Last updated 2 October 2026
How much does an illustrator make in 2026?
In the US, the median employed illustrator earns $55,490 a year, or $26.68 an hour (read from the nearest official group, Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators) (BLS, May 2025). The middle half earn $37,560 to $83,200.
Upwork puts freelance illustrators at $15 to $30 an hour, median $25, worldwide (Upwork, checked October 2026).
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What do illustrators earn in the US?
Nearest official group: Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators (SOC 27-1013). Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators. A year (BLS, May 2025):
An hour: median $26.68, middle half $18.06 to $40.00, top tenth from $69.33. About 11,220 employees.
Counting the self-employed, BLS puts the occupation at 28,900 in 2025, 62.8% of them self-employed, and projects -2.9% change by 2035 (BLS projections 2025–35).
By state
| State | Median a year | Middle half | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $98,540 | $72,600–$98,540 | n/p |
| Nevada | $81,630 | $43,750–$82,790 | 160 |
| New York | $78,870 | $62,780–$119,990 | 1,400 |
| Washington | $72,430 | $41,320–$101,530 | 350 |
| Connecticut | $71,210 | $56,160–$84,520 | 100 |
| Maryland | $66,180 | $54,690–$75,610 | 80 |
| Georgia | $65,010 | $50,350–$77,540 | 350 |
| New Mexico | $63,090 | $45,380–$72,830 | 70 |
| Minnesota | $61,730 | $56,010–$81,800 | n/p |
| California | $58,240 | $37,560–$154,540 | 2,560 |
| Utah | $57,270 | $41,560–$80,640 | 80 |
| Arizona | $56,160 | $37,340–$91,340 | 110 |
| Pennsylvania | $54,270 | $38,730–$71,170 | n/p |
| Illinois | $53,850 | $43,770–$76,900 | n/p |
| Wisconsin | $53,350 | $50,460–$68,180 | 100 |
| Colorado | $51,910 | $43,770–$76,360 | 250 |
| Florida | $50,360 | $40,200–$78,430 | 1,010 |
| Missouri | $49,820 | $35,990–$59,820 | 110 |
| Texas | $49,650 | $36,920–$64,820 | 700 |
| Kentucky | $48,050 | $22,750–$55,460 | 60 |
| Virginia | $47,930 | $35,000–$70,300 | 230 |
| Oklahoma | $47,830 | $47,830–$83,200 | 60 |
| Maine | $46,170 | $41,470–$65,700 | n/p |
| Louisiana | $40,700 | $34,060–$72,400 | n/p |
| Nebraska | $39,800 | $31,200–$46,080 | 40 |
| Michigan | $38,650 | $30,490–$80,750 | 220 |
| Arkansas | $32,340 | $29,500–$53,020 | 40 |
| Ohio | $31,780 | $24,190–$43,750 | 510 |
| Tennessee | $30,720 | $30,710–$50,320 | 100 |
| Kansas | $25,830 | $22,880–$47,960 | 40 |
States where BLS published a median (BLS, May 2025). n/p: not published (too few responses, or withheld to protect employers).
Where the most jobs are
| Metro area | Jobs | Median a year |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 450 | $126,470 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 330 | $68,140 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 260 | $55,490 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 250 | $82,580 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 230 | $65,010 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 230 | $49,650 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 210 | $49,280 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 130 | $34,560 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 120 | $42,060 |
| Cleveland, OH | 110 | $27,560 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 110 | $57,470 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 100 | $45,590 |
What do illustrators earn in the UK, Canada and Australia?
| Country | Local | In US$ |
|---|---|---|
| United StatesMedian a year (BLS, May 2025)Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators (27-1013) | $55,490 | $55,490 |
| United KingdomMedian a year, full-time (ONS ASHE, April 2025 (provisional))Artists (SOC 3411) | £47,763 | $63,009 |
| CanadaMedian an hour (Job Bank Canada, 2023–24 data)Graphic designers and illustrators (NOC 52120) | C$31.25 | $22.36 |
| AustraliaAverage a week, all employees (ABS, May 2025)Graphic and web designers, and illustrators (ANZSCO 2324) | A$1,818 | $1,173 |
US dollars at the 2025 average rates: £1 = $1.3192, US$1 = C$1.3973, A$1 = $0.645 (Federal Reserve, 2025 average). The four figures measure different things, so compare each country with itself first.
