2027 Salary Guide · Marketing & Creative
Salaried illustrators, counted by BLS with fine artists, painters and sculptors, had a median wage of $55,490 in May 2025, or about $59,000 projected to 2027. The spread is unusually lopsided: the 10th percentile was $31,630, but the 90th was $144,210, more than two and a half times the median. And the figures leave out the majority of the field, because most artists in this group are self-employed.
How illustrators earn
A salary is only one of them. BLS describes illustrators creating pictures for books, magazines, other publications and products such as greeting cards and calendars.
Salaried roles at publishers, product companies, game studios and agencies. These are the only illustrators in the BLS wage figures.
Paid per piece or per project by an editor, art director or client. BLS notes that self-employed artists work to build a set of clients who contract with them regularly.
Fees or royalties for the right to use existing artwork on products or in publications. O*NET lists art licensing software among the tools of the occupation.
O*NET tasks include teaching art techniques and selling work through websites, shows and galleries. Many illustrators combine these with commissioned work.
Pay distribution
The 75th percentile is $83,200 and the 90th $144,210, so a small group of salaried artists earns far more than the typical one. The shaded band is the middle half.
Typical for the Illustrator title: $37,560 to $83,200 (25th to 75th percentile of Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators)
| Percentile | BLS, May 2025 | 2027 planning estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $31,630 | $33,500 |
| 25th percentile | $37,560 | $40,000 |
| Median | $55,490 | $59,000 |
| 75th percentile | $83,200 | $88,500 |
| 90th percentile | $144,210 | $153,500 |
About the data
BLS has no separate occupation for illustrators. They are counted in Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators. O*NET's reported titles for the group include muralists, portrait artists and sculptors as well as illustrators, so the figures blend very different kinds of work.
The wage data comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, which collects pay from employers and covers employees only. BLS says 58% of craft and fine artists are self-employed. For illustrators, that means the percentiles on this page describe staff illustrators, not freelance income.
BLS also notes that illustrators increasingly work digitally, drawing by hand and coloring in software or drawing directly with a pen on screen. Illustrators who also work in design or animation software can compete for graphic design and motion roles, which BLS pays more, as the comparison table shows.
Local pay
The San Francisco Bay Area median is $126,470, but it rests on about 450 jobs. Portland ($98,540, job count not published) and Seattle ($82,580, about 250 jobs) follow. Several metros have fewer than 100 salaried jobs, and BLS publishes no figures for Boston, Los Angeles, Raleigh or San Diego. Treat these medians as rough guides.
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | $126,470 +128% | $41,250 – $168,560 | 450 |
| Portland | $98,540 +78% | $54,080 – $120,950 | — |
| Seattle | $82,580 +49% | $43,040 – $132,890 | 250 |
| Albany | $80,070 +44% | $48,880 – $138,200 | 40 |
| New York City | $78,290 +41% | $34,430 – $154,630 | — |
| Denver | $77,100 +39% | $51,200 – $132,690 | 50 |
| Phoenix | $68,970 +24% | $42,730 – $98,170 | 40 |
| Miami | $68,140 +23% | $31,620 – $134,150 | 330 |
| Baltimore | $65,520 +18% | $43,830 – $75,610 | — |
| Atlanta | $65,010 +17% | $40,530 – $94,110 | 230 |
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin | $62,860 +13% | $18,140 – $76,240 | 80 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | $61,730 +11% | $42,680 – $104,000 | — |
| Philadelphia | $59,200 +7% | $23,460 – $110,750 | — |
| Hartford | $57,630 +4% | $38,830 – $101,110 | 30 |
| Washington, DC | $56,560 +2% | $42,770 – $90,970 | 70 |
| Charlotte | $56,300 +1% | $32,280 – $106,890 | 90 |
| Houston | $55,490 +0% | $17,300 – $72,620 | 260 |
| Buffalo | $55,020 -1% | $39,430 – $71,170 | 60 |
| Chicago | $54,990 -1% | $31,140 – $101,890 | — |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $49,650 -11% | $17,880 – $75,030 | 230 |
| Tampa | $45,590 -18% | $30,920 – $78,610 | 100 |
| Pittsburgh | $44,130 -20% | $21,510 – $118,870 | — |
| Detroit | $42,060 -24% | $25,960 – $125,660 | 120 |
BLS metro estimates, May 2025. Percent compares the metro median with the national median. "Jobs" is BLS estimated employment in the metro; blank where BLS does not publish it.
Outlook
BLS expects about 2,200 openings a year among roughly 28,900 jobs, with employment projected to fall 3% from 2025 to 2035. It says AI-generated illustrations may compete with illustrators in particular.
BLS Employment Projections via O*NET OnLine. Projections cover Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators as a whole.
For hiring managers
A staff role is priced against the salary range on this page. A commission is priced per piece, and the freelancer covers their own software, equipment and benefits.
BLS notes that artists maintain portfolios to show their styles. Ask for work in the style and medium of the project, not a general sample.
Who owns the artwork, where it can appear and for how long all affect the fee. Settle them before work starts.
O*NET lists submitting preliminary art for approval and making changes as a core task. Say how many rounds are included.
Compare
Graphic designers earn about $7,000 more at the median, and motion graphics designers about $47,000 more. Many illustrators work across these roles, which is one reason the illustrator figure is low.
| Role | BLS median | 2027 estimate | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illustrator | $55,490 | $59,000 | Decline |
| Graphic Designer | $62,960 | $67,000 | Decline |
| Motion Graphics Designer | $102,030 | $108,500 | Little or no change |
| Art Director | $114,850 | $122,000 | Average |
FAQ
BLS reports a median of $55,490 in May 2025 for the occupation that includes illustrators, fine artists, painters and sculptors. The middle half earned between $37,560 and $83,200. Projected two years at 3.1% a year, the 2027 median is about $59,000. These figures cover salaried artists only.
For salaried workers in the occupation, BLS reports a median of $26.68 an hour in May 2025, from $15.21 at the 10th percentile to $69.33 at the 90th. Freelance illustrators usually price by project or piece, which BLS does not measure.
BLS does not measure it. BLS wage data covers employees, and BLS says 58% of craft and fine artists are self-employed. Freelance income depends on the number of regular clients, the rights licensed and the type of work, so it varies far more than the salaried range.
Some jobs require one; many do not. O*NET places the occupation in Job Zone Three and says a bachelor's degree is required for some jobs. BLS notes that most fine artists take postsecondary courses to build their skills, and a portfolio is what clients and employers judge.
BLS projects a 3% decline for the occupation from 2025 to 2035 and says AI-generated illustrations may compete with illustrators. It still expects about 2,200 openings a year, mainly from artists leaving the field. Illustrators who can also design or animate have more salaried options, since those occupations pay higher medians.
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