Art Directors
SOC 27-1011 · 2024-2034
Formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual productions and media, such as print, broadcasting, video, and film. Direct workers engaged in artwork or layout design.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $141,637per year
- Projected openings
- 30,370
- Projected change
- +5.5%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Reading Comprehension
- Coordination
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $175,401 | 1,950 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $169,474 | 3,250 |
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $149,290 | 40 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $147,801 | 60 |
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | $143,306 | 200 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $137,190 | 13,640 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $136,305 | 2,630 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $134,159 | 1,120 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $125,829 | 120 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $123,251 | 40 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $117,406 | 110 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $116,544 | 80 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $115,455 | 2,060 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $111,284 | 780 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $111,089 | 70 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $110,216 | 180 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $109,394 | 70 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $107,843 | 150 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $106,292 | 590 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | Not reported | 80 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $83,781
- A quarter earn under
- $109,450
- Half earn under
- $141,637
- Three quarters earn under
- $197,765
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $256,186
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic Designers | $77,233 | 24,970 | +1.2% |
| Special Effects Artists and Animators | $134,194 | 17,760 | +7% |
| Producers and Directors | $133,423 | 31,850 | +12.2% |
| Project Management Specialists | $122,938 | 89,550 | +6.8% |
| Writers and Authors | $88,901 | 23,670 | +7% |
| Set and Exhibit Designers | $107,970 | 5,810 | +4.2% |
Programs that train for this job — 6
UX/UI for Web Design Certificate Program (Online)
Otis College of Art and Design · Los Angeles · $5,750
Photography
UCSD Division of Extended Studies · La Jolla · $5,975
Graphic Designer: Advertising Design
Abram Friedman Occupational Center-LAUSD · Los Angeles · $2,914
Adobe Certified Professional Illustrator and InDesign
Charter Oak Adult Education · Covina · $400
Graphic Designer:Advertising Design
North Valley Occupational Center - LAUSD · Mission Hills · $2,990
3D Character Design/Animation
Southern California Regional Occupational Center · Torrance · $700