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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

27-1014 Special Effects Artists and 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.


National estimates for Special Effects Artists and Animators
Industry profile for Special Effects Artists and Animators
Geographic profile for Special Effects Artists and Animators

National estimates for Special Effects Artists and Animators:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Special Effects Artists and Animators:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
26,460 5.4 % $ 42.35 $ 88,080 2.0 %

Percentile wage estimates for Special Effects Artists and Animators:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 20.38 $ 27.35 $ 37.36 $ 52.23 $ 68.63
Annual Wage (2) $ 42,390 $ 56,890 $ 77,700 $ 108,640 $ 142,750


Industry profile for Special Effects Artists and Animators:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Special Effects Artists and Animators are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Special Effects Artists and Animators, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Special Effects Artists and Animators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Motion Picture and Video Industries 8,220 2.49 $ 50.80 $ 105,670
Software Publishers 5,300 1.09 $ 42.23 $ 87,840
Computer Systems Design and Related Services 2,670 0.12 $ 34.47 $ 71,700
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services 1,600 0.35 $ 37.50 $ 78,000
Specialized Design Services 1,550 1.15 $ 39.23 $ 81,600

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Special Effects Artists and Animators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Motion Picture and Video Industries 8,220 2.49 $ 50.80 $ 105,670
Specialized Design Services 1,550 1.15 $ 39.23 $ 81,600
Software Publishers 5,300 1.09 $ 42.23 $ 87,840
Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers 360 0.75 $ 42.52 $ 88,430
Other Information Services 1,240 0.36 $ 44.67 $ 92,920

Top paying industries for Special Effects Artists and Animators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Motion Picture and Video Industries 8,220 2.49 $ 50.80 $ 105,670
Employment Services 320 0.01 $ 45.83 $ 95,330
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing 40 0.01 $ 45.48 $ 94,610
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 170 0.03 $ 45.15 $ 93,920
Other Information Services 1,240 0.36 $ 44.67 $ 92,920


Geographic profile for Special Effects Artists and Animators:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Special Effects Artists and Animators are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Special Effects Artists and Animators, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in Special Effects Artists and Animators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 11,460 0.70 3.67 $ 50.71 $ 105,480
New York 2,000 0.23 1.21 $ 47.48 $ 98,770
Texas 1,250 0.10 0.54 $ 31.13 $ 64,740
Georgia 1,230 0.28 1.50 $ 31.18 $ 64,850
Washington 1,170 0.37 1.92 $ 43.33 $ 90,130




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Special Effects Artists and Animators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 11,460 0.70 3.67 $ 50.71 $ 105,480
Washington 1,170 0.37 1.92 $ 43.33 $ 90,130
Georgia 1,230 0.28 1.50 $ 31.18 $ 64,850
New York 2,000 0.23 1.21 $ 47.48 $ 98,770
Oregon 360 0.20 1.05 $ 46.32 $ 96,350




Top paying states for Special Effects Artists and Animators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Connecticut 220 0.14 0.74 $ 55.61 $ 115,660
California 11,460 0.70 3.67 $ 50.71 $ 105,480
New York 2,000 0.23 1.21 $ 47.48 $ 98,770
Oregon 360 0.20 1.05 $ 46.32 $ 96,350
Washington 1,170 0.37 1.92 $ 43.33 $ 90,130





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Special Effects Artists and Animators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 6,380 1.10 5.76 $ 53.06 $ 110,370
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 2,230 0.25 1.32 $ 46.63 $ 97,000
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 2,070 0.89 4.68 $ 49.31 $ 102,560
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1,980 1.79 9.43 $ 48.32 $ 100,510
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 1,160 0.44 2.32 $ 31.23 $ 64,960
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 1,130 0.58 3.02 $ 43.70 $ 90,910
Austin-Round Rock, TX 720 0.68 3.59 $ 31.20 $ 64,890
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 620 0.21 1.08 $ 41.08 $ 85,450
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 520 0.20 1.06 $ 31.21 $ 64,920
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 470 0.11 0.57 $ 34.41 $ 71,570




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Special Effects Artists and Animators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1,980 1.79 9.43 $ 48.32 $ 100,510
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 6,380 1.10 5.76 $ 53.06 $ 110,370
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 2,070 0.89 4.68 $ 49.31 $ 102,560
Charlottesville, VA 90 0.81 4.28 $ 29.29 $ 60,930
Austin-Round Rock, TX 720 0.68 3.59 $ 31.20 $ 64,890
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 1,130 0.58 3.02 $ 43.70 $ 90,910
Raleigh, NC 300 0.49 2.57 $ 34.92 $ 72,630
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 170 0.45 2.36 (8) (8)
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 1,160 0.44 2.32 $ 31.23 $ 64,960
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 130 0.43 2.27 $ 37.60 $ 78,200




Top paying metropolitan areas for Special Effects Artists and Animators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 6,380 1.10 5.76 $ 53.06 $ 110,370
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 2,070 0.89 4.68 $ 49.31 $ 102,560
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1,980 1.79 9.43 $ 48.32 $ 100,510
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 310 0.27 1.43 $ 47.96 $ 99,750
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 2,230 0.25 1.32 $ 46.63 $ 97,000
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 1,130 0.58 3.02 $ 43.70 $ 90,910
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 100 0.25 1.30 $ 42.22 $ 87,810
Santa Rosa, CA 30 0.15 0.81 $ 41.55 $ 86,410
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO 40 0.15 0.81 $ 41.27 $ 85,850
Urban Honolulu, HI 40 0.09 0.46 $ 41.19 $ 85,680


About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021