Art Directors Salary
The median pay for a art directors in Memphis, TN-MS-AR is $89,860/year ($43.2/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $56K at the entry level to $149K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 92.18), which stretches that salary to about $97,483 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,274/month, or 21.2% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $90K get you in Memphis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Memphis’s Regional Price Parity (92.18). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About art directors
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What this looks like in Memphis
Pay for art directors in Memphis runs about 22% below the U.S. median of $115K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,274/month, 21.4% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Regional Price Parity sits at 92.18 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 8% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Lower pay, lower costs, Memphis can be a reasonable trade-off for art directorss who value affordability over top-dollar markets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for art directors in metros near Memphis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin | $101K | $105K |
| Knoxville | $80K | $86K |
| Chattanooga | $76K | $83K |
| Kansas City | $89K | $96K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Memphis, TN-MS-AR
Entry-level art directors (10th percentile) start around $56K. Mid-career wages sit at $90K. Top earners bring in $149K or more, a $94K spread from bottom to top.
Art Directors pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Art Directors salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $149K | +30% | 1,850 |
| California | $138K | +20% | 12,430 |
| New York | $137K | +20% | 8,720 |
| Oregon | $134K | +17% | 1,040 |
| New Hampshire | $132K | +15% | 160 |
| Vermont | $129K | +13% | 80 |
| New Jersey | $129K | +12% | 1,840 |
| Washington | $121K | +6% | 650 |
| Georgia | $110K | -4% | 1,420 |
| Minnesota | $110K | -4% | 920 |
| Utah | $107K | -7% | 290 |
| Indiana | $106K | -8% | 350 |
| Illinois | $104K | -10% | 2,960 |
| Virginia | $101K | -12% | 670 |
| Missouri | $101K | -12% | 780 |
| Maine | $100K | -13% | N/A |
| Colorado | $100K | -13% | 720 |
| Florida | $100K | -13% | 2,520 |
| Maryland | $98K | -14% | 570 |
| Nevada | $98K | -15% | 290 |
| Pennsylvania | $97K | -15% | 1,250 |
| Ohio | $94K | -18% | 1,050 |
| North Carolina | $90K | -22% | N/A |
| Tennessee | $90K | -22% | 930 |
| Hawaii | $89K | -22% | 40 |
| Texas | $88K | -23% | 2,480 |
| South Carolina | $88K | -23% | 550 |
| Michigan | $87K | -25% | 1,080 |
| Louisiana | $84K | -27% | 160 |
| North Dakota | $83K | -28% | 30 |
| Wisconsin | $81K | -29% | 730 |
| Iowa | $81K | -30% | 280 |
| Oklahoma | $81K | -30% | 290 |
| Idaho | $81K | -30% | N/A |
| Alabama | $77K | -33% | 210 |
| Kentucky | $76K | -34% | 320 |
| Alaska | $75K | -35% | 40 |
| Montana | $74K | -36% | 100 |
| Nebraska | $73K | -36% | 140 |
| Rhode Island | $73K | -37% | 90 |
| Arkansas | $72K | -37% | 240 |
| Connecticut | $72K | -37% | 1,160 |
| South Dakota | $67K | -42% | 30 |
| Mississippi | $66K | -43% | 90 |
| West Virginia | $64K | -45% | 30 |
| Kansas | $60K | -47% | N/A |
Showing 1–10 of 46 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track art directors salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Memphis numbers change.
Related careers in Arts & Media
Frequently asked questions
Can a art director afford a 2BR apartment alone in Memphis?
Yes — at the median salary of $90K, rent takes 21.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,274/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for art directors in Memphis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new art directors typically earn — is $56K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,350/month. At HUD’s $1,274/month FMR, rent would take 38% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is art director a high-paying job in Memphis?
Local pay runs 22% below the national median — $90K here vs. $115K nationally. Cost of living is 8% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Memphis compare to the national average for art directors?
Memphis pays $90K median vs. the U.S. average of $115K — that’s -22%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 92.18), the purchasing-power equivalent is $97K — below the national median.
How much do art directors make in Memphis, TN-MS-AR?
The median is $89,860 a year, that works out to about $43 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $55,830, and experienced art directors can clear $149,340. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $90K enough to live in Memphis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,967/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,274/month, which eats 21.4% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a art directors salary go in Memphis?
Memphis has a Regional Price Parity of 92.18 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median art directors salary is worth about $97,483 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do art directors get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.