SOC 27-1014BLS OEWS May 2025H-1B LCAs, last 12 months
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 median · BLS
$102,030
▲ +2.23%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$117,950
▼ -1.02%YoY · 258 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$112,870
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
19,970
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Special Effects Artists and Animators
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 258 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay
$58,600
$69,910
25th
$75,490
$90,410
Median (50th)
$102,030
$117,950
75th
$139,130
$152,600
90th — top pay
$177,110
$186,790
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $117,950 for Special Effects Artists and Animators —
15.6% above
the BLS national median of $102,030.
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Based on
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Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Special Effects Artists and Animators
BLS projects employment of special effects artists and animators to decline 0.3% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%.
About 4,200 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
51,900 → 51,800
-100 jobs
Projected change
-0.3%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
4,200
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
62.9% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.
H-1B median$117,950
Change vs prior year-1.02%
After inflation (CPI-U)-4.02%
Wage level
LCAs
Share
P25
Median
P75
Level I
62
24%
$66,085
$77,000
$94,453
Level II
90
34.9%
$100,000
$114,027
$129,175
Level III
39
15.1%
$126,383
$138,685
$173,774
Level IV
56
21.7%
$152,600
$166,100
$195,926
H-1B job titles
Salaries by job title in Special Effects Artists and Animators
The 4 most-filed job titles inside SOC 27-1014, from 258 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What special effects artists and animators do
Design complex graphics and animation, using independent judgment, creativity, and computer equipment.
Create basic designs, drawings, and illustrations for product labels, cartons, direct mail, or television.
Participate in design and production of multimedia campaigns, handling budgeting and scheduling, and assisting with such responsibilities as production coordination, background design, and progress tracking.
Create two-dimensional and three-dimensional images depicting objects in motion or illustrating a process, using computer animation or modeling programs.
Make objects or characters appear lifelike by manipulating light, color, texture, shadow, and transparency, or manipulating static images to give the illusion of motion.
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.
Implement and maintain configuration control systems.
Script, plan, and create animated narrative sequences under tight deadlines, using computer software and hand drawing techniques.
Also called
3D Artist (Three-Dimensional Artist)AnimatorArtistGraphic Artist3D Animator (Three-Dimensional Animator)Digital ArtistMotion Graphics ArtistMultimedia Producer
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Special Effects Artists and Animators, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $102,030.
