The Average Salary of a Creative Manager

A creative manager generally oversees employees responsible for creating print material such as advertisements, TV and radio spots, music, and public relations campaigns. Sometimes called creative directors, creative managers are commonly paid salaries comparable to advertising managers, public relations directors and product management directors.

Creative Manager Duties

Creative managers are commonly top-level managers who oversee the visual and audio branding of a company, product or project. It is common for mid-level manages such as art directors and copy editors to report directly to a creative manager. On a day-to-day basis, a creative manager performs a variety of duties such as hiring, directing creative teams, developing strategies and approving work submitted by team members.

National Hourly Wage Overview

As of 2010, there were more than 85,000 people working in positions comparable to that of a creative manager. These positions include advertising managers and public relations managers, who often assume duties of a creative director. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a creative manager is paid by annual salary and by the hour. As of stats released in 2010, hourly wages fell in the $39 to $64 range. The national hourly wage average, as of 2010, was $40 to $44.

National Salary Averages

Those working as creative directors for an annual salary, as of 2010 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, earned an average of $81,000 to $130,000 depending on market and size, company size and the nature of specific projects. Workers in larger markets, where the creative industries are larger, managers are at the top of the pay scale.

Top U.S. Markets

In the United States, as of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports in May 2010, those managers in the creative fields earned the most in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Delaware, Virginia and Rhode Island. In those states, annual salaries averaged between $109,000 and $142,000. Some managers in those markets earned, as of 2010, as much as $152,000 per year.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics : 11-2011 Advertising and Promotions Managers
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics : 11-2031 Public Relations and Fundraising Managers
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Advertising, Marketing, Promotions, Public Relations, and Sales Managers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11