CCollegeMatcher

Craft Artists

US occupation · SOC 27-1012

Job titles people report: Artist, Ceramic Artist, Decorative Arts Production Artist, Fiber Artist, Fine Craft Artist, Glass Artist, Goldsmith, Hand-Weaver, Tapestry Artist, Textile Artist

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025
$46,080
Half earn more, half earn less
Middle half earn
$35,020 – $58,240
25th to 75th percentile
People employed, May 2025
4,580
Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
Projected change, 2025–35
+2%
Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)
Openings a year (projected)
1,000
New jobs plus replacing people who leave
Typical education to enter
No formal educational credential
BLS
  • All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
  • Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
  • Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Create or reproduce handmade objects for sale and exhibition using a variety of techniques, such as welding, weaving, pottery, and needlecraft.

Main tasks

  • Select materials for use based on strength, color, texture, balance, weight, size, malleability and other characteristics.
  • Create functional or decorative objects by hand, using a variety of methods and materials.
  • Develop concepts or creative ideas for craft objects.
  • Apply finishes to objects being crafted.
  • Cut, shape, fit, join, mold, or otherwise process materials, using hand tools, power tools, or machinery.
  • Set specifications for materials, dimensions, and finishes.
  • Advertise products and work, using media such as internet advertising and brochures.
  • Sketch or draw objects to be crafted.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)
No formal educational credential
Training once hired: long-term on-the-job training
O*NET Job Zone 3
Medium preparation
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Interests it suits

The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.

  • Artistic: creating, designing and self-expression
  • Realistic: hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
  • Enterprising: leading, persuading and making business decisions

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 11 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Visual & Performing Arts

  • Visual and Performing Arts, General
  • Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry
  • Art/Art Studies, General
  • Drawing
  • Painting
  • Sculpture
  • Printmaking
  • Ceramic Arts and Ceramics
3 more programmes
  • Fiber, Textile and Weaving Arts
  • Jewelry Arts
  • Metal Arts

Find colleges that fit you with our matcher: choose Visual & Performing Arts at the Major step.

Where many students take visual & performing arts

Ordered by the field's share of degrees awarded times undergraduate enrolment (College Scorecard), among colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online universities are included. It's a rough measure of how big the programme is. It says nothing about quality. The share counts every programme in the field, not only the ones linked to this career.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

← All careers

Sources

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0

Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.

Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk