The headline in yesterday's New York Times was "Study Says Artists Have Higher Salaries." It reminded me of the sign for Yogurtland yogurt that I saw on Broadway last week: "Twice the real pumpkin inside!" Twice what? Inside where?

There's a better rundown of the study, with a direct link to it as a PDF, on the National Endowment for the Arts blog. It helps to clarify what the study means by "artist"—and 39 percent of the time, it means designer. Almost 40 percent of artists are "Graphic, commercial, and industrial designers, fashion designers, floral designers, interior designers, merchandise displayers, and set and exhibit designers."

Factoids: The highest paid artists, as a group, are architects (some $63,000 annual salary on average). Lady artists make 81 cents on the male artist dollar. Announcers are considered artists. Minnesota has more publishing than anywhere else. In Seattle, employment in the theater industry is twice the national average (same in Minneapolis and San Diego areas). Artists are more likely than the general workforce to be white. There are more musicians than any other types of performers.

There are 46 pages. Dive in.