New NEA study finds that artists are rich

Ah, some remarkable news for those of us who throw pottery clay (at first we typed poettry clay!) or wield a poetry pen or paintbrush or, well, you get it. Artists have higher salaries, reports The New York Times!

Artists in America constitute a tiny portion of the nation’s work force, but they tend to be more entrepreneurial, better educated and, with a median salary of $43,230, better paid than the average worker by nearly $4,000, according to a survey released Friday by the National Endowment for the Arts. Nearly 2.1 million Americans — 1.4 percent of the total work force — fit into the 11 occupations that the government counts under the artist heading. That includes comics and movie stars, set designers and floral designers. Six in 10 have college degrees, compared with 1 in 3 over all, and 1 out of 3 are self-employed (3.5 times more likely than the average worker). But can you make a living? Mom and Dad want to know. No problem if you become a movie star, concert master or architect (whose median annual salary is $63,000). But the median income drops to $30,000 or less in acting, photography, music or dance. When was the last time your waiter was a part-time actor?

Just had to get that last bit o' reality in there, eh? The NEA's blog really breaks it down; the study asked questions like: "What’s the most popular arts profession? Who makes the most? When do artists arrive at work? Which cities have the most artists?" The facts:

What’s not surprising about this study? From rodeo performers to showgirls, it’s pretty clear that art works!

829,000: # of designers covered by the survey. At 39%, this was the largest category. Who exactly are we talking about? Graphic, commercial, and industrial designers, fashion designers, floral designers, interior designers, merchandise displayers, and set and exhibit designers.

$43,0000: Median wages/salaries for artists in 2009. This is higher than the median for the whole labor force ($39,000), but lower than the median wage of the “professional” category of workers ($54,000), which includes artists. Architects earned the most, with a median salary of $63,100.

$.81: What women artists earn for every dollar earned by men artists.

54: Percentage of artists who are employed by the private, for-profit sector.

65: Percentage of dancers and choreographers who arrive at work at noon or later.

Architects: Artists most likely to be foreign-born—often from India, Mexico, China, and the Philippines.

New York and California: U.S. states with the highest concentrations of artists

Minneapolis, Minnesota: U.S. city with most robust book-publishing industry. It’s nearly 8 times the national average

San Jose, California: U.S. city with highest concentration of artists employed in industrial design services.

I Do!: Artists are just as likely to be married as the general workforce. Around 53-54 percent had exchanged vows.

Using a five-year data set (2005-2009) from the U.S. Census American Community Survey, the NEA analyzed 11 distinct artist occupations: actors, announcers, architects, dancers and choreographers, designers, fine artists, art directors and animators, musicians, other entertainers, photographers, producers and directors, and writers and authors. Visit our News Room for the press release.