Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

Art Directors Salary in the United States

DOL-verified data from 3,731 government filings, with BLS survey comparison.

DOL Median Salary
$102,325
BLS median: $111,040
DOL Median Salary
$102,325
From 3,731 DOL filings
BLS Median Salary
$111,040
BLS OEWS 2024 survey
Total Employers
1,599
Companies with DOL filings
Total Employment
50,370
Estimated US workers (BLS)

DOL Filings vs BLS Survey

What Employers File with DOL

$102,325
DOL-Filed Salary Range
$30,000$76,000$102,325$140,000$925,000

This figure comes from 3,731 employer filings with the US Department of Labor under legal obligation. Employers file this salary when sponsoring workers for PERM green cards or H-1B visas.

What BLS Says the Market Pays

$111,040
BLS Survey Salary Range
$61,060$80,130$111,040$160,460$211,410

This figure comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey of 50,370 establishments. This is an independent survey-based estimate of what all workers in this occupation earn.

DOL-filed salaries are 7.8% lower than BLS survey data, which may reflect that sponsored positions concentrate in high-cost locations or experience-intensive roles.

Salary Distribution

Top Paying Employers for Art Directors

Ranked by median salary from DOL filings
RankEmployerMedian SalaryFilingsvs Market
1Johannes Leonardo LLC$230,0005+107.1%
2Shiseido Americas Corporation$220,0005+98.1%
3Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska$201,5005+81.5%
4DDB Worldwide Communications Group LLC$195,0006+75.6%
5Facebook Inc.$195,00037+75.6%
6GOODBY, SILVERSTEIN PARTNERS INC.$191,0907+72.1%
7Dow Jones and Company$180,0005+62.1%
8ELECTRIC THEATRE COLLECTIVE, INC.$180,0006+62.1%
9J. WALTER THOMPSON U.S.A.$170,0005+53.1%
10AMMUNITION LLC$170,0006+53.1%
11Wieden + Kennedy, Inc.$170,0006+53.1%
12Dow Jones & Company Inc$166,4645+49.9%
13VCS Group LLC$160,7657+44.8%
14Organic, Inc.$160,0005+44.1%
15Droga5 LLC$160,00047+44.1%
16Nike Inc.$155,18817+39.8%
17GTB Agency, LLC$155,0005+39.6%
18Vice Media LLC$155,0009+39.6%
19WorkandCo International Inc$155,0005+39.6%
20Microsoft Corporation$154,66522+39.3%
21SPINIFEX GROUP, INC$150,4919+35.5%
22SUBTRACTIVE INC.$150,0005+35.1%
23Concentric Partners LLC$149,0005+34.2%
24Apple Inc.$148,554106+33.8%
25Etsy, Inc.$147,5005+32.8%
26THE OGILVY GROUP INC. - OGILVY & MATHER$145,0006+30.6%
27Activision Publishing Inc.$144,43917+30.1%
28TPD NEW YORK LLC$144,0005+29.7%
29PRAYTELL STRATEGY LLC$143,7396+29.5%
30The Gap, Inc.$143,14710+28.9%
31Dollar Shave Club, Inc$142,5006+28.3%
32The Barbarian Group$140,0005+26.1%
33BBDO$140,00020+26.1%
3472andSunny Partners LLC$140,00015+26.1%
35SNAP Inc$135,00018+21.6%
36BYER CALIFORNIA$135,0005+21.6%
37Hill Holliday LLC$133,0008+19.8%
38Anomaly Partners LLC$132,50032+19.3%
39TBWA Worldwide Inc.$132,50031+19.3%
40Autodesk, Inc.$131,0007+18%
41PUBLICIS KAPLAN THALER$130,0005+17.1%
42Spotify USA Inc.$127,5006+14.8%
43Razorfish LLC$126,64717+14.1%
44CRISPIN PORTER & BOGUSKY, LLC$125,00057+12.6%
45Goodby, Silverstein and Partners, Inc.$125,00011+12.6%
46Hulu, LLC$125,0008+12.6%
47M Moser Associates LLC$125,0005+12.6%
48Saatchi & Saatchi North America LLC$125,00041+12.6%
49LAIRD AND PARTNERS NEW YORK LLC$125,00011+12.6%
50Blizzard Entertainment Inc.$123,00029+10.8%

