Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations Salaries by State
Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupationss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).
National mean salary $79,790 ≈ $38/hr
National median salary $62,750
Total employment 2,046,290 nationwide
Salary Map
Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.
💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States
- District of Columbia$116,520
- New York$105,940
- California$104,120
- Colorado$86,930
- New Jersey$85,390
📉 5 Lowest-Paying States
- South Dakota$50,270
- Mississippi$52,190
- Arkansas$53,770
- West Virginia$54,710
- Kentucky$56,680
State Rankings
| # | State | Mean | Median | Hourly | vs. U.S. | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $116,520 | $101,750 | $56 | +46% | 33,970 |
| 2 | New York | $105,940 | $82,250 | $51 | +32.8% | 202,830 |
| 3 | California | $104,120 | $79,520 | $50 | +30.5% | 338,230 |
| 4 | Colorado | $86,930 | $65,810 | $42 | +8.9% | 41,090 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $85,390 | $74,390 | $41 | +7% | 48,470 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $84,410 | $76,420 | $41 | +5.8% | 49,130 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $83,210 | $68,680 | $40 | +4.3% | 22,680 |
| 8 | Washington | $81,940 | $64,850 | $39 | +2.7% | 46,490 |
| 9 | Oregon | $80,670 | $64,310 | $39 | +1.1% | 30,930 |
| 10 | Hawaii | $80,310 | $57,830 | $39 | +0.7% | 9,430 |
| 11 | Maryland | $78,760 | $71,100 | $38 | -1.3% | 32,380 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $75,120 | $65,090 | $36 | -5.9% | 7,650 |
| 13 | Georgia | $74,750 | $60,670 | $36 | -6.3% | 57,620 |
| 14 | Illinois | $74,520 | $63,720 | $36 | -6.6% | 64,970 |
| 15 | Virginia | $73,210 | $62,540 | $35 | -8.2% | 52,910 |
| 16 | Vermont | $71,770 | $62,470 | $35 | -10.1% | 4,750 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $70,250 | $55,650 | $34 | -12% | 61,150 |
| 18 | Arizona | $69,790 | $56,710 | $34 | -12.5% | 33,230 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $69,470 | $62,480 | $33 | -12.9% | 37,480 |
| 20 | Nevada | $69,040 | $56,990 | $33 | -13.5% | 21,690 |
| 21 | Missouri | $68,180 | $50,790 | $33 | -14.6% | 34,140 |
| 22 | Delaware | $67,820 | $59,910 | $33 | -15% | 4,030 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $67,740 | $57,550 | $33 | -15.1% | 66,910 |
| 24 | Texas | $67,140 | $53,280 | $32 | -15.9% | 141,240 |
| 25 | Florida | $66,830 | $55,140 | $32 | -16.2% | 139,860 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $66,610 | $59,350 | $32 | -16.5% | 6,950 |
| 27 | Utah | $66,480 | $54,960 | $32 | -16.7% | 24,040 |
| 28 | Michigan | $65,910 | $55,700 | $32 | -17.4% | 52,110 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $65,440 | $50,340 | $31 | -18% | 41,190 |
| 30 | Maine | $64,160 | $53,150 | $31 | -19.6% | 7,760 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $63,720 | $49,910 | $31 | -20.1% | 18,690 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $63,650 | $57,110 | $31 | -20.2% | 33,750 |
| 33 | Alaska | $63,270 | $53,790 | $30 | -20.7% | 3,200 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $63,220 | $50,720 | $30 | -20.8% | 20,920 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $62,920 | $52,950 | $30 | -21.1% | 7,650 |
| 36 | Ohio | $62,690 | $51,720 | $30 | -21.4% | 61,250 |
| 37 | Indiana | $61,160 | $51,100 | $29 | -23.3% | 32,960 |
| 38 | Idaho | $60,160 | $49,220 | $29 | -24.6% | 9,350 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $59,890 | $50,720 | $29 | -24.9% | 15,840 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $59,820 | $50,130 | $29 | -25% | 2,410 |
| 41 | Montana | $59,160 | $51,260 | $28 | -25.9% | 7,960 |
| 42 | Iowa | $59,050 | $50,820 | $28 | -26% | 18,580 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $58,950 | $51,020 | $28 | -26.1% | 10,790 |
| 44 | Alabama | $58,230 | $49,140 | $28 | -27% | 18,140 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $57,650 | $49,080 | $28 | -27.7% | 4,940 |
| 46 | Kansas | $56,980 | $49,260 | $27 | -28.6% | 16,150 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $56,680 | $48,110 | $27 | -29% | 17,920 |
| 48 | West Virginia | $54,710 | $45,830 | $26 | -31.4% | 5,080 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $53,770 | $44,220 | $26 | -32.6% | 11,510 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $52,190 | $43,580 | $25 | -34.6% | 9,010 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $50,270 | $46,040 | $24 | -37% | 4,880 |
Top-Paying Metro Areas
Highest median pay among 521 metro areas.
| # | Metro area | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $99,010 | $117,900 | 14,980 |
| 2 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $97,320 | $115,250 | 47,540 |
| 3 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $90,060 | $102,300 | 66,280 |
| 4 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $86,000 | $109,230 | 192,960 |
| 5 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $81,620 | $111,690 | 183,330 |
| 6 | Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $79,210 | $86,440 | 2,880 |
| 7 | Waterbury-Shelton, CT | $78,760 | $109,730 | 3,230 |
| 8 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $78,610 | $87,200 | 38,240 |
| 9 | Lexington Park, MD | $77,860 | $86,610 | 580 |
| 10 | Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | $75,500 | $71,910 | 1,970 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations make in the U.S.?
The median arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations salary in the United States is $62,750 per year (mean $79,790), and about 80% earn between $34,700 and $134,900.
How much do arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations make per hour?
Roughly $38 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $79,790 and 2,080 work hours per year.
Which state pays arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations the most?
District of Columbia has the highest average pay for arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations at $116,520 per year (median $101,750).