $ 78,140
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 180 0.09 1.19 $ 37.46 $ 77,920
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 70 0.03 0.35 $ 35.34 $ 73,520
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 370 0.13 1.81 $ 33.97 $ 70,660

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 50 0.22 3.11 $ 19.00 $ 39,520
Central East New York nonmetropolitan area 40 0.23 3.17 $ 29.79 $ 61,960

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Central East New York nonmetropolitan area 40 0.23 3.17 $ 29.79 $ 61,960
Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 50 0.22 3.11 $ 19.00 $ 39,520

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Central East New York nonmetropolitan area 40 0.23 3.17 $ 29.79 $ 61,960
Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 50 0.22 3.11 $ 19.00 $ 39,520


About May 2023 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 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024