Art Directors pay range in Seattle
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $76,610 a year or less, while the top 10% make $216,120 or more. The middle half of art directors in Seattle earn between $86,730 and $157,140.
- $77K10th
- $87K25th
- $125KMedian
- $157K75th
- $216K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $133,830 | $11,152 | $64.34 |
| Median | $124,610 | $10,384 | $59.91 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $86,730 | $7,228 | $41.70 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $157,140 | $13,095 | $75.55 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Art Directors salary after taxes in Seattle
On the average salary of $133,830, a single filer in Seattle takes home about $102,739 a year, or $8,562 a month and $3,951 every two weeks. Taxes take 23% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax. Washington's WA Cares (0.58%) and Paid Family and Medical Leave payroll premiums are not included.
Is Seattle a good place for art directors? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Seattle area are 11% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 111.1), so the average $133,830 buys what about $120,423 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.7 times the median wage of all jobs in Seattle ($72,610). A typical home costs $750,279, or 5.6 years of this average salary before tax.
Art Directors salary in other Washington cities
Seattle ranks 1st of 2 Washington metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.
- Seattle$133,830
- Spokane$100,720
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 Seattle: questions
How much do art directors make an hour in Seattle?
$64.34 an hour on average, and $59.91 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level art directors salary in Seattle?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $76,610 a year and the 25th percentile is $86,730, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the art directors take-home pay in Seattle?
About $102,739 a year ($8,562 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $133,830. Washington has no state income tax; Washington's WA Cares (0.58%) and Paid Family and Medical Leave payroll premiums are not included.
Do art directors earn more in Seattle than elsewhere?
The average here is about the same as 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (42660). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 4.6%.
- 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. Washington's WA Cares (0.58%) and Paid Family and Medical Leave payroll premiums are not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 0.73, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.73).
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