Creative Director salary
9 market ranges · employer-stated pay · updated Nov 1, 2026
The best-evidenced figure here is for creative director roles at lead level across the United States: 232 postings where the employer stated pay put the middle half between $149,821 and $204,913, with a median of $172,500.
Every range here is counted from real postings, never modelled. 1 of the 9 ranges in the table rests on fewer than 10 postings and is marked hint: treat it as a hint rather than a benchmark.
Creative Director pay by specialization
Creative 248Copywriting 5Brand Marketing 2Video Production 2Performance Marketing 1Growth Marketing 1
Live creative director roles by marketing function. A title spans functions; each link opens that function's own benchmark.
Every measured range
9 by market and level| Market | Level | Market range | Median | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States · country-wide | Lead | $149,821 – $204,913 | $172,500 | 232 |
| Canada · country-wide | Lead | CA$127,800 – CA$163,650 | CA$149,150 | 19 |
| Remote · United States | Lead | $149,285 – $213,230 | $167,500 | 45 |
| Boston | Lead | $122,625 – $189,700 | $141,250 | 10 |
| Chicago | Lead | $149,285 – $158,438 | $153,393 | 6hint |
| Los Angeles | Lead | $160,000 – $181,250 | $165,000 | 19 |
| New York | Lead | $150,000 – $209,750 | $174,750 | 66 |
| San Francisco | Lead | $175,000 – $261,250 | $195,000 | 23 |
| Toronto | Lead | CA$128,750 – CA$163,650 | CA$148,375 | 11 |
Entry is junior titles. Mid is mid-level and manager titles. Senior is senior titles. Lead is director, VP and above. Rows marked hint rest on fewer than 10 postings: read them as a hint, not a benchmark.
Ranges span the 25th to 75th percentile of employer-stated base pay for the market and level. Median is the 50th percentile. Sample is the number of postings measured.
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Pay by market
7 pagesBostonChicagoLos AngelesNew YorkSan FranciscoTorontoRemote
Creative Director vs adjacent roles
2 measured comparisons| Compared role | Level | Creative Director | Them | Gap | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing Director | Lead · US | $172,500 | $191,250 | similar pay | 232 / 144 |
| Associate Creative Director | Lead · US | $172,500 | $150,000 | +15% | 232 / 74 |
Median vs median at the same level and country, employer-stated pay, 20+ postings on each side. Positive means creative director pays more. Medians within 10% show as similar pay.
Open creative director roles · 136 with stated pay
this job's paywhere most pay sits here, $123,200–$245,000scale $70,000–$350,000
Creative Director - TWITCH LAB - Burson Burson · Washington $60,000–$140,000 4d ago 
Creative Director Cantina · Los Angeles $250,000–$350,000 4d ago Associate Creative Director, Creative Development (Art Director, Multicultural) Dentsuaegis · New York $114,425–$150,000 4d ago Creative Director, Creative Development (Copywriter) Dentsuaegis · New York $136,850–$180,000 4d ago Group Creative Director, Creative Development Dentsuaegis · New York $197,225–$260,000 4d ago 
Associate Creative Director RR Donnelley · Atlanta $99,100–$158,500 4d ago 
Associate Creative Director The New York Times · New York $148,000–$170,000 4d ago Creative Director, Stage 31 AFX Warner Bros. Discovery · CA Burbank Bldg. 4 $157,500–$292,500 4d ago 
Associate Creative Director monks · Canada CA$105,000–CA$120,000 4d ago 
Associate Creative Director, Film Panthalassa · Portland $125,000–$180,000 5d ago Associate Creative Director, Visualization Panthalassa · Portland $125,000–$180,000 5d ago 
Creative Director (Remote US) Directive · Remote · US $160,000–$185,000 6d ago Creative Director (Remote Canada) Directive · Remote · Canada CA$175,000–CA$200,000 6d ago 
Associate Creative Director, Writer Wpromote · New York $130,000–$145,000 6d ago Creative Director Shakeshack · Home Office $170,487–$228,362 8d ago 
