The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies creative directors under the category "advertising and promotions managers." Creative directors are responsible for art directors, copy chiefs and other creative staff in an advertising agency, or in a company's advertising department. Flexibility and maturity are important skills for creative directors, the bureau notes.
Features
As of May 2010, the mean annual wage for advertising and promotion managers was $98,720, according to the bureau's Occupational Employment Statistics survey. The bottom ten percent earned $41,480 and the top ten percent were paid more than $122,570 per year. The median income for advertising and promotions managers was $83,890. The bureau calculated mean annual wages by multiplying the mean hourly wage of $47.46 by 2,080, which is the standard number of hours worked by a full-time employee.
Industries
"Advertising, public relations, and related services" was the industry that employed the largest number of advertising and promotions managers. The mean annual wage in that industry was $121,560. Advertising was also the industry with the highest employment concentration for creative directors. However, the highest-paying industry for the occupation was electrical wholesalers, at $140,710.
Locations
New York, California, Illinois, Texas and Florida were the five states that employed the largest numbers of advertising and promotions managers. Mean annual wages in those states ranged from $74,050 in Illinois to $142,330 in New York, which was also the highest-paying state for the occupation as of May 2010. Rounding out the top-paying states for creative directors were New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan and Minnesota. New York was the highest-paying metropolitan area, with a mean annual wage of $147,950.
Considerations
The bureau estimates that overall employment for advertising managers, including creative directors, is expected to decline by 2 percent through the year 2018. However, there will be an increased need for advertising managers to help develop new programs for digital media. College graduates with relevant work experience will enjoy the best job prospects. The bureau states that in addition to a salary and benefits, advertising managers can receive substantial bonuses that may equal as much as 10 percent of their salaries.
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