How Much Do Art Teachers Make?
"Art teacher" means two jobs: a school art teacher on a salary, and a private art teacher paid per lesson or per seat. They sit in different BLS codes. BLS counts employees only, files private art teachers with music, dance and craft teachers in one code, and does not split art out of its school-teacher codes.
This page sets three pay figures side by side with a ZIP tool and a calculator. We found no US art teacher who published a full year's income, so this page uses official pay, a district schedule and published prices.
Which figure applies depends on whether a school district pays you a salary or you charge by the lesson or the seat.
Employed self-enrichment teachers in Seattle earn a median of $48,530, against $46,800 nationally
Every US ZIP code is matched. BLS publishes an employee median for this code in 467 of 528 areas; the other 61 show the state figure, and the tool says which. The code holds private art, music, dance and craft teachers together and does not include school teachers.
Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 25-3021, by area; Census ZIP-to-county file; USDA rural-urban codes. County figures are not shown because NAICS 611 is a catch-all. No agency publishes self-employed pay by area, so with a ZIP code the calculator uses the area's employed pay level as the guide for price. The lookup runs in your browser. It loads a small file for the first three digits of your ZIP code from this site and sends nothing else.
The District of Columbia pays employed self-enrichment teachers a median of $66,430; Arkansas pays $30,810
The table shows the national figure, the five highest and five lowest states, and six more states grouped by employment. The first column counts employees only. The second is a Census catch-all that counts gross receipts before expenses, so the two columns measure different things.
| State | Employed self-enrichment teachers, median a year (BLS May 2025) | Educational services businesses with no employees, all kinds, average gross (Census 2024) |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $46,800 | $18,746 |
| Highest five | ||
| District of Columbia | $66,430 | $18,718 |
| New Hampshire | $59,880 | $22,851 |
| New York | $57,790 | $21,935 |
| Connecticut | $55,240 | $20,749 |
| Oregon | $53,790 | $18,615 |
| Lowest five | ||
| Arkansas | $30,810 | $13,828 |
| Delaware | $34,730 | $33,640 |
| North Dakota | $35,100 | $12,149 |
| Iowa | $35,670 | $13,645 |
| Texas | $36,140 | $18,575 |
| Most people employed in this job | ||
| California | $49,570 | $22,969 |
| Pennsylvania | $41,740 | $17,285 |
| Illinois | $44,230 | $16,147 |
| New Jersey | $53,780 | $21,958 |
| Washington | $48,020 | $20,348 |
| Massachusetts | $49,430 | $19,913 |
First column: BLS May 2025 state medians for SOC 25-3021, employees only. Second column: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024, NAICS 611, average gross receipts of businesses with no employees, before expenses. That Census code is a catch-all holding tutors, driving schools and test prep alongside art and music teachers, so it is the closest published figure and not a count of art teachers.
School teachers of all subjects earn medians of $63,970 to $72,040; private and self-enrichment teachers earn $46,800
These are two different BLS groups, and both count employees. The school figures cover school teachers of all subjects, because BLS does not publish an art-only number. The $46,800 includes music, dance and craft teachers alongside private art teachers, so the gap between the two is not a measure of what art alone pays.
Studio prices are what a student pays, not what a teacher takes home. Space, materials, unfilled hours and any center's share all come out first.
Work out what you would take home before tax
Put in your price, class size, classes a week and weeks a year to see your year before tax. Pick a preset to start from an example, then change the numbers to match how you teach.
- Student seats you teach in a year$39,600
- Your share$39,600
- Card fees− $1,188
Checked November 2026. Space, materials and insurance are not deducted, so subtract your own rent and supplies. Hours are examples and unpaid prep is not counted. With a ZIP code, price follows that area's pay level.
Art instructors are on the IRS list of tipped jobs, entry 702
This section gives the IRS facts only and is not tax advice. A tax professional can say how they apply to you.
Entry 702 reads "Self-enrichment teachers. Teach individuals/groups for self-enrichment (non-occupational). Knitting instructor, piano teacher, art instructor, dance teacher 25-3021".
