California Art Director Salary and Employment Trends (State and City)

First, if you don't know what an Art Director does, check out our career profile here.

As you can see below, California is where it's at for Art Directors as more Art Directors are employed in California than any other US State. With a median wage of $95,080, Art Directors in California earn the second highest median wage of all US States (New York leads at $124,270). 

State of California:

• From 2002 to 2011, employment for Art Directors in California increased 147%
• From 2002 to 2011, the median income for Art Directors in California increased 36%. 

Los Angeles Area:

• Despite a reduction in employment after the 2008 recession, Los Angeles Art Director employment still increased 167% from 2002 to 2011.
• The median income for Los Angeles Art Directors increased 35% from 2002 to 2011. 
• The Los Angeles area employs the most Art Directors of any metropolitan area in California. 

Oakland Area: 

• Despite a reduction in employment after the 2008 recession, Oakland Art Director employment still increased 166% from 2002 to 2011.
• The median income for Oakland Art Directors increased 17% from 2002 to 2011.

Riverside/San Bernardino Area:

Sacramento Area:

• Despite a reduction in employment after the 2008 recession, Sacramento Art Director employment still increased 37% from 2003 to 2011.
• The median income for Sacramento Art Directors increased only 4.6% from 2003 to 2011.

San Diego Area: 

• Despite a reduction in employment after the 2008 recession, San Diego Art Director employment still increased 107% from 2002 to 2011.
• The median income for San Diego Art Directors increased 10% from 2002 to 2011.

San Francisco Area: 

• Despite a reduction in employment after the 2008 recession, San Francisco Art Director employment still increased 120% from 2002 to 2011.
• The median income for San Francisco Art Directors increased 34% from 2002 to 2011.

San Jose Area: 

• Despite a reduction in employment after the 2008 recession, San Jose Art Director employment still increased 130% from 2002 to 2011.
• The median income for San Jose Art Directors increased 68% from 2002 to 2011.

Santa Ana/Anaheim Area:

• Santa Ana/Anaheim Art Director employment increased 7% from 2005 to 2011.
• The median income for Santa Ana/Anaheim Art Directors increased 4% from 2005 to 2011.

Santa Barbara Area: 

• Santa Barbara Art Director employment decreased 28%% from 2005 to 2011.
• However, the median income for Santa Barbara Art Directors increased 86% from 2005 to 2011.