Best Cities for Aspiring Artists

The United States has a wealth of creative talent, with its arts industry being world-renowned. From visual artists to filmmakers, entertainers to curators, creating art is a critical part of the nation’s fabric. While the path to becoming an artist is not always straightforward, there are vast differences in pursuing an arts career in a small town as compared to the nation’s major cities.

In this analysis, AdvisorSmith examined 340 American cities (metropolitan areas) to determine which cities are the most promising for aspiring artists. We considered factors such as the number of people employed in artistic jobs, the concentration of artistic jobs, and the average salary earned by artists in each city. We also studied the number of artistic and cultural establishments in each city. Additionally, we considered the average cost to rent a studio apartment in each of the cities. We collected this data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, and HUD.

We divided the cities into one of three groups based upon city size. Large cities were those with 1 million or more inhabitants. Midsize cities had between 300,000 and 1 million residents, and small cities were those with under 300,000 residents. We ranked the cities within their population groups based on our chosen criteria to find those cities most attractive to aspiring artists.

Best Large Cities for Aspiring Artists

1. Los Angeles, CA

Home to the world-famous Hollywood, Los Angeles is the best large city for aspiring artists in the United States. LA has the most artistic employment in the nation, with approximately 123,000 artistic jobs, and the city also boasts the highest paying jobs for artistic professionals, with an average salary of $86,509. The LA area has over 40,000 artistic and cultural establishments, which include world-renowned museums such as the Getty Center, and performing arts venues such as the Hollywood Bowl and the Los Angeles Music Center. Los Angeles is also home to film and television production companies such as Walt Disney Studios, Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment. 

Rank	City	State	Total Employment: Artists	Average Annual Salary: Artists	Artistic and Cultural Establishments	Average Monthly Rent: Studio	Total Score
1	Los Angeles	CA	123,030	$86,509	40,490	$1,527	82
2	New York	NY	120,980	$86,225	23,995	$1,935	74
3	Chicago	IL	34,170	$60,272	6,235	$1,150	70
4	Atlanta	GA	31,280	$58,664	4,134	$1,205	63
5	Dallas	TX	26,130	$50,713	3,376	$1,166	54
6	Miami	FL	19,570	$55,069	5,637	$1,260	53
7	Philadelphia	PA	16,960	$58,945	3,645	$1,013	52
8	Washington	DC	26,330	$74,963	3,699	$1,662	52
9	Detroit	MI	12,650	$61,292	2,016	$786	51
10	Minneapolis	MN	14,640	$60,765	2,966	$1,004	51
11	St. Louis	MO	9,260	$51,449	1,685	$739	46
12	Nashville	TN	9,100	$59,818	2,878	$1,174	43
13	Las Vegas	NV	7,410	$53,568	2,034	$910	43
14	Cleveland	OH	5,780	$52,750	1,168	$674	43
15	Indianapolis	IN	6,320	$50,647	1,339	$721	43
16	Cincinnati	OH	6,180	$50,173	1,142	$690	43
17	Houston	TX	13,580	$49,817	2,443	$1,049	43
18	Portland	OR	10,770	$66,979	1,916	$1,285	42
19	Seattle	WA	18,060	$74,088	2,730	$1,741	42
20	San Francisco	CA	27,430	$80,837	3,853	$2,317	42
21	Milwaukee	WI	5,230	$52,014	1,008	$732	42
22	Hartford	CT	3,900	$72,871	739	$922	41
23	Kansas City	MO	6,630	$51,164	1,184	$819	41
24	Phoenix	AZ	11,130	$53,869	2,155	$1,086	41
25	Columbus	OH	5,780	$53,970	1,000	$782	41
26	Boston	MA	19,490	$68,272	3,794	$1,820	41
27	Baltimore	MD	8,480	$57,484	1,642	$1,037	41
28	Pittsburgh	PA	5,930	$50,316	1,515	$824	40
29	Denver	CO	11,470	$60,475	2,227	$1,341	39
30	Salt Lake City	UT	6,920	$52,057	802	$992	39
31	Orlando	FL	9,680	$56,744	2,094	$1,239	39
32	Providence	MA	4,200	$57,230	1,116	$988	38
33	Austin	TX	8,120	$55,571	1,648	$1,177	38
34	Rochester	NY	2,640	$51,689	727	$772	37
35	New Orleans	LA	3,370	$49,972	892	$835	37
36	Charlotte	NC	6,270	$58,615	1,756	$1,080	37
37	Oklahoma City	OK	3,270	$47,871	662	$762	37
38	Louisville	KY	3,210	$44,617	802	$738	37
39	Tampa	FL	8,270	$48,813	1,825	$1,125	37
40	Grand Rapids	MI	3,110	$51,363	563	$849	36
41	Tucson	AZ	2,000	$44,447	497	$708	36
42	Buffalo	NY	2,400	$52,549	700	$829	36
43	San Antonio	TX	4,460	$48,087	978	$882	35
44	Memphis	TN	2,110	$50,863	496	$742	35
45	Birmingham	AL	2,980	$46,955	480	$834	35
46	Jacksonville	FL	3,170	$48,794	821	$895	34
47	Raleigh	NC	3,790	$55,763	796	$1,117	33
48	Virginia Beach	VA	3,590	$54,604	852	$1,065	33
49	San Diego	CA	9,170	$59,760	2,088	$1,521	32
50	Riverside	CA	5,510	$52,822	1,527	$1,153	32

