Special Effects Artists and Animators salary
The median pay for special effects artists and animators in the United States is $102,030 a year. About 19,970 people hold this job.
- 10th percentile
- $58,600
- 25th percentile
- $75,490
- Median percentile
- $102,030
- 75th percentile
- $139,130
- 90th percentile
- $177,110
Percentiles show the spread of pay, not experience. BLS does not report experience, so reading the 25th percentile as "entry level" is only a rough guide. Data period: BLS OEWS May 2025.
How to become: education, skills and job outlook
Highest-paying states · Highest-paying cities
By state
- Washington $133,480
- California $130,540
- Nevada $97,350
- New York $96,770
- Colorado $91,290
- Arizona $89,650
- North Carolina $88,350
- Utah $88,210
- Michigan $86,630
- Florida $85,870
- Maryland $85,830
- Tennessee $83,080
- Virginia $81,510
- Georgia $81,390
- Illinois $81,180
- Indiana $75,250
- Pennsylvania $71,760
- Ohio $67,000
- Missouri $65,470
- Minnesota $64,990
- Wisconsin $64,890
- West Virginia $60,940
- New Mexico $54,000
- Kentucky $50,970
- Nebraska $50,830
By metro area
- San Jose, CA $156,950
- San Francisco, CA $136,770
- Seattle, WA $134,120
- Los Angeles, CA $124,590
- Sacramento, CA $122,880
- San Diego, CA $118,750
- Reno, NV $105,240
- Salt Lake City, UT $101,730
- New York, NY $96,760
- Phoenix, AZ $96,670
- Riverside, CA $95,420
- Washington, DC $92,760
- Denver, CO $91,290
- Orlando, FL $91,150
- Baltimore, MD $90,050
- Las Vegas, NV $87,300
- Ann Arbor, MI $83,530
- Chicago, IL $83,200
- Raleigh, NC $79,360
- Huntsville, AL $77,640
- Philadelphia, PA $76,770
- Richmond, VA $76,380
- Atlanta, GA $76,110
- St. Louis, MO $75,820
- Miami, FL $74,520
- Tampa, FL $74,140
- Cincinnati, OH $67,710
- Albuquerque, NM $54,000
- Omaha, NE $53,280
- Louisville/Jefferson County, KY $50,960