SOC 27-1011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Art Directors — Wilmington
Wilmington, NC · 6 metro areas compared
The median wage for Art Directors in Wilmington, NC is $84,730 per year, substantially below the national median of $114,850 — a gap of 26.2%.
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 Wilmington, NC.
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 Wilmington, NC is $84,730 per year, substantially below the national median of $114,850 — a gap of 26.2%. Pay ranges from under $39,160 at the tenth percentile to more than $155,820 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $72,290 to $112,280.
Employment stands at 40, or 0.2 jobs per thousand held locally. Raleigh leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $103,990. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 81st of 413 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $39,160 | −65.9% |
| 25th | $72,290 | −37.1% |
| Median (50th) | $84,730 | −26.2% |
| 75th | $112,280 | −2.2% |
| 90th | $155,820 | +35.7% |
| Mean | $91,870 | −20.0% |
Other metro areas in North Carolina
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raleigh | $103,990 | 200 | |
| 2 | Durham | $93,740 | 100 | |
| 3 | Charlotte | $90,000 | — | |
| 4 | Greensboro | $85,610 | 100 | |
| 5 | Winston-Salem | $84,100 | 90 | |
| 6 | Asheville | $72,710 | 50 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Wilmington run 3.6% below the national average, so the median of $84,730 goes as far as $87,894 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 23.5% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$84,730as reported by BLSLocal price level
96.4US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$87,894US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $84,730 a year, 26.2% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $39,160 to $155,820 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 40 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Raleigh, at $103,990.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Art Directors in Wilmington, NC?
The median annual wage is $84,730, or $40.74 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 Wilmington, NC is 26.2% 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 Wilmington, NC earns more than $155,820 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $39,160 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 Raleigh, at $103,990 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 40 jobs in this occupation in Wilmington, NC. Self-employed workers are not included.
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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