Pay Scale

• The average salary of an art director was $94,100 per year, as of May 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median salary for those working in this field was $80,630 per year. However, both of these figures include all art directors -- both senior or junior art directors. At the lower end of the pay scale were those who made $57,970 or less per year. The lowest-paid art directors made less than $42,840 -- these are the salary ranges in which junior art director salaries will typically fall.
  
  

Employers

• The employer of a junior art director and other art directors also plays a role in how much they can expect to make. According to the BLS, the highest-paid art directors worked in the legal services industry. However, the largest number of art directors worked in advertising and public relations. The second largest group worked in newspaper and periodical publishing. The salaries of these two largest groups were $95,860 and $81,340, respectively.
  
  

Location

• Location also plays a role in how much an art director can expect to make. As indicated by the BLS, New York, Illinois and California were the highest paying states for art directors. Average salaries in these states ranged from about $106,000 to $128,000 per year in 2010. These states were also the states with the highest employment levels for this profession. Texas was fourth, but the average salary of an art director in Texas was significantly lower, at $77,590 per year.
  
  

Job Outlook

• According to the BLS, the number of jobs for artists and related workers, such as junior and senior art directors, should grow by about 12 percent during the period from 2008 to 2018. The Bureau indicates that much of the growth in this field will likely be due the an increased emphasis on the use of artists in multimedia and graphic design.