Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $49K, rent takes 61.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,044/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators typically earn — is $36K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,187/month.

Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $49K here vs. $55K nationally.

Colorado Springs pays $49K median vs. the U.S. average of $55K — that’s -11%.

The median is $49,480 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,450, and experienced fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators can clear $94,080. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,302/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,044/month, which eats 61.9% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

Colorado Springs has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators salary is worth about $49,480 in national-average purchasing power.

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.