Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators Salary
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators in Tucson, AZ make a median of $52,200 a year, or about $25.1 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $96K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 96.9), that's roughly $53,870 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,402/month, about 40.1% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $52K get you in Tucson?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Tucson’s Regional Price Parity (96.9). 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 Tucson
Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators pay in Tucson tracks closely to the national median, $52K locally vs. $55K nationwide, a 6% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,402/month, which is 39.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 96.9) 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 Tucson, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | $69K | $67K |
| Colorado Springs | $49K | , |
| Santa Fe | $73K | $74K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $126K | $109K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Tucson, AZ
Entry-level fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $52K. Top earners bring in $96K or more, a $59K 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
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 Tucson numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrator afford a 2BR apartment alone in Tucson?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $52K, rent takes 39.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,402/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 Tucson?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,207/month. At HUD’s $1,402/month FMR, rent would take 64% 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 Tucson?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $52K locally vs. $55K nationally, a 6% difference.
How does Tucson compare to the national average for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators?
Tucson pays $52K median vs. the U.S. average of $55K — that’s -6%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 96.9), the purchasing-power equivalent is $54K — below the national median.
How much do fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators make in Tucson, AZ?
The median is $52,200 a year, that works out to about $25 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,780, and experienced fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators can clear $95,700. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $52K enough to live in Tucson?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,556/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,402/month, which eats 39.4% 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 Tucson?
Tucson has a Regional Price Parity of 96.9 (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 $53,870 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.