Starting a career as a professional and licensed tattoo artist requires a lot more than artistry, as building a reputation and developing a client base requires time, money and effort.
If you’re interested in how much tattoo artists make because of a possible career change, or you’re simply curious, then you’re at the right place.
In this post, we’ll discuss the average income for tattoo artists in 2026 and see which states are the most lucrative for a body art professional. Let’s get started!
How Much Do Tattoo Artists Make in 2026?
According to Zippia, Tattoo artists in the United States have an average annual income of $63,000. That is $30.57 an hour, or $5,299/month.
It is worth noting that this is just an average estimate as there are tattooists who earn as much as $200-300k or as low as $25,000, depending on their place on the spectrum.
Why Do Some Tattoo Artists Earn More Than Others?
Many factors are responsible for the disparity between low and high earners in the body art industry. Some of them include:
Location
Location is a huge factor in earnings. You’re likely to earn more in a busy city like San Francisco or New York than in a small town in Ohio.
It is not unusual for tattooists to move around the world and do guest spots at different studios.
This allows some artists to earn way more than they would back home. Even within the same country, average salaries for tattoo artists vary a lot.
For example, in New York City, an average tattooist can make well over $100,000 a year, higher than the national average.
Tips
Like most people in the service industry, many tattooists earn from tips. Having generous customers hugely influences earnings.
Experience
Word travels around.
An experience Tattooist is likely to charge a higher price than a newbie who is just starting and is yet to cultivate a reputation.
Clientele
Artists who work with wealthy clients like movie stars and athletes are likely to earn more than the average tattooist. Access to these kinds of circles is not easy, but it can be richly rewarding.
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Average Salary of Tattoo Artists By State
Connecticut, Delware, Alaska, California, Massachusetts and New York all top the chart for the highest average salary.
| State | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Count |
| Alabama | $57,654 | $27.72 | 17 |
| Alaska | $94,850 | $45.60 | 1 |
| Arizona | $73,102 | $35.15 | 20 |
| Arkansas | $62,281 | $29.94 | 6 |
| California | $91,211 | $43.85 | 335 |
| Colorado | $60,105 | $28.90 | 9 |
| Connecticut | $97,442 | $46.85 | 4 |
| Delaware | $92,285 | $44.37 | 3 |
| District of Columbia | $88,005 | $42.31 | 2 |
| Florida | $53,403 | $25.67 | 54 |
| Georgia | $67,130 | $32.27 | 44 |
| Hawaii | $62,305 | $29.95 | 4 |
| Idaho | $69,585 | $33.45 | 3 |
| Illinois | $70,622 | $33.95 | 27 |
| Indiana | $84,944 | $40.84 | 56 |
| Iowa | $63,737 | $30.64 | 21 |
| Kansas | $62,296 | $29.95 | 7 |
| Kentucky | $73,394 | $35.29 | 21 |
| Louisiana | $64,566 | $31.04 | 8 |
| Maine | $94,553 | $45.46 | 3 |
| Maryland | $89,204 | $42.89 | 41 |
| Massachusetts | $95,419 | $45.87 | 22 |
| Michigan | $75,521 | $36.31 | 28 |
| Minnesota | $70,196 | $33.75 | 26 |
| Mississippi | $74,439 | $35.79 | 4 |
| Missouri | $64,466 | $30.99 | 11 |
| Montana | $54,054 | $25.99 | 3 |
| Nebraska | $68,079 | $32.73 | 10 |
| Nevada | $75,877 | $36.48 | 5 |
| New Hampshire | $91,722 | $44.10 | 10 |
| New Jersey | $99,732 | $47.95 | 9 |
| New Mexico | $64,379 | $30.95 | 5 |
| New York | $99,900 | $48.03 | 67 |
| North Carolina | $78,791 | $37.88 | 30 |
| North Dakota | $68,257 | $32.82 | 4 |
| Ohio | $78,375 | $37.68 | 23 |
| Oklahoma | $66,033 | $31.75 | 6 |
| Oregon | $79,792 | $38.36 | 23 |
| Pennsylvania | $79,615 | $38.28 | 15 |
| Rhode Island | $97,421 | $46.84 | 1 |
| South Carolina | $67,651 | $32.52 | 5 |
| South Dakota | $58,209 | $27.99 | 4 |
| Tennessee | $72,859 | $35.03 | 9 |
| Texas | $66,830 | $32.13 | 72 |
| Utah | $67,125 | $32.27 | 16 |
| Vermont | $82,944 | $39.88 | |
| Virginia | $80,698 | $38.80 | 35 |
| Washington | $82,499 | $39.66 | 73 |
| West Virginia | $81,628 | $39.24 | |
| Wisconsin | $83,636 | $40.21 | 61 |
| Wyoming | $58,887 | $28.31 | 4 |
Conclusion
Becoming a high-earning tattooist requires intentionality. It is not uncommon to see tattooists nowadays use Social Media to garner visibility and network with colleagues and clients.
It is believed that the demand for body art will increase by approximately 6% in the following years, which will surely affect the hourly rate and monthly wage of tattoo artists and other titles in the industry.
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