# Craft Artists

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

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/craft-artists
- SOC code: 27-1012.00
- Career family: Arts, design and media
- Median annual pay: $46,080 (10th percentile $25,960, 90th percentile $71,990)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +2.0%
- Openings a year: 1,000
- Typical entry education: No formal credential
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code ARE)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 82 |
| Investigative (I) | 14 |
| Artistic (A) | 82 |
| Social (S) | 11 |
| Enterprising (E) | 31 |
| Conventional (C) | 28 |

## What you'd do

- Thinking Creatively (importance 90/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 75/100)
- Getting Information (importance 68/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 66/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 66/100)
- Selling or Influencing Others (importance 66/100)
- Controlling Machines and Processes (importance 64/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 64/100)
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public (importance 58/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 58/100)

## Skills

Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making, Social Perceptiveness, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving, Persuasion

## Knowledge

Design, Fine Arts, Sales and Marketing, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Production and Processing, Communications and Media, Mechanical, Computers and Electronics, Education and Training

## Also called

Art Objects Repairer, Artisan, Artist, Calligrapher, Candle Maker, Ceramic Artist, Ceramics Artist, China Painter, Colorer, Colorist

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Fine and Studio Arts](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5007) (CIP 5007, 1,455 colleges)
- [Visual and Performing Arts, General](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5001) (CIP 5001, 571 colleges)
- Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry (CIP 5002, 26 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [University of Southern California USC](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-southern-california-usc-3050) | Fine and Studio Arts | $32,077 | $72,428 | $19,875 |
| [Dartmouth College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/dartmouth-college-769) | Fine and Studio Arts | not reported | $68,523 | not reported |
| [University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor-main-campus-2956) | Fine and Studio Arts | $38,697 | $66,846 | $19,708 |
| [Vassar College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/vassar-college-3116) | Fine and Studio Arts | $40,754 | $63,418 | not reported |
| [Connecticut College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/connecticut-college-700) | Fine and Studio Arts | $37,971 | $61,321 | not reported |
| [Brown University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/brown-university-314) | Fine and Studio Arts | not reported | $60,985 | $17,420 |
| [Fordham University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/fordham-university-990) | Fine and Studio Arts | $36,007 | $60,515 | $27,000 |
| [Binghamton University SUNY](https://www.collegesref.com/college/binghamton-university-suny-249) | Fine and Studio Arts | $37,995 | $60,299 | $15,875 |

## Related careers

- [Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/jewelers-and-precious-stone-and-metal-workers): $52,540 median pay
- [Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/fine-artists-including-painters-sculptors-and-illustrators): $55,490 median pay
- [Etchers and Engravers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/etchers-and-engravers): $43,310 median pay
- [Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/fabric-and-apparel-patternmakers): $62,750 median pay
- [Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/painting-coating-and-decorating-workers): $41,600 median pay
- [Model Makers, Wood](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/model-makers-wood): $56,550 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

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. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.