Money · 1 of 5
What illustrators make
Median for the group
$55,490
Bottom tenth
$31,630
Top tenth
$144,210
The national median is $55,490 a year, the bottom tenth earn $31,630 or less and the top tenth $144,210 or more, in the 2025 survey. Two warnings. The federal survey lumps illustrators in with painters and sculptors under Fine Artists, and it counts people on a payroll, so most freelance illustrators are not in these numbers at all. Treat the range as a rough shape, not a promise.