# Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators

US SOC code 27-1013. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/27-1013

Also called: Fine artist, Painter, Sculptor, Illustrator, Visual artist.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **11,220** US fine artists (including painters, sculptors, and illustrators), with median pay of **$55,490** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **12,480**, in May 2012. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1900/occupations/occupations-part-3.pdf) of **6,500** from 1880, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for fine artists: Stock imagery platforms and web-scale image licensing, 2000 to 2022. The collapse of per-image commission rates in the 2000s cut into the commission income fine artists had relied on.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to decline 2.9% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-1013&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **31.3%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1790
- Latest US employment: 11,220 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $55,490 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [8]
- Outlook: -2.9% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [22]

### All 27 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1880 | 6,500 (estimate) | n/a | Est., 1900 Census Special Reports [1] |
| 1900 | 25,000 | $700 (estimate) | Decennial Census 1900 (employment) [1]; Est., University of Missouri Libraries (pay) [5] |
| 1936 | 6,000 (estimate) | $1,222 (estimate) | Est., Wikipedia [2] |
| 1990 | 86,000 (estimate) | $21,000 (estimate) | Est., National Endowment for the Arts [3] |
| 2003 | 9,690 | $35,420 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 9,570 | $38,060 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 10,390 | $41,280 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 11,260 | $41,970 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 10,500 | $42,070 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 9,380 | $42,650 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 8,900 | $44,160 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 10,320 | $44,850 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 11,830 | $44,600 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 12,480 | $44,850 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 11,980 | $42,610 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 12,100 | $43,890 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 12,240 | $46,460 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 11,520 | $50,790 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 11,230 | $49,520 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 11,620 | $49,380 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 12,350 | $50,550 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 11,070 | $52,340 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 9,430 | $60,820 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 12,080 | $57,560 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 10,910 | $59,300 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 10,000 | $60,560 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 11,220 | $55,490 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (90)

### Employment series

1. [1900 Census Special Reports: Occupations at the Twelfth Census (historical comparison Chapter II)](https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1900/occupations/occupations-part-3.pdf), US Census Bureau
2. [Wikipedia: Federal Art Project (WPA/FAP, 1935-1943)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Art_Project), Wikipedia / multiple primary sources
3. [NEA "Artists in the Workforce: 1990-2005" (fine artists, 1990 Census baseline)](https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/ArtistsInWorkforce.pdf), National Endowment for the Arts
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

5. [University of Missouri Libraries: Prices and Wages by Decade 1900-1909](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1900-1909), University of Missouri Libraries
6. [Derived from WPA Federal Art Project relief wage (~$23.50/week, 1935-1943); annualized estimate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Art_Project), Derived estimate (WPA Federal Art Project)
7. [NEA "Artists in the Workforce: 1990-2005" (fine artist median earnings, 1990 Census)](https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/ArtistsInWorkforce.pdf), National Endowment for the Arts
8. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
9. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

10. [The Technologies of Nineteenth-Century Illustration: Woodblock Engraving and Steel Engraving (Victorian Web)](https://www.victorianweb.org/art/illustration/tech1.html), The Victorian Web
11. [History of Nineteenth-Century Periodical Illustration (NCNA Digital Humanities / NC State)](https://ncna.dh.chass.ncsu.edu/imageanalytics/history.php), NC State University Digital Humanities
12. [Library of Congress Research Guide: Cabinet of American Illustration (Magazine and Book Illustration, 1880-1930)](https://guides.loc.gov/cabinet-of-american-illustration), Library of Congress
13. [New Masters Academy Canvas: "The Golden Age of American Illustration" (1880-1930 era history)](https://canvas.nma.art/2020/11/09/the-golden-age-of-american-illustration/), New Masters Academy
14. [Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies: Cultural Context of Illustration (magazine photography transition)](https://rockwellcenter.org/about-the-center/art-of-illustration/), Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies
15. [National Endowment for the Arts "Trends in Artist Occupations: 1970-1990" (NEA Research Report #29)](https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/NEA-Research-Report-29.pdf), National Endowment for the Arts
16. [NEA "Artists in the Workforce: 1990-2005" (1990-2005 employment decline: 278,516 to 213,687, -23%)](https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/ArtistsInWorkforce.pdf), National Endowment for the Arts
17. [Wikipedia: Adobe Photoshop (release 1990, history of digital image editing)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Photoshop), Wikipedia
18. [Wikipedia: Shutterstock (founding 2003, stock imagery market history)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shutterstock), Wikipedia
19. [Eloundou et al. (2023) — "GPTs are GPTs: An Early Look at the Labor Market Impact Potential of Large Language Models" (Science, 2024)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), OpenAI / Science
20. [Thaler v. Perlmutter — DC Circuit Court of Appeals decision affirming refusal of copyright registration for AI-generated works (2025)](https://www.copyright.gov/ai/docs/court-of-appeals-decision-affirming-refusal-of-registration.pdf), US Copyright Office / DC Circuit Court of Appeals
21. [Wikipedia: Midjourney (AI image synthesis, July 2022 public beta)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midjourney), Wikipedia

