Local Arts Agency Salaries 2018

A Report about Salaries and Compensation in the Local Arts Agency Field

The Local Arts Agency Salaries 2018 research report is our most recent effort to benchmark the vast and varied compensation practices of the local arts agency field in America today. As with the previous iterations of this report (in 2001 and 2013), the findings from this updated 2018 salary survey will assist LAA executives and employees in evaluating staffing and salary levels, setting pay rates, determining incremental compensation adjustments, and better understanding the varied benefit options and structures currently at play in the field. These data will also provide context for LAAs as they evaluate and consider equitable policies, practices, and representation.

This report is based on a robust sample of 1,117 anonymous survey responses collected during September/October of 2018. In general, local arts agency employees are educated white women. Eighty-two percent of the respondents identify their race/ethnicity as white or Caucasian or European American only. Seventy-eight percent identify as female (cisgender). Ninety-one percent have at least a four-year college degree, including 45 percent who have at least one graduate degree. Sixty-five percent of LAA employees report that they are satisfied with their cash compensation. While 38 percent of LAA employees agree with the statement, "I have a clear path for job advancement," another 30 percent disagree (including 14 percent who strongly disagree).

The overall average salary for the executive director position is $81,476 (the average for public/government LAAs is $110,946, while the average for private/nonprofit LAAs is $73,114). Detailed statistical findings for each individual job position can be downloaded using the links below.

Salary Report Links

Detailed Salary Tables and Demographics by Job Title