Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk Metro

The Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk pay distribution spans from $28,820 at the 10th percentile to $85,080 at the 90th, a 3.0× 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 $28,820 and the 75th at $48,740, so half of Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk-based fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC 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 VA estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.