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Art Therapists Salary in CA

In the 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS dataset, Art Therapists in CA have a median annual salary of $81,760, with 840 recorded jobs in this area. Recorded earnings range from $59,880 at the 10th percentile to $166,300 at the 90th percentile.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · Data year: 2025 · Last updated: 2026-09-22

Salary overview

Median annual salary

$81,760

Data year: 2025

Hourly median

$39.31

Employment

840

Source

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS

Salary distribution

$59,880
10th
$70,730
25th
$81,760
Median
$105,140
75th
$166,300
90th

Local compared with national

CA

$81,760

Median annual · 2025

United States

$77,930

Median annual · 2025

The CA median is 4.9% above the national median in the available dataset (a difference of $3,830).

Top skills

  1. 1.Social PerceptivenessImportance 4.3
  2. 2.Active ListeningImportance 4.0
  3. 3.SpeakingImportance 4.0
  4. 4.MonitoringImportance 4.0
  5. 5.Critical ThinkingImportance 3.9
  6. 6.Service OrientationImportance 3.9
  7. 7.Judgment and Decision MakingImportance 3.9
  8. 8.Reading ComprehensionImportance 3.8
  9. 9.WritingImportance 3.8
  10. 10.Active LearningImportance 3.6
  11. 11.Complex Problem SolvingImportance 3.4
  12. 12.Learning StrategiesImportance 3.1

Career information

Education and experience

Experience
Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Job zone
5

Technology used

  • 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
  • Microsoft PowerPoint

Common tasks

  • Instruct individuals or groups in the use of art media, such as paint, clay, or yarn.
  • 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.
  • Develop individualized treatment plans that incorporate studio art therapy, counseling, or psychotherapy techniques.
  • Establish goals or objectives for art therapy sessions in consultation with clients or site administrators.

Related careers

Occupations recorded as related in the dataset. A relationship does not imply a guaranteed transition.

Art Therapists salary in other locations

Other occupations in CA