Decorative arts appraisers have extensive knowledge about items such as paintings, figurines and sculptures, tapestries and even furniture. They try to use their knowledge of these items, as well as information about current sales markets, to determine what a piece of decorative art might be worth. For this work, some appraisers earned more than six figures annually in May 2010, but most earned around $60,000 to $65,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Average Pay
Decorative arts appraisers, along with other arts appraisers, fall into the general "Artists and Related Workers, All Other" category with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS states that the average for this category was $61,760 per year in May 2010. This works out to $29.69 hourly. Because the BLS lumps decorative arts appraisers in with other arts workers, however, it's useful to get data from other sources, as well. The StateUniversity website asserts that an experienced appraiser with a specialty such as decorative arts made $65,000 or more annually in 2011.
Range
The BLS shows that those in the "Artists and Related Workers, All Other" group earned $28,730 per year in the 10th percentile in May 2010. In the 25th percentile, compensation was $38,230 annually. Pay at the median was $58,840. Decorative arts appraisers and other art-related workers earned $82,360 in the 75th percentile, while those in the 90th percentile made $98,340.
Pay by Experience
According to the OnlineCollegeGuru website, art appraisers with a degree in art history earned a starting salary of $32,000 per year in 2010. Those with just a few years of experience, however, made $60,000 or more. This same source claims that appraisers specializing in antiques, which includes some decorative arts appraisers, started out at $40,000 and made six figures or more.
Pay by Geographical Location
Arizona showed the highest pay for those in the "Artists and Related Workers, All Other" category, including decorative arts appraisers, at $83,020 per year in May 2010, says the BLS. The next highest-paying area was the District of Columbia, where the average was $80,600. Maryland, Virginia and Georgia provided average compensation of $79,020, $76,340 and $75,700 per year, respectively.
The lowest pay for decorative arts appraisers, $35,130 annually, was in Louisiana in May 2010. Pay in Minnesota was $37,010 per year, while appraisers in Alaska earned $37,440 annually. The rate in Wisconsin was $38,700, while pay in Michigan was $39,650.