Associate Creative Director, Art EVERSANA · Remote · US $122,570–$176,000 11d ago 
Creative Director NVE Experience Agency · Los Angeles $150,000–$175,000 11d ago 
Creative Director Sephora · Toronto CA$153,000–CA$176,600 12d ago Creative Director SketchDeck · Remote · US $100,000–$125,000 12d ago 
Creative Director Motive · San Francisco $207,000–$285,000 13d ago 
Creative Director, Visual ICF · Reston $131,256–$223,134 2w ago Creative Director gupta · Boston $130,000–$150,000 2w ago Associate Creative Director, Global Retail Experience Sol de Janeiro · New York Metropolitan $140,000–$160,000 2w ago 
Creative Director, Visual Storytelling Abbott · United States > Abbott Park : AP06C $149,300–$298,700 2w ago 
Creative Director Darkroom · Washington $160,000–$220,000 2w ago 
Creative Director (Art Director) VML Canada (English) · Toronto CA$110,000–CA$160,000 2w ago 
Creative Director, Brand Design Whoop · Boston $180,000–$245,000 2w ago 
Associate Creative Director, Copy Avalere Health · Remote · US $150,000–$170,000 3w ago 
Creative Director, Video & Design Kikoff · San Francisco $163,000–$225,000 3w ago Senior Creative Director, GQ & Vanity Fair Condé Nast · 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY $175,000–$185,000 3w ago 
Creative Director, Filmmaker for Brand Storytelling roku · Santa Monica $209,400–$232,800 3w ago 
Creative Director, Performance Marketing Owner.com · San Francisco $190,000–$200,000 3w ago 
Creative Director Princeton10 · Remote · US $170,000–$230,000 3w ago Associate Creative Director, Art (Pharmaceutical HCP Experience Required) EVERSANA · Remote · US $122,570–$176,000 3w ago 
Creative Director, Brand & Marketing Museum of Ice Cream · Los Angeles $180,000–$210,000 3w ago Creative Director, Copy TJX · Framingham $117,000–$152,100 3w ago 
Associate Creative Director, Art Director Wealthsimple Technologies · Remote · Canada CA$152,000–CA$190,000 3w ago 
Group Creative Director MasterClass · Remote · US $242,000–$280,000 4w ago 
Creative Director, Motion - The Heist Thinkingbox · Toronto CA$160,000–CA$175,000 4w ago 
Creative Director Ibotta · Denver $145,000–$170,000 4w ago Creative Director, Content Center of Excellence For nearly 160 years, PNC · NY - New York (10173) $123,200–$274,560 4w ago Creative Director PetValu · Markham CA$145,000–CA$175,000 4w ago 
Associate Creative Director, Marketing Range · McLean $170,000–$270,000 4w ago 
Associate Creative Director, Digital Design Samsara · Remote · Canada CA$125,600–CA$172,700 4w ago Associate Creative Director Abbott · Alameda $130,700–$261,300 4w ago Creative Director (Art), Energy Sector ICF · Philadelphia $131,256–$223,134 4w ago Creative Director Outrigger · Honolulu $115,000–$120,000 4w ago Principal Creative Director, Store Design Target · United States $135,000–$292,000 4w ago Creative Director P&G · CINCINNATI GENERAL OFFICES $144,000–$190,000 4w ago 
Creative Director - Consumer Print Global Marketing Hp · Vancouver $166,050–$249,100 5w ago 
Creative Director - Consumer Print Global Marketing Hp (Exteu Ac Careersite) · Vancouver $166,050–$249,100 5w ago 
Creative Director Vanta · Remote · US $224,000–$263,000 5w ago 
Creative Director, Experiential - Brand Consulting Creative Artists Agency (CAA) · New York $188,000–$230,000 5w ago Associate Creative Director, Art ICF · Rockville $108,476–$184,409 5w ago Creative Director, Social, Brand & Culture monks · Los Angeles $150,000–$190,000 5w ago 
Creative Director Versant · Carlsbad $150,000–$190,000 5w ago Associate Creative Director, Art gupta · Boston $110,000–$130,000 5w ago 
Associate Creative Director, Copy Djeholdings · New York $86,000–$138,000 5w ago Associate Creative Director, Art Djeholdings · New York $86,000–$138,000 5w ago Associate Creative Director, Digital Design Samsara · Remote · US $114,800–$205,000 5w ago 60 of 259 open roles. All creative director jobs