View all companies hiring Art Directors

Salary by Metro Area

Metro AreaMedianvs NationalFilingsEmployers
Menlo Park, CA$184,304+80.1%255
Redmond, WA$157,500+53.9%131
Beaverton, OR$155,188+51.7%111
Cupertino, CA$148,554+45.2%711
Playa Vista, CA$140,000+36.8%152
Palo Alto, CA$135,000+31.9%1513
Culver City, CA$135,000+31.9%1910
SANTA MONICA, CA$130,000+27%7730
San Francisco, CA$125,600+22.7%213116
New York, NE$125,000+22.2%13597
BROOKLYN, NE$124,950+22.1%2118
West Hollywood, CA$120,000+17.3%107
Irvine, CA$116,100+13.5%246
El Segundo, CA$115,000+12.4%156
Seattle, WA$111,905+9.4%1212
Boston, MA$110,000+7.5%3313
Boulder, CO$105,851+3.4%236
Brooklyn, NY$105,000+2.6%6339
New York, NY$105,000+2.6%728367
Torrance, CA$104,629+2.3%225
Portland, OR$98,323-3.9%208
Venice, CA$97,393-4.8%2818
Houston, TX$93,000-9.1%134
Los Angeles, CA$85,000-16.9%169104
Miami, FL$80,000-21.8%5236
San Diego, CA$78,453-23.3%1410
Chicago, IL$75,000-26.7%8844
Atlanta, GA$74,526-27.2%2313
Austin, TX$73,796-27.9%187
DALLAS, TX$72,191-29.4%116

Salary by State

StateMedianvs NationalFilings
Connecticut$140,000+38.6%3
Washington$137,491-4.2%28
Nebraska$120,500+60.7%180
Oregon$120,000-19.1%33
California$118,125-11.8%890
Nevada$112,000+24.9%13
Massachusetts$110,000-16.1%52
Ohio$107,620+16.5%8
New York$104,975-23.2%839
Colorado$101,926+9%28
Wisconsin$99,840+17%3
Minnesota$97,504-0.8%4
Missouri$94,890+1%3
Michigan$94,000+8.4%21
Indiana$90,625-8.1%6
District of Columbia$90,000-28.9%9
Arkansas$85,000+26.3%3
Pennsylvania$81,250-9.7%12
Virginia$80,000-16.4%16
Florida$75,000-19.9%105
Illinois$75,000-25.4%96
New Jersey$74,932-40.5%34
Texas$74,880-6.3%62
Georgia$74,526-43.4%33
South Dakota$66,934N/A2
Utah$61,506-32.4%5
North Carolina$61,500-31.3%8
New Mexico$60,000+0.4%1
New Hampshire$58,500-42.6%3
Tennessee$56,722-25.2%1
Maryland$52,073-48.1%2
Rhode Island$47,840-26.7%1
Vermont$47,500-49.9%1
Hawaii$44,400-59.1%13
Oklahoma$41,662-42.7%3
South Carolina$35,984-45.6%5

Salary Trend - DOL Data

Education Requirements

From PERM filings

For Art Directors positions, 67% of PERM filings required a Bachelor's degree, 23% required a Master's degree, and 8% required no formal degree.

Education by Top Employer

Most common minimum education from PERM filings
EmployerMost Common EducationMedian Salary
Apple Inc.Bachelor's$148,554
AKQA, Inc.Bachelor's$117,790
CRISPIN PORTER & BOGUSKY, LLCNot specified$125,000
Droga5 LLCBachelor's$160,000
Leo Burnett Company, LLCBachelor's$80,000
Saatchi & Saatchi North America LLCBachelor's$125,000
Facebook Inc.Bachelor's$195,000
Anomaly Partners LLCNot specified$132,500
TBWA Worldwide Inc.Bachelor's$132,500
Blizzard Entertainment Inc.Associate's$123,000

Salary by Industry

Same occupation, different industries (NAICS)

The highest-paying industry for Art Directors is Manufacturing at $134,460. The lowest-paying industry with significant hiring is Wholesale Trade at $84,793.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Art Directors make?

Based on 3,731 DOL filings, the median salary for a Art Directors is $102,325, ranging from $76,000 to $140,000.

What is the highest salary for a Art Directors?

The 90th percentile salary is $211,410 according to BLS data.

Which city pays the most for Art Directors?

Based on DOL filings, Menlo Park, CA offers the highest median at $184,304.

Does this data include all Art Directors salaries or only visa-sponsored workers?

DOL filing data covers positions where the employer filed for PERM green card sponsorship or an H-1B visa. These filings represent a subset of all Art Directors positions. We compare this data against BLS OEWS data which covers all workers in this occupation.

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Source: US Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) public disclosure files (PERM Form ETA-9089 and LCA Form ETA-9035), and US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Salary figures represent employer filings and government survey estimates, not individual worker pay.