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Role hub · Special Effects Artists and Animators

Animator: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of animators earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$102,030
Hourly
$49.06
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Animators create special effects or animations using film, video, computers, or other electronic tools and media for use in products, such as computer games, movies, music videos, and commercials. The median pay is $102,030 a year ($49.06 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent (5% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$102,030
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
19,970
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation
Most common education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
5% of workers

Data Government data groups this job as Special Effects Artists and Animators (O*NET-SOC 27-1014.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Explore the role

Every page for Animators

SalaryAnimator salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

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The work

What animators do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Design complex graphics and animation, using independent judgment, creativity, and computer equipment.
  2. Create basic designs, drawings, and illustrations for product labels, cartons, direct mail, or television.
  3. Create two-dimensional and three-dimensional images depicting objects in motion or illustrating a process, using computer animation or modeling programs.
  4. Make objects or characters appear lifelike by manipulating light, color, texture, shadow, and transparency, or manipulating static images to give the illusion of motion.
  5. Apply story development, directing, cinematography, and editing to animation to create storyboards that show the flow of the animation and map out key scenes and characters.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Active ListeningcoreReading ComprehensioncoreCritical ThinkingcoreSpeakingJudgment and Decision MakingWritingActive LearningComplex Problem SolvingTime Management

Knowledge areas: Computers and Electronics, English Language, Design, Communications and Media, Customer and Personal Service, Sales and Marketing.

Tools and technology

Software animators use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Adobe After EffectsVideo creation and editing softwareIn demand
  • Adobe Creative Cloud softwareGraphics or photo imaging softwareIn demand
  • Adobe IllustratorGraphics or photo imaging softwareIn demand
  • Adobe InDesignDesktop publishing softwareIn demand
  • Adobe PhotoshopGraphics or photo imaging softwareIn demand
  • CanvaGraphics or photo imaging softwareIn demand
  • FigmaGraphical user interface development softwareIn demand
  • Adobe Premiere ProVideo creation and editing softwareIn demand
  • Autodesk MayaGraphics or photo imaging softwareIn demand
  • Maxon Cinema 4DVideo creation and editing softwareIn demand
  • SideFX HoudiniGraphics or photo imaging softwareIn demand
  • Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3DComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology

Also called: 3D Animator (Three-Dimensional Animator), 3D Artist (Three-Dimensional Artist), Artist, Digital Artist, Graphic Artist.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).