Career
Craft artists
Make handmade objects people use and treasure.
$46,080
Median pay
+2.0%
Job growth, 2025–35
1,000
Openings a year
No formal educational credential
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on creation & expression, then objects & tools?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Select materials for use based on strength, color, texture, balance, weight, size, malleability and other characteristics.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Monitoring.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though long-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $46,080 a year and 1,000 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Fine and Studio ArtsSee the degree →
- Visual and Performing Arts, GeneralCIP 50.0101
- Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and ArtisanryCIP 50.0201
- Art/Art Studies, GeneralCIP 50.0701
- DrawingCIP 50.0705
- PaintingCIP 50.0708
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers$52,540 · -3.2%
- Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators$55,490 · -2.9%
- Etchers and Engravers$43,310 · -0.7%
- Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers$62,750 · -15.0%
- Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers$41,600 · +1.3%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.