Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

27-1011 Art Directors

Formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual communications media, such as print, broadcasting, and advertising. Direct workers engaged in art work or layout design.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
30,680 2.9 % $45.92 $95,500 1.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $21.21 $28.13 $39.07 $56.39 $80.11
Annual Wage (2) $44,120 $58,520 $81,260 $117,290 $166,620


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services 10,070 2.40 $46.24 $96,180
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers 4,160 0.86 $39.17 $81,480
Specialized Design Services 2,870 2.51 $50.53 $105,100
Motion Picture and Video Industries 2,260 0.64 $62.39 $129,780
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 1,110 0.11 $42.34 $88,070

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Specialized Design Services 2,870 2.51 $50.53 $105,100
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services 10,070 2.40 $46.24 $96,180
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers 4,160 0.86 $39.17 $81,480
Motion Picture and Video Industries 2,260 0.64 $62.39 $129,780
Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers 190 0.39 $49.68 $103,340

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Apparel, Piece Goods, and Notions Merchant Wholesalers 200 0.15 $80.93 $168,340
Furniture and Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers (8) (8) $66.11 $137,500
Motion Picture and Video Industries 2,260 0.64 $62.39 $129,780
Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers 180 0.06 $60.20 $125,210
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 130 0.01 $54.33 $113,010


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 5,890 0.42 1.75 $52.13 $108,430
New York 5,870 0.70 2.91 $64.69 $134,550
Illinois 2,160 0.39 1.62 $44.79 $93,170
Texas 1,590 0.15 0.65 $36.60 $76,130
Ohio 1,140 0.23 0.96 $39.65 $82,480




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 5,870 0.70 2.91 $64.69 $134,550
California 5,890 0.42 1.75 $52.13 $108,430
Illinois 2,160 0.39 1.62 $44.79 $93,170
District of Columbia 250 0.38 1.60 $43.56 $90,590
Vermont 110 0.37 1.55 $36.09 $75,080




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 5,870 0.70 2.91 $64.69 $134,550
California 5,890 0.42 1.75 $52.13 $108,430
Louisiana 120 0.06 0.27 $45.20 $94,020
Illinois 2,160 0.39 1.62 $44.79 $93,170
Washington 650 0.24 0.99 $44.41 $92,360





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 5,400 1.07 4.46 $65.57 $136,390
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 2,920 0.76 3.19 $57.11 $118,800
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 2,000 0.56 2.33 (8) (8)
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 970 1.01 4.22 $55.81 $116,090
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 850 0.51 2.12 $43.80 $91,100
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 750 0.44 1.84 $39.13 $81,380
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 620 0.45 1.87 $43.60 $90,690
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 590 0.43 1.81 $45.25 $94,120
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 560 0.24 1.02 $40.03 $83,270
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 520 0.25 1.05 $42.22 $87,810




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 5,400 1.07 4.46 $65.57 $136,390
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 970 1.01 4.22 $55.81 $116,090
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 2,920 0.76 3.19 $57.11 $118,800
Niles-Benton Harbor, MI 40 0.73 3.07 $29.60 $61,570
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 2,000 0.56 2.33 (8) (8)
Burlington-South Burlington, VT 60 0.54 2.26 $38.65 $80,390
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 850 0.51 2.12 $43.80 $91,100
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 200 0.48 2.02 $42.22 $87,830
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 620 0.45 1.87 $43.60 $90,690
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 750 0.44 1.84 $39.13 $81,380




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 5,400 1.07 4.46 $65.57 $136,390
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 2,920 0.76 3.19 $57.11 $118,800
Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 280 0.23 0.96 $56.46 $117,430
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 970 1.01 4.22 $55.81 $116,090
Richmond, VA 170 0.29 1.23 $55.03 $114,460
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN 130 0.18 0.74 $50.77 $105,600
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 280 0.32 1.35 $50.58 $105,200
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 70 0.24 0.98 $47.47 $98,740
Columbus, OH 320 0.36 1.49 $47.27 $98,330
Oklahoma City, OK 40 0.06 0.26 $46.58 $96,880

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii / Maui / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 50 0.30 1.24 $27.09 $56,350
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 40 0.39 1.65 $33.93 $70,570
Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 30 0.19 0.78 $27.51 $57,220

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 40 0.39 1.65 $33.93 $70,570
Hawaii / Maui / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 50 0.30 1.24 $27.09 $56,350
Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 30 0.19 0.78 $27.51 $57,220

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 40 0.39 1.65 $33.93 $70,570
Northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $28.66 $59,620
Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 30 0.19 0.78 $27.51 $57,220
Hawaii / Maui / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 50 0.30 1.24 $27.09 $56,350


About May 2011 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 mean 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.

(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 OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012