Money · 1 of 5
What illustrators make
Typical
$55,490
Starting out
$31,630
Top tenth
$144,210
The national median is $55,490 a year and the bottom tenth are near $31,630. 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.