The U.S. artist labor force numbered 2.7 million people in 2024, while employment conditions varied substantially by occupation. Artists were less likely than the total U.S. labor force to work full time, and craft and fine artists were more likely to be self-employed. The following figures combine National Endowment for the Arts labor-market measures with Bureau of Labor Statistics occupation data; the measurement years and definitions differ, so they should be read in context.
Contents
- How many artists are in the U.S. labor force
- Full-time and part-time employment
- Second jobs, gender, and weekly hours
- Employment counts and work settings
- Art occupation wage statistics
- Employment outlook and projected openings
How many artists are in the U.S. labor force
The National Endowment for the Arts reported an artist labor force of 2.7 million people in 2024. That compares with 2.5 million in 2019 and 2.3 million in 2015. These are artist-labor-force counts for the stated years, rather than a count of every person who makes art or participates in cultural activity.
The same 2024 measure counted 1.1 million non-artist cultural workers, up from 982,000 in 2019. The categories describe different parts of the cultural workforce, so the non-artist cultural-worker figure should not be added to the artist figure as though the groups were identical.
Within the 2024 artist labor force, designers accounted for 1.0 million people. Performers accounted for 432,000; fine artists, art directors, and animators accounted for 336,000; writers accounted for 269,000; and architects accounted for 234,000. These occupation-group counts show why “artist employment” is broader than employment in studio-based fine art alone.
Source: Measuring the Arts: Indicator A.5, What is the Labor Market Status of Artists and Other Cultural Workers?, National Endowment for the Arts, with measurements for 2015, 2019, and 2024.
Full-time and part-time employment
In 2024, 72% of artists were employed full time, defined as usually working at least 35 hours per week. Another 23% were employed part time, defined as usually working fewer than 35 hours per week. The corresponding figures for the total U.S. labor force were 80% full time and 16% part time.
The occupation mix produced wide differences. Architects had a 91% full-time employment rate in 2024, while producers had an 87% full-time rate. Performers had a 54% full-time rate. On the part-time measure, 6% of architects and 7% of producers worked part time. The available percentages are occupation-specific measures and should not be treated as a complete accounting of every artist’s hours.
Across all jobs, 13% of artists worked 20–34 hours per week in 2024. Smaller groups worked 10–19 hours (4%) or 1–9 hours (2%), while 4% reported that their weekly hours varied. Together, these measures capture working-time patterns that a simple full-time/part-time split does not fully describe.
| Group or pattern | 2024 share |
|---|---|
| Artists working full time | 72% |
| Artists working part time | 23% |
| Total U.S. labor force working full time | 80% |
| Total U.S. labor force working part time | 16% |
| Artists working 20–34 hours across all jobs | 13% |
Source: Measuring the Arts: Indicator A.5, What is the Labor Market Status of Artists and Other Cultural Workers?, 2024. Full-time means usually at least 35 hours per week; part-time means usually fewer than 35 hours.
Second jobs, gender, and weekly hours
Multiple-job holding was more common among artists than in the overall U.S. labor force in 2024. Nine percent of artists held a second job, compared with 7% of non-artist cultural workers and 5% of the total U.S. labor force. Among artists, 8% held a second job outside the arts, while less than 1% held a second job in another artist occupation.
The gender figures also show different employment patterns. In 2024, 29% of female artists worked part time, compared with 17% of male artists. Female artists were also more likely to work 20–34 hours across all jobs: 16% did so, compared with 9% of male artists.
For the 10–19-hour range, the shares were 5% for female artists and 3% for male artists. Five percent of female artists reported variable weekly hours. The supplied 2024 measure does not provide a corresponding male percentage for variable weekly hours in this comparison.
These statistics describe reported labor-market status in 2024. They do not by themselves identify why hours varied, whether a second job was voluntary, or how earnings were divided among jobs.
