Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators Salary
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI make a median of $56,890 a year, or about $27.35 an hour. The range runs from $52K at the entry level to $83K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 96.94), that's roughly $58,686 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,338/month, about 35.8% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $57K get you in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Milwaukee-Waukesha’s Regional Price Parity (96.94). 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.
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What this looks like in Milwaukee-Waukesha
Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators pay in Milwaukee-Waukesha tracks closely to the national median, $57K locally vs. $55K nationwide, a 3% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,338/month, which is 35.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 96.94) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators in metros near Milwaukee-Waukesha, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $55K | $53K |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | $62K | $59K |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | $42K | $42K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
Entry-level fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators (10th percentile) start around $52K. Mid-career wages sit at $57K. Top earners bring in $83K or more, a $31K spread from bottom to top.
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $99K | +78% | N/A |
| Nevada | $82K | +47% | 160 |
| New York | $79K | +42% | 1,400 |
| Washington | $72K | +31% | 350 |
| Connecticut | $71K | +28% | 100 |
| Maryland | $66K | +19% | 80 |
| Georgia | $65K | +17% | 350 |
| New Mexico | $63K | +14% | 70 |
| Minnesota | $62K | +11% | N/A |
| California | $58K | +5% | 2,560 |
| Utah | $57K | +3% | 80 |
| Arizona | $56K | +1% | 110 |
| Pennsylvania | $54K | -2% | N/A |
| Illinois | $54K | -3% | N/A |
| Wisconsin | $53K | -4% | 100 |
| Colorado | $52K | -6% | 250 |
| Florida | $50K | -9% | 1,010 |
| Missouri | $50K | -10% | 110 |
| Texas | $50K | -11% | 700 |
| Kentucky | $48K | -13% | 60 |
| Virginia | $48K | -14% | 230 |
| Oklahoma | $48K | -14% | 60 |
| Maine | $46K | -17% | N/A |
| Louisiana | $41K | -27% | N/A |
| Nebraska | $40K | -28% | 40 |
| Michigan | $39K | -30% | 220 |
| Arkansas | $32K | -42% | 40 |
| Ohio | $32K | -43% | 510 |
| Tennessee | $31K | -45% | 100 |
| Kansas | $26K | -53% | 40 |
Showing 1–10 of 30 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Milwaukee-Waukesha numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrator afford a 2BR apartment alone in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $57K, rent takes 35.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,338/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators typically earn — is $52K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,119/month. At HUD’s $1,338/month FMR, rent would take 43% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrator a high-paying job in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $57K locally vs. $55K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does Milwaukee-Waukesha compare to the national average for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators?
Milwaukee-Waukesha pays $57K median vs. the U.S. average of $55K — that’s +3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 96.94), the purchasing-power equivalent is $59K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators make in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI?
The median is $56,890 a year, that works out to about $27 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $51,990, and experienced fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators can clear $83,390. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $57K enough to live in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,815/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,338/month, which eats 35.1% 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.
How far does a fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators salary go in Milwaukee-Waukesha?
Milwaukee-Waukesha has a Regional Price Parity of 96.94 (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 fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators salary is worth about $58,686 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators 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.