Do Animators Make Good Salaries?

Animators are responsible for creating some of the most popular sources of entertainment out there. They can work on anything from political cartoons to nationwide ads, depending on what kind of projects they like to do. If you have been thinking about working in this multimedia career, you may want to learn about the different salary ranges you can expect in your profession. A little research may help you determine whether this is the occupation for you. Here are some common animator salary ranges that you can use to approximate your future earnings.

Salary by Years of Experience

• Less than 1 year: $28,906 - $61,277 per year
• 1-4 years: $25,182 - $76,875 per year
• 5-9 years: $33,935 - $84,729 per year
• 10-19 years: $40,991 - $120,000 per year

Salary by Industry

• 3D Animation: $23,270 - $92,738 per year
• Entertainment or Game Software: $25,532 - $79,118 per year
• Entertainment Production: $17,879 - $71,482 per year
• Film Visual Effects: $30,000 - $105,450 per year
• Marketing, Advertising & Media Management: $35,493 - $57,391 per year
• Movies and Theaters: $32,215 - $84,430 per year
• Toys/Games: $30,201 - $71,517 per year

Salary by Company Size

• 1-9: $14,497 - $69,531 per year
• 10-49: $25,245 - $63,992 per year
• 50-199: $20,134 - $81,166 per year
• 200-599: $33,000 - $180,000 per year
• 600-1999: $34,963 - $84,430 per year
• 5000-19999: $32,000 - $53,383 per year

Salary by Benefits

• 401(k): $33,445 - $86,088 per year
• Paid Holidays or Vacations: $30,468 - $83,423 per year
• Paid Sick Leave: $25,434 - $85,001 per year
• Life Insurance and Disability: $33,677 - $77,684 per year
• Casual Atmosphere: $24,613 - $91,916 per year
• Free Drinks: $33,633 - $92,738 per year
• Fitness Club Membership: $30,251 - $116,397 per year

Salary by Gender

• Male: $36,433 - $60,428 per year
• Female: $22,976 - $49,695 per year

Salary by Specialty

• Autodesk Maya: $45,000 - $63,200 per year
• Flash: $52,381 - $90,000 per year
• Adobe Photoshop: $36,000 - $53,200 per year

Salary by Location

• California: $30,367 - $107,853 per year
• Florida: $24,000 - $62,500 per year
• Illinois: $35,000 - $65,000 per year
• Massachusetts: $32,525 - $54,045 per year
• New York: $19,574 - $82,739 per year
• Texas: $30,639 - $69,492 per year
• Washington: $40,058 - $68,748 per year

Salary by the Hour

• Less than 1 year: $12.77 - $20.56 per hour
• 1-4 years: $9.70 - $38.92 per hour
• 5-9 years: $11.63 - $49.66 per hour
• 10-19 years: $38.71 - $66.13 per hour

For the most part, animators do make pretty good money in their work. There are some that make more than others, but you have to expect that with every career. If you are good at your job and you have a passion for what you do, you should be able to make a pretty decent living as an animator. All it takes is a little effort and a high demand for your career.

Note that the information above is courtesy of PayScale.com as of January 27, 2012. It may not reflect the information at the time you read this article.