Source: Measuring the Arts: Indicator A.5, What is the Labor Market Status of Artists and Other Cultural Workers?, 2024.
Employment counts and work settings
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted about 53,400 U.S. jobs for craft and fine artists in 2025. Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators, held 28,900 jobs. Craft artists held 11,500 jobs, while artists and related workers not otherwise classified held 13,000 jobs.
The work setting for craft and fine artists was strongly independent. Self-employed workers accounted for 58% of these jobs in 2025. Independent artists, writers, and performers accounted for 7%, while the federal government, excluding the postal service, accounted for 6%. Personal care services accounted for 4%, and motion picture and sound recording industries accounted for 2%.
These percentages refer to the craft-and-fine-artist occupation grouping and its 2025 job distribution. They should not be generalized to the entire 2.7-million-person artist labor force, which includes designers, performers, writers, architects, and other groups.
A broader museum and heritage comparison comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational projections and worker-characteristics table: archivists, curators, and museum technicians together held 38,500 U.S. jobs in 2025. That combined figure covers three occupations rather than a single art occupation.
Source: Craft and Fine Artists: Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025; and Occupational projections and worker characteristics, 2025.
Art occupation wage statistics
In May 2025, the median annual wage for craft and fine artists was $55,290. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $31,490 annually, while the highest-paid 10% earned more than $131,810. A median is the midpoint of the wage distribution; it is not a guarantee for an individual artist.
Wages differed by the more specific occupation. Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators, had a median annual wage of $55,490. Craft artists had a median of $46,080. Artists and related workers not otherwise classified had a median of $71,240.
Other art and design occupations had higher May 2025 medians in the supplied Bureau of Labor Statistics measures. Art directors had a median annual wage of $114,850, while special effects artists and animators had a median of $102,030.
| Occupation or group | Median annual wage | Measurement date |
|---|---|---|
| Craft and fine artists | $55,290 | May 2025 |
| Fine artists | $55,490 | May 2025 |
| Craft artists | $46,080 | May 2025 |
| Artists and related workers, not otherwise classified | $71,240 | May 2025 |
| Art directors | $114,850 | May 2025 |
| Special effects artists and animators | $102,030 | May 2025 |
The craft-and-fine-artist wage distribution is especially wide: the reported lower decile was below $31,490, while the upper decile exceeded $131,810. Wage figures and employment counts use Bureau of Labor Statistics occupation definitions and are not interchangeable with the National Endowment for the Arts artist-labor-force totals.
Sources: Craft and Fine Artists: Occupational Outlook Handbook, Art Directors: Occupational Outlook Handbook, and Special Effects Artists and Animators: Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025.
Employment outlook and projected openings
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that craft-and-fine-artist employment will decline 1% from 2025 to 2035. Even with that projected decline, about 4,300 openings are projected each year on average during the period.
Art directors have a different forecast. Employment is projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, rising from 140,200 jobs in 2025 to 146,000 in 2035. The projected numeric increase is 5,900 jobs, and about 12,200 openings are projected each year on average.
Special effects artists and animators are projected to show 0% employment change from 2025 to 2035. The underlying figures move from 51,900 jobs in 2025 to 51,800 in 2035, a projected numeric change of -100. About 4,200 openings are projected each year on average.
| Occupation | 2025–2035 projected change | Average projected annual openings |
|---|---|---|
| Craft and fine artists | -1% | 4,300 |
| Art directors | 4% | 12,200 |
| Special effects artists and animators | 0% | 4,200 |
Projected openings are estimates for the 2025–2035 period, not guaranteed new jobs or a forecast of an individual’s hiring prospects. The outlook also uses occupation-specific definitions, so it should be compared with the labor-force and wage figures only after accounting for those scope differences.
Sources: Craft and Fine Artists: Occupational Outlook Handbook, Art Directors: Occupational Outlook Handbook, and Special Effects Artists and Animators: Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bureau of Labor Statistics projections for 2025–2035.