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Animator salary
Average animator salary
$76,853
How much does an animator make?
The average animator salary in the United States is $76,853. Animator salaries typically range between $52,000 and $112,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for animators is $36.95 per hour.
Animator salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Animators earn the highest average salary in Nevada.
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Where can an Animator earn more?
Animator salary estimates from across the web
Average animator salary by state
The highest-paying states for animators are Nevada, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The lowest average animator salary states are Alabama, Mississippi, and South Dakota.
- State View
- County View
Highest paying states for animators
Rank  | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $110,222 | $52.99 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $111,615 | $53.66 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $111,100 | $53.41 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $107,435 | $51.65 |
| 5 | California | $100,457 | $48.30 |
| 6 | Washington | $94,153 | $45.27 |
| 7 | Utah | $85,279 | $41.00 |
| 8 | Delaware | $109,181 | $52.49 |
| 9 | Nevada | $130,776 | $62.87 |
| 10 | Maryland | $93,161 | $44.79 |
| 11 | Idaho | $86,858 | $41.76 |
| 12 | Virginia | $87,039 | $41.85 |
| 13 | New York | $80,610 | $38.75 |
| 14 | Oregon | $79,764 | $38.35 |
| 15 | Maine | $79,162 | $38.06 |
| 16 | Michigan | $77,245 | $37.14 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $77,366 | $37.20 |
| 18 | Iowa | $75,676 | $36.38 |
| 19 | New Mexico | $79,533 | $38.24 |
| 20 | Ohio | $74,182 | $35.66 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $74,148 | $35.65 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $65,360 | $31.42 |
| 23 | Kansas | $73,198 | $35.19 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $74,476 | $35.81 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $73,914 | $35.54 |
| 26 | Arizona | $69,716 | $33.52 |
| 27 | Wyoming | $56,881 | $27.35 |
| 28 | Vermont | $67,008 | $32.22 |
| 29 | Indiana | $72,718 | $34.96 |
| 30 | New Jersey | $72,700 | $34.95 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $67,115 | $32.27 |
| 32 | Illinois | $60,452 | $29.06 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $68,739 | $33.05 |
| 34 | Texas | $56,508 | $27.17 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $67,405 | $32.41 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $56,541 | $27.18 |
| 37 | Alaska | $63,261 | $30.41 |
| 38 | Massachusetts | $52,928 | $25.45 |
| 39 | Florida | $53,349 | $25.65 |
| 40 | Minnesota | $55,002 | $26.44 |
| 41 | Georgia | $51,462 | $24.74 |
| 42 | Colorado | $55,102 | $26.49 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $42,990 | $20.67 |
| 44 | South Dakota | $45,012 | $21.64 |
| 45 | Alabama | $49,920 | $24.00 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $51,289 | $24.66 |
| 47 | Missouri | $50,023 | $24.05 |
| 48 | Montana | $50,672 | $24.36 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $49,034 | $23.57 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $42,717 | $20.54 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $41,762 | $20.08 |
Highest paying cities for animators
The highest-paying cities for animators are Las Vegas, NV, Novato, CA, and Greenwich, CT.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Las Vegas, NV | $130,424 | $62.70 |
| 2 | Novato, CA | $111,758 | $53.73 |
| 3 | Greenwich, CT | $110,980 | $53.36 |
| 4 | Vancouver, WA | $95,164 | $45.75 |
| 5 | Baltimore, MD | $93,462 | $44.93 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $80,766 | $38.83 |
| 7 | Philadelphia, PA | $77,717 | $37.36 |
| 8 | Cary, NC | $76,101 | $36.59 |
| 9 | Fort Lee, NJ | $72,958 | $35.08 |
| 10 | Glendale, AZ | $70,123 | $33.71 |
| 11 | Madison, WI | $64,833 | $31.17 |
| 12 | Chicago, IL | $60,767 | $29.21 |
| 13 | Austin, TX | $56,570 | $27.20 |
| 14 | Minneapolis, MN | $55,027 | $26.46 |
| 15 | Orlando, FL | $53,393 | $25.67 |
| 16 | Boston, MA | $52,991 | $25.48 |
| 17 | Atlanta, GA | $51,687 | $24.85 |
Animator salary details
An animator's salary ranges from $52,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $112,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an animator's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $112,000 | $9,333 | $54 |
| 75th Percentile | $94,000 | $7,833 | $45 |
| Average | $76,853 | $6,404 | $37 |
| 25th Percentile | $62,000 | $5,167 | $30 |
| 10th Percentile | $52,000 | $4,333 | $25 |
Highest paying animator jobs
The highest paying types of animators are interactive designer, visual designer, and 3d artist.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic Designer Internship | $35,800 | $2,983 | $17.21 | 93,292 |
| Graphic Designer, Marketing | $48,763 | $4,064 | $23.44 | 115,113 |
| Web Graphic Designer | $52,574 | $4,381 | $25.28 | 51,462 |
| Graphic Designer | $49,450 | $4,121 | $23.77 | 45,625 |
| Graphic Designer/Production | $48,619 | $4,052 | $23.37 | 95,831 |
| Visual Designer | $86,495 | $7,208 | $41.58 | 46,815 |
Top companies hiring animators now:
Which companies pay animators the most?
