Creative Director
Creative Director Salary
$43K - $59K
5% of jobs
$59K - $75K
6% of jobs
$75K - $91K
10% of jobs
$98.6K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$91K - $107K
10% of jobs
$107K - $123K
13% of jobs
The median wage is $128.3K / yr.
$123K - $139K
19% of jobs
$147.2K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$139K - $155K
24% of jobs
$155K - $171K
6% of jobs
$171K - $187K
5% of jobs
$187K - $203K
2% of jobs
$203K - $219K
1% of jobs
$43K
$128.5K
$217K
$129,330
/year
$62.18
/hour
Creative Director Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$129,330
Columbus
Ohio
$124,920
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How much does a Creative Director make?
As of Aug 28, 2026, the average annual pay for a Creative Director in the United States is $129,330 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $62.18 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,487/week or $10,777/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $217,000 and as low as $43,000, the majority of Creative Director salaries currently range between $99,500 (25th percentile) to $152,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $174,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Creative Director varies greatly (by as much as 52500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Creative Director in your area makes on average $124,920 per year, or $4,410 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $129,330. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Creative Director salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Creative Director jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Creative Director on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Creative Director Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Creative Director job is above the national average. Topping the list is Bolinas, CA, , with Portola Valley, CA, and Medina, WA, close behind in the second and third positions. Medina, WA, beats the national average by $42,222 (32.6%), and Bolinas, CA, furthers that trend with another $53,689 (41.5%) above the $129,330 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Creative Director appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 11% between Bolinas, CA, and Pembroke, MA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Creative Director role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Bolinas, CA | $183,019 | $87.99 |
Portola Valley, CA | $180,261 | $86.66 |
Medina, WA | $171,552 | $82.48 |
Scotts Valley, CA | $167,365 | $80.46 |
Los Banos, CA | $166,562 | $80.08 |
Roslyn Heights, NY | $166,258 | $79.93 |
Bayville, NY | $165,838 | $79.73 |
Felton, CA | $164,415 | $79.05 |
Silverado, CA | $164,150 | $78.92 |
Pembroke, MA | $162,460 | $78.11 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Creative Director Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Creative Director job category, we found that Merchant Relationship Manager jobs have average salaries similar than Creative Director jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Merchant Relationship Manager | $80,705 | $38.80 |
Web Merchandiser | $70,818 | $34.05 |
Talent Management Associate | $64,266 | $30.90 |
Process Owner | $52,986 | $25.47 |
Store Administrator | $51,261 | $24.64 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