### Forecasts and exposure studies

22. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 27-1013 Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators (2025: 28.9 thousand; 2035: 28.0 thousand; -2.9%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-1013&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
23. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 27-1013.00, human-rated β 0.313)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

24. [National Academy of Design: History of the Institution](https://nationalacademy.org/history/), National Academy of Design
25. [American Illustrators Gallery: Howard Pyle and the Golden Age of American Illustration](https://www.americanillustrators.com/traveling-exhibitions/howard-pyle-his-students-and-the-golden-age-of-american-illustration), American Illustrators Gallery
26. [Wikipedia: Federal Art Project (WPA, 1935-1943)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Art_Project), Wikipedia / primary WPA documentation
27. [Wikipedia: Andy Warhol (Warhol silk-screen practice and the Pop Art movement)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Warhol), Wikipedia
28. [Wikipedia: Adobe Photoshop (1.0 launch February 19, 1990)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Photoshop), Wikipedia
29. [Wikipedia: Midjourney (public beta July 2022; history of AI image generation tools)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midjourney), Wikipedia
30. [Thaler v. Perlmutter — DC Circuit Court of Appeals decision affirming refusal of copyright registration for AI-generated works](https://www.copyright.gov/ai/docs/court-of-appeals-decision-affirming-refusal-of-registration.pdf), US Copyright Office / DC Circuit Court of Appeals

### Predecessors & successors

31. [Library of Congress: Cabinet of American Illustration (origin of the commercial artist profession)](https://guides.loc.gov/cabinet-of-american-illustration), Library of Congress
32. [The Technologies of Nineteenth-Century Illustration: Woodblock Engraving (Victorian Web)](https://www.victorianweb.org/art/illustration/tech1.html), The Victorian Web

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators (27-1013.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-1013.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Artists and Related Workers (2024-25)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/fine-artists-including-painters-sculptors-and-illustrators.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Hyperallergic — Thousands Call on Christie's to Nix AI Art Auction: artists organizing against AI (2025)](https://hyperallergic.com/thousands-call-on-christies-to-nix-ai-art-auction/), accessed 2026-06-21
- [ArtNews — Generative AI and the Art World: What Artists and Galleries Need to Know (2025)](https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/generative-ai-art-world-artists-galleries-2025/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Artnet News — Is the Art Trade Facing an A.I. Industrial Revolution? (2025)](https://news.artnet.com/market/ai-art-market-revolution-2666766), accessed 2026-06-21
- [Thaler v. Perlmutter — DC Circuit Court opinion: AI-only works not copyrightable (Mar 2025)](https://media.cadc.uscourts.gov/opinions/docs/2025/03/23-5233.pdf), accessed 2026-06-21
- [Andersen v. Stability AI — N.D. Cal. — class action on AI training data and artist rights (2023-2025)](https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66732129/andersen-v-stability-ai-ltd/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Spawning AI — Have I Been Trained? (Artist training data lookup)](https://haveibeentrained.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Glaze Project — University of Chicago CS: style cloaking for visual artists](https://glaze.cs.uchicago.edu/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Nightshade Project — University of Chicago CS: adversarial data poisoning defense](https://nightshade.cs.uchicago.edu/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Sotheby's — Natively Digital: curated NFT and generative art auction series (2021-2024)](https://www.sothebys.com/en/digital-catalogues/natively-digital-a-curated-nft-sale), accessed 2026-06-21
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [C2PA — Content Credentials specification: AI provenance disclosure standard (2025-2026)](https://c2pa.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Tripo3D — AI 3D model generation from text and image input (2025-2026)](https://www.tripo3d.ai/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Meshy AI — AI-powered 3D asset generation for concept and fabrication planning (2025-2026)](https://www.meshy.ai/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.