Art Therapists Career, Salary and Skills
Art Therapists have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $77,930 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 22,640. Wage data is published for 119 locations.
Occupation description
Plan or conduct art therapy sessions or programs to improve clients' physical, cognitive, or emotional well-being.
O*NET code
29-1129.01
Job zone
5
Typical education
Not recorded
Experience
Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$77,930
Hourly median
$37.47
Employment
22,640
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.25 | 5.00 |
| Monitoring | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Active Listening | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Service Orientation | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Writing | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Active Learning | 3.62 | 3.88 |
Typical tasks
- Supervise staff, volunteers, practicum students, or interns.
- Conduct art therapy sessions, providing guided self-expression experiences to help clients recover from, or cope with, cognitive, emotional, or physical impairments.
- Talk with clients during art or other therapy sessions to build rapport, acknowledge their progress, or reflect upon their reactions to the artistic process.
- Write treatment plans, case summaries, or progress or other reports related to individual clients or client groups.
- Assess client needs or disorders, using drawing, painting, sculpting, or other artistic processes.
- Design art therapy sessions or programs to meet client's goals or objectives.
- Observe and document client reactions, progress, or other outcomes related to art therapy.
- Instruct individuals or groups in the use of art media, such as paint, clay, or yarn.
Technology
- Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe After Effects
- Adobe Creative Cloud software
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Appointment scheduling software
- Autodesk Maya
- Case management software
- IBM SPSS Statistics
- Image databases
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
Art Therapists salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Art Therapists Salary in NJMedian $100,250 · Employment 7,090
- Art Therapists Salary in Philadelphia, PAMedian $81,170 · Employment 1,330
- Art Therapists Salary in TXMedian $74,750 · Employment 1,320
- Art Therapists Salary in MDMedian $49,400 · Employment 1,310
- Art Therapists Salary in NYMedian $77,980 · Employment 1,110
- Art Therapists Salary in ILMedian $116,200 · Employment 1,060
- Art Therapists Salary in GAMedian $59,380 · Employment 970
- Art Therapists Salary in CAMedian $81,760 · Employment 840
- Art Therapists Salary in Baltimore, MDMedian $46,540 · Employment 740
- Art Therapists Salary in Atlanta, GAMedian $62,450 · Employment 740
- Art Therapists Salary in PAMedian $62,310 · Employment 710
- Art Therapists Salary in LAMedian $64,530 · Employment 690
Related careers
- Massage TherapistsNational median $58,450
- School PsychologistsNational median $95,990
- Psychiatric AidesNational median $44,910
- Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation TherapistsNational median $100,330
- Speech-Language PathologistsNational median $97,870
- Physical TherapistsNational median $102,760
- Physical Therapist AssistantsNational median $68,380
- Healthcare Social WorkersNational median $67,880
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.