Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 27-1012

Craft Artists

The published band from $25,960 to $71,990 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Special Effects Artists and Animators.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Craft Artists: Special Effects Artists and Animators ($102K) , Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners ($72K) , Public Relations Specialists ($75K) , Producers and Directors ($90K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Craft Artists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 27-1012 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Select materials for use based on strength, color, texture, balance, weight, size, malleability and other characteristics
  2. 2. Create functional or decorative objects by hand, using a variety of methods and materials
  3. 3. Develop concepts or creative ideas for craft objects
  4. 4. Apply finishes to objects being crafted
  5. 5. Cut, shape, fit, join, mold, or otherwise process materials, using hand tools, power tools, or machinery
  6. 6. Set specifications for materials, dimensions, and finishes
  7. 7. Advertise products and work, using media such as internet advertising and brochures
  8. 8. Sketch or draw objects to be crafted
  9. 9. Pack products for shipping
  10. 10. Fabricate patterns or templates to guide craft production
  11. 11. Create prototypes or models of objects to be crafted
  12. 12. Develop product packaging, display, and pricing strategies

Craft Artists: O*NET ranks Critical Thinking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 27-1012 - lead skill Critical Thinking at 3.1 ; lead knowledge Design. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Critical Thinking 3.1
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 3.0
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.0
  4. 4. Speaking 3.0
  5. 5. Monitoring 3.0
  6. 6. Social Perceptiveness 2.9
  7. 7. Judgment and Decision Making 2.9
  8. 8. Writing 2.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Design 3.9
  2. 2. Fine Arts 3.7
  3. 3. Sales and Marketing 3.6
  4. 4. English Language 3.3
  5. 5. Customer and Personal Service 3.3
  6. 6. Production and Processing 3.2
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$25,960 to $71,990
median $46,080 · ~2.8× spread
$46K
National median
↑ +2%
Growth 2024-2034
1,000
Annual openings
4,580
Estimated US jobs
Special Effects Artists and Animators
Highest-pay peer · $102K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Craft Artists

1. Wisconsin $58,650
2. Massachusetts $47,660
3. Missouri $61,780
4. California $100,540
5. Texas $54,690
6. Maine $53,380
7. Oregon $51,060
8. New York $49,020
9. Florida $48,710
10. Georgia $48,880

Other Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles

  1. 1. Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners $72,420
  2. 2. Special Effects Artists and Animators $102,030
  3. 3. Public Relations Specialists $74,750
  4. 4. Producers and Directors $90,360
  5. 5. Film and Video Editors $75,420
  6. 6. Technical Writers $90,390

The OEWS band for Craft Artists runs from $25,960 (10th) to $71,990 (90th), about 2.8× wide, with median $46,080. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +2% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,000 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Wisconsin at $58,650. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Special Effects Artists and Animators at $102,030. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Craft Artists pay-rank #32 in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

On the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations median table (36 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Craft Artists lands at #32, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Craft Artists is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Craft Artists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 27-1012

Wisconsin · top state for Craft Artists

$59K published median

Massachusetts · #2 state pay

$48K · behind Wisconsin

Special Effects Artists and Animators

Highest-pay peer vs Craft Artists · $102K

Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners

Lower-pay peer beside Craft Artists · $72K

Compare Craft Artists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Craft Artists with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Craft Artists land on the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations median table? ▼
Craft Artists is pay-rank #32 of 36 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Coaches and Scouts ($47K), Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys ($47K), Photographers ($45K), Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials ($41K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do craft artists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Craft Artists. Leading ones include: Select materials for use based on strength, color, texture, balance, weight, size, malleability and other characteristics; Create functional or decorative objects by hand, using a variety of methods and materials; Develop concepts or creative ideas for craft objects; Apply finishes to objects being crafted. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for craft artists? ▼
For SOC 27-1012, O*NET importance scores lead with Critical Thinking (3.1), Reading Comprehension (3.0), Active Listening (3.0), Speaking (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Design, Fine Arts, Sales and Marketing. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Craft Artists? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $25,960 and the 90th at $71,990 for Craft Artists (2.8× spread). The national median is $46,080. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Craft Artists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Craft Artists is +2%. Projected annual openings: about 1,000. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Craft Artists? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Craft Artists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Craft Artists? ▼
Wisconsin ($58,650), Massachusetts ($47,660), Missouri ($61,780) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Craft Artists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 27-1012. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Craft Artists. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics