Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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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
United States Department of Labor
