SOC 27-1013 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators — Portland
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
At $98,540 a year, the median wage for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators in Portland, OR sits 77.6% above the national figure of $55,490.
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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA.
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
At $98,540 a year, the median wage for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators in Portland, OR sits 77.6% above the national figure of $55,490. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $68,860 and $98,540. The lowest tenth earn under $54,080, while the highest tenth earn more than $120,950.
Of the 681 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 155th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $54,080 | −2.5% |
| 25th | $68,860 | +24.1% |
| Median (50th) | $98,540 | +77.6% |
| 75th | $98,540 | +77.6% |
| 90th | $120,950 | +118.0% |
| Mean | $93,290 | +68.1% |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Portland run 5.4% above the national average, so the median of $98,540 buys what $93,491 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 68.5% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$98,540as reported by BLSLocal price level
105.4US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$93,491US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $98,540 a year, 77.6% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $54,080 to $120,950 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators in Portland, OR?
The median annual wage is $98,540, or $47.38 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 Portland, OR is 77.6% 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 Portland, OR earns more than $120,950 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $54,080 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.
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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