When A Creative Passion Becomes Your Career
How Much Can You Earn Being creative?
Creative Industry Jobs in Hawaii, 2005-2015
| Industry Group | Job Change | Average Annual Job Growth (%) | Average Annual Earnings (2015) |
| Cultural Activities | 1,970 | 8.80% | 48,025 |
| Art Education | 173 | 3.50% | 14,180 |
| Business Consulting | 1,113 | 2.90% | 58,726 |
| Engineering and R&D | 420 | 0.80% | 95,765 |
| Design Services | 124 | 1.40% | 26,607 |
| Marketing, Photography & Related | 626 | 1.20% | 27,013 |
| Performing and Creative Arts | 174 | 0.10% | 25,261 |
| Computer and Digital Media Products | 73 | 0.70% | 89,294 |
| Architecture | -117 | -0.80% | 72,359 |
| Music | -149 | 3.40% | 40,865 |
| Radio and TV Broadcasting | -252 | -2.00% | 64,006 |
| Film, TV, Video Production/Distribution | -624 | -4.80% | 54,648 |
| Publishing & Information | -1,027 | -4.00% | 50,121 |
| Total Creative Industry | 2,505 | 0.90% | 49,774 |
The federal and state governments both list many jobs under the designation of creative professions.
For instance, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2016 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates lists the most popular “creative” profession in Hawaii as public relations, with 1,160 workers. Its average annual wage is $61,850, among the highest of all creative categories.
The highest average earnings among regular wage earners reporting in this category are unionized media and communications equipment workers at $69,570.
The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, which has a Creative Industries Division, reports there were 49,597 creative industry jobs in Hawaii in 2015. That information was in a 2016 DBEDT report called “Hawaii’s Creative Industries, Update report 2016.” It said those jobs represented nearly 6 percent of all jobs in Hawaii, or 4.2 percent ($3.3 billion) of the 2015 Hawaii gross domestic product.
The largest group in creative industries with 11,098 jobs was “marketing, photography and related.” That probably captures many of those people listed under PR in the federal report.
“Performing and creative arts” was the second-largest category, representing 9,087 jobs, including self-employed and part-time workers. The average annual earnings for workers in this group were just $25,261.
The sector is growing, the report states, partly due to the strong tourism industry, which frequently uses performing and cultural artists. The biggest gains were in cultural activities and music, as well as arts education, although the number of jobs in these areas was still relatively small. The biggest losers were radio and TV, publishing and information, TV and video production, film, and architecture.
