Art Directors in the Memphis Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Art Directors pay in Memphis, TN-MS-AR at a median of $89,860 per year ($43.20/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $114,850, the metro estimate is 22% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 100 art directors are employed across the Memphis MSA in SOC 27-1011.

The Memphis pay distribution spans from $55,830 at the 10th percentile to $149,340 at the 90th, a 2.7× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $74,990 and the 75th at $123,500, so half of Memphis-based art directors earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Memphis, TN-MS-AR covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide TN estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.