Skip to content
AffordMap
Arts & Media

Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators Salary by State and Metro Area (2026)

Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustratorss in the United States earn a median salary of $60,560/year ($29.12/hr). Salaries range from $26,420 to $140,660 depending on experience. Below, compare salaries across all 50 states and top metro areas.

$26K
10th percentile
$40K
25th percentile
$61K
Median
$90K
75th percentile
$141K
90th percentile

Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators salary by state

StateMedianHourlyEmployment
California$140K$67.35/hr1,760
Massachusetts$84K$40.16/hr30
Indiana$79K$38.12/hr40
New York$79K$37.83/hr960
Washington$78K$37.68/hr840
South Carolina$73K$35.09/hr190
Connecticut$73K$35.03/hr140
Maryland$73K$34.98/hr30
Minnesota$64K$30.64/hr70
Arizona$63K$30.47/hr80

Top paying metro areas

Metro areaMedianEmployment
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$141K1,360
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$85K230
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$83K650
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC$83K50
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$81K710
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT$75K30
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY$67K-
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$67K50
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$67K50
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ$66K50
How to become a fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustratorsCareer guide →