Best Midsize Cities for Aspiring Artists

1. Bridgeport, CT

Bridgeport, Connecticut is a port city in Connecticut, and one of the largest cities in the state. Notably, the American showman P.T. Barnum, most famous for his circus, was a resident and former mayor of the city. Bridgeport has numerous live theater and music venues, including the Downtown Cabaret Theatre, Klein Memorial Auditorium, and Webster Bank Arena. The city also hosts the Greater Bridgeport Symphony, the Discovery Museum and Planetarium, and the Housatonic Museum of Art.

Rank	City	State	Total Employment: Artists	Average Annual Salary: Artists	Artistic and Cultural Establishments	Average Monthly Rent: Studio	Total Score
1	Bridgeport	CT	3,310	$83,107	1,002	$980	89
2	Tulsa	OK	2,600	$42,923	517	$687	88
3	Omaha	NE	2,590	$51,255	614	$743	88
4	Albuquerque	NM	2,260	$48,717	477	$716	87
5	Des Moines	IA	2,180	$46,979	436	$698	86
6	Albany	NY	2,540	$58,871	611	$959	85
7	Boise	ID	2,150	$48,076	433	$827	83
8	Madison	WI	2,680	$51,334	581	$995	82
9	Provo	UT	2,040	$47,573	442	$937	80
10	Knoxville	TN	1,850	$44,805	433	$770	80
11	Colorado Springs	CO	1,620	$53,287	517	$956	78
12	North Port	FL	1,630	$52,302	566	$996	76
13	Fayetteville	AR	1,740	$63,606	249	$699	76
14	Dayton	OH	1,640	$50,459	317	$644	75
15	Lexington	KY	1,370	$44,732	418	$683	74
16	Syracuse	NY	1,340	$54,980	422	$736	74
17	Boulder	CO	1,880	$67,908	484	$1,396	74
18	Greensboro	NC	1,630	$53,191	391	$871	74
19	Durham	NC	1,570	$66,624	393	$1,101	70
20	Harrisburg	PA	1,540	$48,549	314	$780	70
21	Wichita	KS	1,270	$43,278	333	$578	70
22	Greenville	SC	1,500	$48,187	386	$853	70
23	Allentown	PA	1,200	$56,452	470	$898	69
24	Portland	ME	1,320	$54,398	582	$1,147	69
25	Spokane	WA	1,220	$49,569	350	$743	68
26	Toledo	OH	1,200	$47,057	298	$588	68
27	Fort Wayne	IN	1,290	$47,293	237	$599	68
28	Cape Coral	FL	1,320	$51,016	448	$1,061	67
29	Springfield	MA	1,200	$57,597	335	$782	67
30	Oxnard	CA	1,910	$54,516	919	$1,647	66
31	Akron	OH	1,060	$48,278	355	$653	66
32	Fresno	CA	1,490	$51,257	303	$957	64
33	Honolulu	HI	3,850	$54,879	459	$1,717	64
34	Little Rock	AR	1,180	$44,457	328	$748	64
35	Worcester	MA	920	$52,235	416	$846	63
36	Charleston	SC	1,350	$48,164	549	$1,295	63
37	New Haven	CT	990	$59,860	470	$1,130	62
38	Reno	NV	1,140	$47,666	381	$1,007	61
39	Winston	NC	880	$46,718	315	$660	61
40	Ann Arbor	MI	1,490	$57,811	250	$1,136	61
41	Columbia	SC	1,190	$44,484	337	$897	60
42	Lancaster	PA	1,110	$51,940	271	$841	60
43	Asheville	NC	960	$45,141	419	$1,011	60
44	Baton Rouge	LA	1,000	$40,862	352	$799	59
45	Lincoln	NE	880	$47,614	223	$672	58
46	Springfield	MO	840	$38,552	265	$636	57
47	Huntsville	AL	1,000	$49,013	187	$709	57
48	Peoria	IL	710	$49,930	228	$632	56
49	Eugene	OR	900	$48,970	262	$880	56
50	South Bend	IN	1,020	$46,184	161	$757	56

Best Small Cities for Aspiring Artists

1. Fargo, ND

Fargo, North Dakota was the best small city for aspiring artists. As the largest city in the state of North Dakota, Fargo has a disproportionately high number of cultural institutions for a city its size. The three universities in the city produce numerous theater and performing arts events, and there are also numerous private theater companies in the city. Fargo also hosts the Fargo Moorhead Opera, the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra, and FMBallet.

