Here’s how much 28 jobs in the art world really pay

28. Floral designers make an average of $30,670 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 36,810

Find US floral designer jobs on LinkedIn or Indeed here.

27. Craft artists make an average of $38,260 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 4,090

Find US craft artist jobs, like glass blower, on SimplyHired. 

26. Jewelers make an average of $48,050 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 18,650

Find US jeweler jobs on LinkedIn here.

25. Photographers make an average of $50,290 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 41,600

Find US photographer jobs on LinkedIn or Indeed here.

24. Choreographers make an average of $52,000 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 3,580

Find US choreographer jobs on ZipRecruiter here.

23. Dancers make an average of $52,166 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 7,370

Find US dancer jobs on Dance/USA here.

22. Graphic designers make an average of $58,370 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 201,440

Find graphic designer jobs on FlexJobs here.

21. Chefs and head cooks make an average of $58,740 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 101,490

Find US chef and cook jobs on Culinary Agents here.

20. Interior designers make an average of $61,400 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 59,170

Find US interior designer jobs on LinkedIn or Indeed here.

19. Set and exhibit designers make an average of $64,610 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 10,980

Find US set designer jobs on Indeed here.

18. Fine artists make an average of $65,020 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 11,070

Find US artist jobs on LinkedIn or Indeed here.

17. Actors make an average of $65,354 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 44,460

Find actor jobs on Backstage here.

16. Music directors and composers make an average of $65,720 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 9,200

Find US music director jobs on LinkedIn here.

15. Camera operators make an average of $67,590 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 20,340

Find US camera operator jobs on Glassdoor or Indeed here.

14. General artists make an average of $69,650 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 7,220

Find US artist jobs on LinkedIn or Indeed here.

13. Designers make an average of $71,340 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 10,680

Find US designer jobs on Glassdoor here.

12. Editors make an average of $73,910 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 93,370

Find US editor jobs on LinkedIn or Glassdoor here.

11. Commercial and industrial designers make an average of $76,290 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 30,100

Find US industrial designer jobs Glassdoor or LinkedIn here.

10. Writers and authors make an average of $78,680 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 44,240

Find US writing jobs on FlexJobs or Glassdoor here.

9. Film and video editors make an average of $83,880 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 22,410

Find US video editor jobs on LinkedIn here.

8. Web developers make an average of $85,490 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 156,220

Find US web developer jobs on LinkedIn here.

7. Musicians and singers make an average of $86,778 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 34,770

Find US singer jobs on Glassdoor here.

6. Fashion designers make an average of $87,210 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 21,050

Find US fashion designer jobs on LinkedIn here.

5. Special effects artists and animators make an average of $88,080 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 26,460

Find US animator jobs on Glassdoor here.

4. Architects make an average of $89,470 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 103,900

Find US architect jobs on Indeed here.

3. Producers and directors make an average of $96,690 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 119,490

Find US producer and director jobs on Glassdoor here.

2. Theatrical and performance makeup artists make an average of $99,990 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 2,780

Find US makeup artist jobs on Indeed here.

1. Art directors make an average of $114,490 a year.

Number of people employed in 2020: 40,950

Find US art director jobs on Indeed here.

Method and data source

Being creative can pay off. 

From musicians to artists, people making a career off their creative talents can rake in good salaries each year, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

While some roles, like floral designers, earn around $30,000 a year, fashion designers, architects, and video editors earn over $80,000 a year on average.

However, the pandemic has been especially hard on the arts and entertainment industry. For instance, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, March 2021 employment in the subsector that includes performing arts, sports spectators, artists, and writers was about 33.6% below the pre-pandemic level in February 2020.

Insider analyzed average annual salaries for 28 creative jobs using the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, which offers data on employment and wages across different occupations and industries. Data is from May 2020, the most recent year with available data.

Three top creative jobs — actors, musicians, and dancers — did not have annual salaries published by the BLS, and so we estimated annual earnings using average hourly wages. We also included the number of people employed in each occupation from the same dataset.