UK, full-time, a year
Artists (SOC 2020 3411). Artists. ONS rates the median acceptable, use with caution. (ONS ASHE, April 2025 (provisional))
Canada, an hour
Graphic designers and illustrators (NOC 52120), 2023-2024. Graphic designers and illustrators. (Job Bank Canada, 2023–24 data)
Australia: Graphic and web designers, and illustrators. ABS publishes the average for all employees, A$1,818 a week, with a standard error of A$103 (ABS, May 2025).
What do freelance illustrators charge?
Published by the platforms, surveys and unions below, in their words. Platform figures describe that platform's own marketplace, which is worldwide; surveys are self-reported.
| What | Figure | Where | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upwork, illustrators (Upwork, checked October 2026) | $15–$30 (median $25)an hour | Worldwide | Platform data |
A freelance rate has to cover what an employer would: unpaid time, software, equipment, tax and holidays. The rate calculator turns the income you want into the hourly rate and project prices that cover them.
Questions
How much does an illustrator make in the US?
In the US, the median employed illustrator earns $55,490 a year, or $26.68 an hour (read from the nearest official group, Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators) (BLS, May 2025). The middle half earn $37,560 to $83,200.
How much does an illustrator make in the UK?
In the UK, the nearest official group (Artists) has a full-time median of £47,763 a year, about $63,009 (ONS ASHE, April 2025 (provisional)). Artists.
How much does an illustrator make in Canada?
In Canada, Graphic designers and illustrators (NOC 52120) earn a median of C$31.25 an hour, about $22.36 (Job Bank Canada, 2023–24 data). Graphic designers and illustrators.
How much does an illustrator make in Australia?
In Australia, employees in Graphic and web designers, and illustrators (ANZSCO 2324) average A$1,818 a week, part-time included, about $1,173 (ABS, May 2025). ABS publishes averages only at this level, not percentiles.
How much should a freelance illustrator charge?
Published figures: Upwork, illustrators: $15 to $30 an hour, median $25 (Upwork, checked October 2026). These are platform and survey figures, not a census. To work out your own rate from the income you want, your costs and your billable hours, use the free calculator at https://tryslicemedia.com/tools/creative-rate-calculator.
How many illustrators are self-employed?
BLS counts 28,900 fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators in the US in 2025, of whom 62.8% are self-employed, and projects a change of -2.9% by 2035 (BLS projections 2025–35). The wage figures above cover employees only.
Sources
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia, May 2025, Data Cube 11, published 23 January 2026. Checked 2 October 2026. Official dataAverage (mean) weekly total cash earnings of ALL employees in May 2025, part-time included, by ANZSCO four-digit occupation. ABS publishes no percentiles at this level. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.
- Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Foreign Exchange Rates, G.5A Annual, 2025 averages, published 5 January 2026. Checked 2 October 2026. Official dataAverage of 2025 daily noon buying rates in New York. US government work, public domain.
- Employment and Social Development Canada (Job Bank), Job Bank wages, 2025 release (open data), published 19 November 2025. Checked 2 October 2026. Official dataHourly wages by occupation (NOC 2021), mostly from Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey, 2023–2024. Job Bank's "low" and "high" wages are the 10th and 90th percentiles in most cases. Open Government Licence – Canada.
- Office for National Statistics (UK), Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional, Table 14 (occupation by SOC 2020 four-digit), published 23 October 2025. Checked 2 October 2026. Official dataEmployee jobs in April 2025, from HMRC PAYE records. Full-time employees, gross pay. Figures ONS judges unreliable or disclosive are suppressed and shown here as not published. Provisional: ONS revises them a year later. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, published 15 May 2026. Checked 2 October 2026. Official dataSurvey of about 1.1 million employer establishments over three years. Wage and salary workers only: the self-employed are not included. Annual figures are hourly wages times 2,080 hours. US government work, public domain.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35, Table 1.2. Checked 2 October 2026. Official dataProjected change in employment from 2025 to 2035, including the self-employed, and the share of workers who are self-employed. US government work, public domain.
- Upwork, Illustrator Hourly Rates. Checked 2 October 2026. Platform data"Typical hourly rate ranges of certain historical contracts worldwide." The range is on the page; the median is in the page's own description (its meta text). No date on the page. Copyright Upwork; quoted with attribution.
How the roles are matched to official groups, and the rest of the method: Creative pay 2026. Download the data (CSV).
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