Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Artists in America -- economic stats

NYTimes reported on a US gov't study: 

...... In 2005 nearly two million Americans said their primary employment was in jobs that the census defines as artists’ occupations — including architects, interior designers and window dressers. Their combined income was about $70 billion, a median of $34,800 each. Another 300,000 said artist was their second job.


......The percentage of female, black, Hispanic and Asian artists is bigger among younger ones. Among artists under 35, writers are the only group in which 80 percent or more are non-Hispanic white. Overall, women outnumber men only among dancers, designers and writers....  Overall, the median income that artists reported in 2005 was $34,800 — $42,000 for men and $27,300 for women. The median income of the 55 percent of artists who said they had worked full-time for a full year was $45,200.


.....Over all, artists make more than the national median income ($30,100). They are more highly educated but earn less than other professionals with the same level of schooling. 

{like, half as much.  I know: I've worked jobs where I had to have my Master's degree, but made less per hour than a fully employed high school grad}

 They are likelier to be self-employed (about one in three and growing) and less likely to work full-time, year-round. (Dancers have the lowest median annual income of all artists, architects the highest — $20,000 and $58,000, respectively.)....


...About 13 percent of people who say their primary occupation is artist also hold a second job — about twice the rate that other people in the labor force work two jobs......


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1 Comments:

Blogger Rashma said...

this is true worldwide unless the artist is an entertainer, a polite word for mediocre. i know a bright artist who sells second hand books by the roadside in N Delhi. i thought the first world was diffn.

11:22 PM  

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