Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
SOC 27-1013BLS OEWS May 2025
Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media and techniques.
National median · BLS
$55,490
▼ -8.37%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$73,150
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
11,220
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$31,630
25th
$37,560
Median (50th)
$55,490
75th
$83,200
90th — top pay
$144,210
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
BLS projects employment of fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators to decline 2.9% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%.
About 2,200 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
28,900 → 28,000
-800 jobs
Projected change
-2.9%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
2,200
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
62.8% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 3)
Medium Preparation Needed. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators salaries by state
BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.
State
Median
Jobs
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Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators salaries by metro area
Search by city, ZIP code or metro name. Tap a metro for its full range.
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Skills & tools
Skills needed for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.
Top skills
Active Learning3.3
Critical Thinking3.3
Active Listening3.1
Judgment and Decision Making3.0
Reading Comprehension3.0
Speaking3.0
Complex Problem Solving2.9
Social Perceptiveness2.9
Time Management2.9
Writing2.9
Top knowledge areas
Design4.3
Computers and Electronics4.2
English Language3.9
Production and Processing3.6
Fine Arts3.5
Education and Training3.4
Communications and Media3.4
Customer and Personal Service3.3
Software and technology used
Adobe IllustratorAdobe PhotoshopAutodesk MayaAdobe AcrobatAdobe After EffectsAdobe Creative Cloud softwareAdobe InDesignAutodesk AutoCADC#C++Extensible markup language XMLFacebookHypertext markup language HTMLIntuit QuickBooksJavaScriptMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft Word
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators do
Use materials such as pens and ink, watercolors, charcoal, oil, or computer software to create artwork.
Integrate and develop visual elements, such as line, space, mass, color, and perspective, to produce desired effects, such as the illustration of ideas, emotions, or moods.
Confer with clients, editors, writers, art directors, and other interested parties regarding the nature and content of artwork to be produced.
Maintain portfolios of artistic work to demonstrate styles, interests, and abilities.
Market artwork through brochures, mailings, or Web sites.
Study different techniques to learn how to apply them to artistic endeavors.
Monitor events, trends, and other circumstances, research specific subject areas, attend art exhibitions, and read art publications to develop ideas and keep current on art world activities.
Photograph objects, places, or scenes for reference material.
Also called
ArtistFine ArtistPainterSculptorAutomotive ArtistBlacksmithIce CarverIllustratorMuralistPortrait Artist
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $55,490.