Employees and the self-employed can both claim it. The deduction phases out above $150,000 of modified AGI, or $300,000 on a joint return. For the self-employed it cannot exceed the net income of the business, and tips must be voluntary.
The IRS says the report goes to the employer.
This page gives no tips figure and does not estimate one.
The lowest-paid tenth of employed self-enrichment teachers earn under $30,050
BLS reports $30,050 a year at the 10th percentile and $36,380 at the 25th for employed self-enrichment teachers, May 2025. The self-enrichment code leaves out the self-employed and school teachers.
That is Step 1 on the 2025-26 salary schedule in one district in Fresno, California. Art teachers there are paid on the schedule used for every other subject. It is not a national starting salary.
That is one district's rule for teachers on a contract without a full credential, not a national one.
School art teachers hold a state teaching license; we did not find a state license for private art lessons.
Measured by us in November 2026. Art education degrees and certification drew 156 phrasings, plus 120 that name a place, measured but left off the chart.
Art teacher pay questions
If you teach art on your own, let students book and pay online between classes.
Put your private lessons, six-week classes and weekend workshops on one booking page and share the link.
- A booking page that works as the link in your bio.
- Each service with its own length and price.
- A deposit at booking, or a card on file for later.
- Tap to Pay on iPhone, to take a card in person.
Sources
Where every number on this page comes from.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: Self-Enrichment Teachers (25-3021), national, state and area, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026-05-15 Employees only; the self-employed are not surveyed. 467 of 528 areas report a median; the other 61 show the state figure.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: Elementary School Teachers (25-2021) and Secondary School Teachers (25-2031), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026-05-15 School teachers of all subjects; BLS does not split art teachers out of these codes.
- Nonemployer Statistics 2024: Educational Services (NAICS 611), national and state, U.S. Census Bureau, 2026-09-29 Gross receipts of businesses with no paid employees, before expenses. A catch-all code holding tutors, driving schools, test prep, and music and art teachers together; the closest published figure, not a count of art teachers. NAICS 611610, 61161 and 6116 are not published.
- Certificated Salary Schedule 2025-26, Washington Unified School District, Fresno, California, 2025-07-01 One district, school teachers of all subjects.
- Private lessons price list, Teaching Studios, Oyster Bay, New York, 2026-11-08 Read November 2026; not dated by the studio. One of three New York studios, not a national survey.
- Private instruction price list, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, New York, 2026-11-08 Read November 2026; not dated by the center. A nonprofit center, not a solo teacher. 2-hour minimum.
- One-on-one lesson packages for children 5 to 11, NY Art Studio, New York City, 2026-11-08 Read November 2026; not dated by the studio. $75 registration fee for new students.
- Instructor terms: 70% to the instructor, 30% to the center, Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts, Valdosta, Georgia, 2026-11-08 Read November 2026. One center's published split.
- Teach a class: 80% to the instructor, 20% to the league, Art League of Henderson County, Hendersonville, North Carolina, 2026-11-08 Read November 2026. One center's published split.
- Occupations that customarily and regularly received tips on or before Dec. 31, 2024, Internal Revenue Service, 2026-06-28 Tipped Occupation Code 702 covers self-enrichment teachers, with art instructor among its example titles.
- One Big Beautiful Bill Act: tax deductions for working Americans and seniors (no tax on tips), Internal Revenue Service, 2026-11-09 Qualified tips deductible for 2025 through 2028, up to $25,000; for the self-employed no more than net income from the trade; phases out above $150,000 of modified AGI ($300,000 joint); tips must be voluntary.
- Topic no. 761, Tips: withholding and reporting, Internal Revenue Service, 2026-11-09 Employees who receive $20 or more in cash tips in a calendar month report them to the employer by the 10th of the following month.
- Stripe pricing, standard US card rate, Stripe, 2026-10-25 the card processor kiwilaunch uses; quoted for the 3% card fee in the calculator
Not tax, legal or financial advice. Prices, pay and what you keep vary by state and city, licensing rules differ by state, and the tax rules on tips have conditions. A tax professional who knows your situation can answer for you.