Creative salary
45 market ranges · employer-stated pay · updated Mar 10, 2026
These figures come from 727 creative postings where the employer stated pay, covering 19 cities. The single best-evidenced figure is New York at lead, where 185 postings put the middle half between $145,000 and $198,000, with a median of $172,000.
Pay rises with seniority. Typical figures run entry level around $85,000, mid level around $107,000, senior around $125,000 and lead around $171,000. Moving from entry level to lead is worth roughly 101% more.
Location moves the number too. Of the 5 cities with enough disclosures to rank, San Francisco pays most at around $166,000 and Boston least at around $123,000, a gap of roughly 34%.
Every range here is counted from real postings, never modelled. 19 of the 36 ranges rest on fewer than 10 postings, so treat those as a hint rather than a benchmark; the sample column tells you which.
Every measured range
45 by city and level| City | Level | Market range | Median | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin | Lead | $144,000 – $185,000 | $175,000 | 5 |
| Boston | Entry | $40,000 – $54,000 | $40,000 | 8 |
| Boston | Lead | $146,000 – $202,000 | $166,000 | 17 |
| Boston | Senior | $112,000 – $139,000 | $115,000 | 7 |
| Burbank | Entry | $67,000 – $73,000 | $73,000 | 6 |
| Burbank | Lead | $80,000 – $180,000 | $153,000 | 5 |
| Chicago | Lead | $122,000 – $173,000 | $140,000 | 45 |
| Columbus | Lead | $191,000 – $191,000 | $191,000 | 5 |
| Culver City | Entry | $61,000 – $62,000 | $62,000 | 8 |
| Culver City | Lead | $169,000 – $202,000 | $172,000 | 5 |
| Denver | Entry | $66,000 – $73,000 | $70,000 | 6 |
| Denver | Lead | $110,000 – $148,000 | $115,000 | 5 |
| Indianapolis | Lead | $191,000 – $191,000 | $191,000 | 6 |
| Irvine | Lead | $159,000 – $235,000 | $211,000 | 12 |
| London | Entry | £42,000 – £52,000 | £43,000 | 18 |
| London | Lead | £82,000 – £143,000 | £119,000 | 5 |
| London | Senior | £59,000 – £70,000 | £70,000 | 18 |
| Los Angeles | Entry | $65,000 – $99,000 | $84,000 | 50 |
| Los Angeles | Lead | $143,000 – $199,000 | $164,000 | 62 |
| Los Angeles | Mid | $72,000 – $100,000 | $78,000 | 10 |
| Los Angeles | Senior | $115,000 – $172,000 | $151,000 | 11 |
| Manchester | Entry | £42,000 – £44,000 | £42,000 | 6 |
| Manchester | Senior | £44,000 – £64,000 | £52,000 | 6 |
| Miami | Entry | $52,000 – $59,000 | $52,000 | 5 |
| Minneapolis | Lead | $130,000 – $180,000 | $145,000 | 13 |
| New York | Entry | $80,000 – $107,000 | $94,000 | 52 |
| New York | Lead | $145,000 – $198,000 | $172,000 | 185 |
| New York | Mid | $92,000 – $125,000 | $112,000 | 26 |
| New York | Senior | $100,000 – $125,000 | $112,000 | 41 |
| Redmond | Lead | $195,000 – $234,000 | $219,000 | 6 |
| San Francisco | Entry | $82,000 – $160,000 | $130,000 | 19 |
| San Francisco | Lead | $160,000 – $268,000 | $216,000 | 24 |
| San Francisco | Mid | $93,000 – $172,000 | $134,000 | 6 |
| San Francisco | Senior | $100,000 – $184,000 | $142,000 | 14 |
| San Jose | Lead | $207,000 – $213,000 | $213,000 | 5 |
| San Jose | Senior | $145,000 – $145,000 | $145,000 | 8 |
| Seattle | Lead | $167,000 – $199,000 | $169,000 | 11 |
| Seattle | Mid | $84,000 – $124,000 | $105,000 | 5 |
| Seattle | Senior | $91,000 – $138,000 | $116,000 | 7 |
| Toronto | Entry | CA$54,000 – CA$74,000 | CA$61,000 | 6 |
| Toronto | Lead | CA$110,000 – CA$140,000 | CA$122,000 | 5 |
| Toronto | Senior | CA$92,000 – CA$140,000 | CA$99,000 | 6 |
| Torrance | Entry | $62,000 – $62,000 | $62,000 | 18 |
| Vancouver | Lead | CA$106,000 – CA$156,000 | CA$119,000 | 7 |
| Washington | Lead | $158,000 – $193,000 | $172,000 | 9 |
Ranges span the 25th to 75th percentile of employer-stated base pay for the city and level. Median is the 50th percentile. Sample is the number of postings measured.
Open creative roles · 3 with stated pay
Some employers here do not state pay. Where they do not, we show our own estimate instead, marked e. Anything without that mark comes from the employer.