SOC 27-1011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Art Directors — Kansas City
Kansas City, MO-KS · 3 metro areas compared
The median wage for Art Directors in Kansas City, MO is $88,610 per year, 22.8% below the national median of $114,850.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow about as fast as average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +4.2%
- Openings per year
- 12,300
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- 5 years or more
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
61.9% of people in this occupation work for themselves.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Kansas City, MO-KS.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage for Art Directors in Kansas City, MO is $88,610 per year, 22.8% below the national median of $114,850. Pay ranges from under $57,990 at the tenth percentile to more than $158,050 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $57,990 to $118,710.
St. Louis leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $101,480. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 122nd of 613 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $57,990 | −49.5% |
| 25th | $57,990 | −49.5% |
| Median (50th) | $88,610 | −22.8% |
| 75th | $118,710 | +3.4% |
| 90th | $158,050 | +37.6% |
| Mean | $96,100 | −16.3% |
Other metro areas in Missouri
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis | $101,480 | 420 | |
| 2 | Columbia | $80,060 | 30 | |
| 3 | Springfield | $70,690 | 40 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Kansas City run 7.5% below the national average, so the median of $88,610 goes as far as $95,795 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 16.6% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$88,610as reported by BLSLocal price level
92.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$95,795US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $88,610 a year, 22.8% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $57,990 to $158,050 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is St. Louis, at $101,480.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Art Directors in Kansas City, MO?
The median annual wage is $88,610, or $42.60 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $114,850, so pay in Kansas City, MO is 22.8% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Kansas City, MO earns more than $158,050 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $57,990 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in St. Louis, at $101,480 per year.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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