Animator salaries at Meta and Airbnb are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average animator salary at companies like Microsoft and Amazon are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $152,101 | $73.13 |
| 2 | Airbnb | $146,701 | $70.53 |
| 3 | Microsoft | $142,631 | $68.57 |
| 4 | Amazon | $128,512 | $61.78 |
| 5 | The Walt Disney Company | $122,899 | $59.09 |
| 6 | Vox Media | $118,562 | $57.00 |
| 7 | Datadog | $115,774 | $55.66 |
| 8 | Pixar Animation Studios | $114,404 | $55.00 |
| 9 | Anki | $110,528 | $53.14 |
| 10 | Warner Bros. | $105,030 | $50.50 |
| 11 | Sony Pictures Imageworks | $104,177 | $50.09 |
| 12 | Industrial Light & Magic | $103,842 | $49.92 |
| 13 | Sway Group | $102,717 | $49.38 |
| 14 | Sony Interactive Entertainment America | $102,425 | $49.24 |
| 15 | Blur Studio | $101,570 | $48.83 |
| 16 | DreamWorks Animation | $100,480 | $48.31 |
| 17 | PlayStation | $100,186 | $48.17 |
| 18 | Bento Box Entertainment | $100,169 | $48.16 |
| 19 | Titmouse | $99,620 | $47.89 |
| 20 | Blue Sky Studios | $98,189 | $47.21 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Animator salary by industry
The average animator salary varies across industries:
- The average animator salary in the media industry is $103,838, the highest of any industry.
- The average animator salary in the finance industry is $90,520.
- Animators in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $79,880, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for animators
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Media | $103,838 | $49.92 |
| 2 | Technology | $90,520 | $43.52 |
| 3 | Pharmaceutical | $88,812 | $42.70 |
| 4 | Hospitality | $79,880 | $38.40 |
High Paying Animator Jobs
Animator salary trends
The average animator salary has risen by $16,686 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average animator earned $60,167 annually, but today, they earn $76,853 a year. That works out to a 19% change in pay for animators over the last decade.
Compare animator salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average animator salary over time
Compare animator salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
- Columbus, OH
Animator salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $76,900 | $36.95 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $74,400 | $35.79 | +3.7% |
| 2023 | $71,700 | $34.49 | +2.7% |
| 2022 | $69,800 | $33.54 | +7.4% |
| 2021 | $64,600 | $31.05 | +2.0% |
Recently added animator salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nbcuniversal | Dreamworks Feature-Animation TA | Glendale, AZ | 12/16/2024 | $78,312 |
| Huntremotely | Dreamworks Feature-Animation TA | Glendale, AZ | 12/16/2024 | $78,312 |
| Industrial Light & Magic | Animator | Vancouver, WA | 12/15/2024 | $84,100 |
| Doordashusa | Social Media Animator, Brand & Creative | San Francisco, CA | 12/15/2024 | $119,000 |
| NBC Universal | Dreamworks Feature-Animation TA | Glendale, CA | 12/14/2024 | $78,312 |
| Apple Inc. | Animator | Cupertino, CA | 12/12/2024 | $165,500 |
| Blizzard | Senior Animator-Temp (SFD/Cinematics) | Irvine, CA | 12/11/2024 | $81,080 |
| Fairmont | Kids Club Animator | Jackson, MS | 12/11/2024 | $52,175 |
| Infinity Ward Inc. | Senior Narrative Animator-Infinity Ward | Ione, CA | 12/10/2024 | $80,800 |
| National Football League | Seasonal Graphic Animator, Creative Marketing New Inglewood, California, United States | Inglewood, CA | 12/09/2024 | $114,785 |
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