DOL stats (my first stats)

   Okay, this is a bit holistic. Of itself it only speaks to its own, and there's not a ton that can be extrapolated (except the old saw about starving artists - it seems abundantly true, you're not gonna light the world on fire as an Illustrator). This information was culled from the US Department of Labor (http://www.dol.gov/) using the keyword "Illustrators".
   These stats specifically are for Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators; the only catagory for Illustrators. I'll seek to work up Graphic Designers seperately soon. 2010 won't be ready until at least November, and I could not locate prior to 2000.
(p.s.: click on the image to make it bigger)