A statistical profile of artists in Canada

The average earnings of artists are $23,500, only 74% of the average earnings in the overall labour force ($31,800).5 With $3.1 billion in total earnings, the arts labour force comprises slightly over one-half of one percent of earnings in the overall labour force. [...] The sum of the total earnings for the arts occupation groups was used as the estimate of the total earnings for the arts labour force as a whole in each jurisdiction. [...] The total earnings were then divided by the number of artists to estimate the average earnings of the arts labour force in each jurisdiction. [...] The median earnings of writers are slightly higher than the overall labour force median, while the median earnings of producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations are greater than the median in the overall labour force. [...] With average earnings of $23,600, artists between 25 and 34 years of age earn 79% of the earnings of similarly-aged workers in the overall labour force.