SOC 27-1013 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators — New York
New York · 4 metro areas compared
In New York the median wage for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators reaches $78,870 a year.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -1.2%
- Openings per year
- 2,200
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
61.6% 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 New York.
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
In New York the median wage for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators reaches $78,870 a year. That is 42.1% more than the national median of $55,490. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $62,780 and $119,990. The lowest tenth earn under $50,010, while the highest tenth earn more than $154,630.
The area has 1,400 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 2.00 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Among the 30 states with published data for this occupation, New York ranks 3rd by median wage. Albany leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $80,070. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 317th of 776 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $50,010 | −9.9% |
| 25th | $62,780 | +13.1% |
| Median (50th) | $78,870 | +42.1% |
| 75th | $119,990 | +116.2% |
| 90th | $154,630 | +178.7% |
| Mean | $90,650 | +63.4% |
Highest-paying metro areas in New York
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albany | $80,070 | 40 | |
| 2 | New York | $78,290 | — | |
| 3 | Kiryas Joel | $70,570 | 40 | |
| 4 | Buffalo | $55,020 | 60 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in New York run 7.9% above the national average, so the median of $78,870 buys what $73,095 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 31.7% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$78,870as reported by BLSLocal price level
107.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$73,095US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $78,870 a year, 42.1% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $50,010 to $154,630 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 1,400 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 3rd of 30 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Albany, at $80,070.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators in New York?
The median annual wage is $78,870, or $37.92 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 $55,490, so pay in New York is 42.1% higher. 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 New York earns more than $154,630 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $50,010 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 Albany, at $80,070 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 1,400 jobs in this occupation in New York. 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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