Rank	City	State	Total Employment: Artists	Average Annual Salary: Artists	Artistic and Cultural Establishments	Average Monthly Rent: Studio	Total Score
1	Fargo	ND	840	$46,177	207	$636	81
2	Sioux Falls	SD	770	$41,623	284	$704	80
3	Cedar Rapids	IA	820	$42,404	164	$565	79
4	Burlington	VT	810	$55,018	250	$1,114	76
5	Charlottesville	VA	640	$60,101	213	$1,108	68
6	Medford	OR	580	$54,038	177	$869	67
7	Wilmington	NC	540	$40,883	268	$868	67
8	Kalamazoo	MI	500	$43,192	183	$653	65
9	Missoula	MT	490	$45,697	166	$760	65
10	Santa Fe	NM	350	$49,918	281	$917	63
11	Duluth	MN	370	$38,919	257	$742	61
12	Erie	PA	420	$44,251	171	$683	61
13	Appleton	WI	380	$48,110	163	$684	59
14	Billings	MT	260	$43,810	255	$687	59
15	Bend	OR	390	$53,097	203	$936	59
16	Springfield	IL	340	$46,656	149	$593	59
17	Utica	NY	340	$49,036	187	$720	59
18	Barnstable Town	MA	320	$55,940	354	$1,319	57
19	Oshkosh	WI	410	$45,767	111	$691	57
20	Columbia	MO	400	$41,808	121	$696	57
21	Charleston	WV	380	$39,818	118	$610	56
22	Binghamton	NY	280	$46,319	149	$668	54
23	Norwich	RI	300	$52,521	187	$885	54
24	Rapid City	SD	210	$35,969	215	$643	54
25	Eau Claire	WI	250	$46,865	121	$597	53
26	Idaho Falls	ID	400	$32,149	57	$613	53
27	Athens	GA	360	$36,073	135	$784	52
28	Bismarck	ND	380	$37,733	100	$779	52
29	Dubuque	IA	240	$48,915	87	$589	52
30	Dalton	GA	260	$56,122	38	$585	52
31	Crestview	FL	400	$44,914	167	$1,055	52
32	Waco	TX	290	$50,171	106	$715	52
33	Kingston	NY	160	$44,651	296	$1,007	52
34	St. Cloud	MN	290	$42,253	132	$731	51
35	Logan	UT	220	$42,751	122	$624	51
36	Tuscaloosa	AL	390	$39,008	93	$814	51
37	Bloomington	IN	240	$56,231	90	$747	51
38	Rochester	MN	260	$41,239	158	$785	50
39	Waterloo	IA	160	$54,650	114	$659	49
40	College Station	TX	270	$47,563	118	$801	49
41	Wheeling	WV	200	$39,487	95	$578	49
42	La Crosse	WI	200	$39,192	119	$656	48
43	Glens Falls	NY	140	$44,440	163	$755	48
44	Champaign	IL	240	$49,576	129	$879	48
45	Cape Girardeau	MO	140	$54,101	58	$574	48
46	Elkhart	IN	220	$46,347	73	$631	48
47	Bellingham	WA	190	$46,373	202	$995	47
48	Saginaw	MI	150	$43,750	98	$591	47
49	Amarillo	TX	180	$36,425	138	$664	47
50	Wausau	WI	180	$37,410	96	$595	47

Methodology

To conduct this study, we examined 340 metropolitan statistical areas in the United States, which we call cities. We used data from the Census Bureau to determine the population of each city and divided the cities into one of three groups based on each city’s population. Small cities were those with under 300,000 residents. Midsize cities had between 300,000 and 1 million residents. Large cities were those with over 1 million residents. In total, we studied 53 large cities, 111 midsize cities, and 176 small cities.

We assigned each city a score between 0-100 for each of the following criteria: number of people employed in artistic professions, average annual compensation for artistic professions, concentration of artistic jobs in each city, number of artistic and cultural establishments, and the average cost of rent for a studio apartment. The scores were assigned relative to each city’s size grouping. Note that the scores between cities in different size groupings are not comparable.

We counted the following as artistic professions: art directors, craft artists, fine artists, special effects artists, animators, commercial and industrial designers, fashion designers, floral designers, graphic designers, interior designers, merchandise displayers, set and exhibit designers, actors, producers, directors, dancers, choreographers, music directors and composers, musicians and singers, audio and video technicians, broadcast technicians, sound engineering technicians, photographers, camera operators, film and video editors, lighting technicians, archivists, curators, and museum technicians and conservators.

We counted the following types of establishments as artistic and cultural establishments: establishments in arts, entertainment & recreation, broadcasting, motion pictures & sound recording industries, museums & historical sites, and performing arts industries.

We assigned a weighting to each of the scoring criteria, with the artistic employment criteria accounting for 45% of the weighting, artistic and cultural establishments accounting for 20% of the weighting, and the cost of rent accounting for 35% of the weighting. We then calculated a total score for each city, and we ranked the cities within their respective size categories to determine the best small, midsize, and large cities for aspiring artists.

Sources

1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics
2. U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 SUSB Annual Data Tables by Establishment Industry
3. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy and Research Development, 50th Percentile Rent Estimates
4. U.S. Census Bureau, Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals