What are the top 10 cities with the highest pay for Visual Artist?

We've identified 10 cities in the United States where Visual Artist jobs typically pay above the area average. Topping the list is Andrews, MD (27.4% above average), followed by Crapo, MD and Nome, AK. City Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Andrews, MD $137,393 $11,449 $2,642 $66.05 Crapo, MD $137,393 $11,449 $2,642 $66.05 Nome, AK $133,760 $11,146 $2,572 $64.31 Berkeley, CA $132,029 $11,002 $2,539 $63.48 Sitka, AK $129,898 $10,824 $2,498 $62.45 San Francisco Bay Area, CA $127,040 $10,586 $2,443 $61.08 San Francisco, CA $127,040 $10,586 $2,443 $61.08 Santa Clara, CA $126,637 $10,553 $2,435 $60.88 Livermore, CA $126,481 $10,540 $2,432 $60.81 San Jose, CA $126,373 $10,531 $2,430 $60.76

Visual Artist

Visual Artist Salary

Q: How much does a Visual Artist make?

The average annual pay for a visual artist in the United States is $107,828 a year — that works out to approximately $51.84 an hour. The middle 80% of Visual Artists earn between $40,500 (10th percentile) and $152,000 (90th percentile) per year, depending on experience and employer.

Q: What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Visual Artist Jobs in the United States?

We found several jobs related to Visual Artist in the United States that pay more on average. Topping the list is Visual Art at $13,929 (12.9%) above Visual Artist. Job Title Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Visual Art $121,757 $10,146 $2,341 $58.54 Art History Faculty $88,276 $7,356 $1,697 $42.44 Painting Instructor $87,500 $7,291 $1,682 $42.07 Elementary Art Teacher $52,788 $4,399 $1,015 $25.38 Assistant Christian School Teacher $32,572 $2,714 $626 $15.66

$36.5K

$95K

$152.5K

$107,828

/year

$51.84

/hour

Visual Artist Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$107,828

Columbus

Ohio

$104,151

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How much does a Visual Artist make?

As of Aug 17, 2026, the average annual pay for a Visual Artist in the United States is $107,828 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $51.84 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,073/week or $8,985/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $152,500 and as low as $36,500, the majority of Visual Artist salaries currently range between $88,500 (25th percentile) to $152,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $152,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Visual Artist varies greatly (by as much as 63500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

A Visual Artist in your area makes on average $104,151 per year, or $3,677 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $107,828. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Visual Artist salaries.

To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Visual Artist jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

Find your next high paying job as a Visual Artist on ZipRecruiter today.

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Visual Artist Jobs

We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Visual Artist job is above the national average. Topping the list is Andrews, MD, , with Crapo, MD, and Nome, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Nome, AK, beats the national average by $25,932 (24.0%), and Andrews, MD, furthers that trend with another $29,565 (27.4%) above the $107,828 average.

With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Visual Artist appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 8% between Andrews, MD, and San Jose, CA, , 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 Visual Artist role.

City	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Andrews, MD	$137,393	$11,449	$2,642	$66.05
Crapo, MD	$137,393	$11,449	$2,642	$66.05
Nome, AK	$133,760	$11,146	$2,572	$64.31
Berkeley, CA	$132,029	$11,002	$2,539	$63.48
Sitka, AK	$129,898	$10,824	$2,498	$62.45
San Francisco Bay Area, CA	$127,040	$10,586	$2,443	$61.08
San Francisco, CA	$127,040	$10,586	$2,443	$61.08
Santa Clara, CA	$126,637	$10,553	$2,435	$60.88
Livermore, CA	$126,481	$10,540	$2,432	$60.81
San Jose, CA	$126,373	$10,531	$2,430	$60.76

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Visual Artist Jobs in the U.S.

Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Visual Artist job category, we found that Visual Art jobs have average salaries greater than Visual Artist jobs.

Significantly, Visual Art jobs pay $13,929 (12.9%) more than the average Visual Artist salary of $107,828. If you're qualified, finding work as a Visual Art may help you make more money than that of the average Visual Artist position.

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Visual Art	$121,757	$10,146	$2,341	$58.54
Art History Faculty	$88,276	$7,356	$1,697	$42.44
Painting Instructor	$87,500	$7,291	$1,682	$42.07
Elementary Art Teacher	$52,788	$4,399	$1,015	$25.38
Assistant Christian School Teacher	$32,572	$2,714	$626	$15.66

About Our Data

ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

Infographic detailing Visual Artist salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $107,828 per year or $51.84 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.

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