SOC 27-1013 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators — San Francisco
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
In San Francisco, CA the median wage for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators reaches $126,470 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
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 San Francisco, CA the median wage for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators reaches $126,470 a year. That is 127.9% more than the national median of $55,490. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $42,710 and $166,380. The lowest tenth earn under $41,250, while the highest tenth earn more than $168,560.
Employment stands at 450, or 0.2 jobs per thousand held locally. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 167th of 688 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $41,250 | −25.7% |
| 25th | $42,710 | −23.0% |
| Median (50th) | $126,470 | +127.9% |
| 75th | $166,380 | +199.8% |
| 90th | $168,560 | +203.8% |
| Mean | $115,040 | +107.3% |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in San Francisco run 15.6% above the national average, so the median of $126,470 buys what $109,403 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 97.2% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$126,470as reported by BLSLocal price level
115.6US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$109,403US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $126,470 a year, 127.9% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $41,250 to $168,560 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 450 jobs in this occupation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators in San Francisco, CA?
The median annual wage is $126,470, or $60.80 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 San Francisco, CA is 127.9% 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 San Francisco, CA earns more than $168,560 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $41,250 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.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 450 jobs in this occupation in San Francisco, CA. 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.
Explore related data