Art Directors pay range in Houston
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $53,920 a year or less, while the top 10% make $155,220 or more. The middle half of art directors in Houston earn between $72,250 and $110,830.
- $54K10th
- $72K25th
- $92KMedian
- $111K75th
- $155K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $97,900 | $8,158 | $47.07 |
| Median | $91,570 | $7,631 | $44.02 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $72,250 | $6,021 | $34.74 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $110,830 | $9,236 | $53.28 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Art Directors salary after taxes in Houston
On the average salary of $97,900, a single filer in Houston takes home about $77,703 a year, or $6,475 a month and $2,989 every two weeks. Taxes take 21% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax.
Is Houston a good place for art directors? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Houston area are in line with the U.S. average (BEA price parity 98.6), so the average $97,900 buys what about $99,261 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.9 times the median wage of all jobs in Houston ($49,410). A typical home costs $308,306, or 3.1 years of this average salary before tax.
Art Directors salary in other Texas cities
Houston ranks 3rd of 4 Texas metro areas for this job; Austin pays the most ($122,130).
- Austin$122,130
- Dallas$98,450
- Houston$97,900
- San Antonio$93,670
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 Houston: questions
How much do art directors make an hour in Houston?
$47.07 an hour on average, and $44.03 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level art directors salary in Houston?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $53,920 a year and the 25th percentile is $72,250, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the art directors take-home pay in Houston?
About $77,703 a year ($6,475 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $97,900. Texas has no state income tax.
Do art directors earn more in Houston than elsewhere?
The average here is 27% less 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (26420). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 6.2%.
- 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 no state income tax.
- Job concentration: location quotient 0.27, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.27).
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