Art Directors pay range in Boston
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $80,680 a year or less, while the top 10% make $218,270 or more. The middle half of art directors in Boston earn between $105,330 and $169,710.
- $81K10th
- $105K25th
- $152KMedian
- $170K75th
- $218K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $147,730 | $12,311 | $71.02 |
| Median | $151,820 | $12,652 | $72.99 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $105,330 | $8,778 | $50.64 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $169,710 | $14,142 | $81.59 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Art Directors salary after taxes in Boston
On the average salary of $147,730, a single filer in Boston takes home about $105,173 a year, or $8,764 a month and $4,045 every two weeks. Taxes take 29% of gross pay.
The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area crosses state lines, so take-home pay depends on the state where you work:
| State | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Working in NH | $112,239 | $9,353 |
| Working in MA | $105,173 | $8,764 |
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave premiums are not included.
Is Boston a good place for art directors? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Boston area are 8% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 108.3), so the average $147,730 buys what about $136,451 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 2.3 times the median wage of all jobs in Boston ($66,620). A typical home costs $741,868, or 5.0 years of this average salary before tax.
Art Directors salary in other Massachusetts cities
Boston ranks 1st of 2 Massachusetts metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.
- Boston$147,730
- Worcester$133,850
Highest-paying cities for art directors
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($182,620).
- San Jose, CA$182,620
- San Francisco, CA$169,940
- New York, NY$161,120
- Portland, OR$158,630
- Los Angeles, CA$156,680
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Art Directors salary in Boston: questions
How much do art directors make an hour in Boston?
$71.02 an hour on average, and $72.99 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level art directors salary in Boston?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $80,680 a year and the 25th percentile is $105,330, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the art directors take-home pay in Boston?
About $105,173 a year ($8,764 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $147,730. Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave premiums are not included.
Do art directors earn more in Boston than elsewhere?
The average here is 9% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($134,942).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 27-1011; area Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH (14460). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 5.1%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave premiums are not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.68, this job is 1.7 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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