How much does a 3d Character Animator make in the United States?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a 3d Character Animator in the United States is $70,848 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $34.
However, a 3d Character Animator's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $79,747
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $64,221 to $75,506
Key Factors That Influence 3d Character Animator Salaries
A 3d Character Animator's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how geographic location
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Do 3d Character Animator Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract 3d Character Animators. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
District of Columbia: $78,443.
California: $78,146.
Massachusetts: $77,104.
District of Columbia$78,443
California$78,146
Massachusetts$77,104
Washington$76,821
New Jersey$76,792
Alaska$76,693
Connecticut$75,715
New York$75,319
Hawaii$74,051
Rhode Island$73,455
Maryland$73,052
Minnesota$72,499
Colorado$72,286
Illinois$72,216
Oregon$71,946
Delaware$71,748
New Hampshire$71,623
Virginia$71,344
Pennsylvania$70,529
Nevada$70,118
North Dakota$69,984
Michigan$69,771
Wisconsin$69,693
Vermont$69,538
Texas$69,105
Maine$69,077
Arizona$69,034
Ohio$68,985
Georgia$68,333
Indiana$68,007
Wyoming$67,943
Utah$67,844
Iowa$67,802
Kansas$67,462
Louisiana$67,362
North Carolina$67,327
Missouri$67,313
Florida$67,037
Montana$66,888
Nebraska$66,746
Kentucky$66,668
South Carolina$66,385
Tennessee$66,208
Idaho$66,137
New Mexico$65,620
Oklahoma$65,506
Alabama$65,088
South Dakota$64,387
Arkansas$64,004
West Virginia$63,799
Mississippi$63,182
Top Paying Cities for 3d Character Animators
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $89,361
San Francisco: $88,382
Oakland: $86,520
San Jose, CA$89,361
San Francisco, CA$88,382
Oakland, CA$86,520
New York, NY$81,574
Paramus, NJ$80,582
Queens Village, NY$80,578
Passaic, NJ$80,511
Bergenfield, NJ$80,505
Stamford, CT$80,349
Huntington, NY$80,320
Newark, NJ$79,796
Bridgeport, CT$79,647
Vallejo, CA$79,506
New Brunswick, NJ$79,478
Petaluma, CA$79,435
Middlesex, NJ$79,300
Somerset, NJ$79,251
Santa Cruz, CA$79,159
Boston, MA$78,727
Monterey, CA$78,478
Seattle, WA$78,316
Santa Rosa, CA$78,301
Los Angeles, CA$78,280
Juneau, AK$78,096
Washington, DC$78,018
Orange, CA$77,766
Santa Ana, CA$77,579
Long Beach, CA$77,508
Anaheim, CA$77,494
Anchorage, AK$77,458
Santa Maria, CA$77,246
Everett, WA$77,232
Danbury, CT$76,982
Bremerton, WA$76,884
Tacoma, WA$76,629
New Suffolk, NY$76,628
Sacramento, CA$76,608
Santa Barbara, CA$76,530
Trenton, NJ$76,452
San Diego, CA$76,452
Brockton, MA$76,374
Fairbanks, AK$76,201
Lompoc, CA$76,020
Lowell, MA$75,963
Ventura, CA$75,949
Nashua, NH$75,935
Stockton, CA$75,928
Modesto, CA$75,411
Poughkeepsie, NY$75,255
Olympia, WA$75,120
Kennewick, WA$75,120
New Haven, CT$75,092
Lawrence, MA$74,837
Hartford, CT$74,766
Riverside, CA$74,752
New Bedford, MA$74,681
Richland, WA$74,681
Bakersfield, CA$74,582
San Bernardino, CA$74,554
New Britain, CT$74,546
Atlantic City, NJ$74,546
New London, CT$74,518
Norwich, CT$74,497
Portsmouth, NH$74,483
Boulder, CO$74,333
Portland, OR$74,235
Worcester, MA$74,228
Minneapolis, MN$74,008
Philadelphia, PA$73,909
Honolulu, HI$73,675
Saint Paul, MN$73,641
Vineland, NJ$73,625
Providence, RI$73,420
Chicago, IL$73,215
Bellingham, WA$73,130
Springfield, MA$73,073
Baltimore, MD$73,052
Chico, CA$72,874
Pittsfield, MA$72,683
Manchester, NH$72,549
Spokane, WA$72,237
Denver, CO$72,230
Albany, NY$71,897
Troy, NY$71,868
Nassau, NY$71,793
Schenectady, NY$71,720
Wilmington, DE$71,663
Burlington, VT$71,564
Salem, OR$71,535
Portland, ME$71,316
Yakima, WA$71,245
Rochester, MN$71,025
Reno, NV$70,990
Fresno, CA$70,990
Milwaukee, WI$70,926
Detroit, MI$70,855
Ann Arbor, MI$70,843
Allentown, PA$70,834
Colorado Springs, CO$70,714
Syracuse, NY$70,678
Carson City, NV$70,678
Houston, TX$70,579
Eugene, OR$70,544
Gary, IN$70,459
Springfield, OR$70,402
Bismarck, ND$70,388
Galveston, TX$70,338
Medford, OR$70,232
Fort Collins, CO$70,203
Concord, NH$70,168
Austin, TX$70,147
Mesa, AZ$69,998
Reading, PA$69,991
Phoenix, AZ$69,984
Dallas, TX$69,963
Saint Cloud, MN$69,895
Madison, WI$69,800
Utica, NY$69,608
Rochester, NY$69,495
Des Moines, IA$69,488
Raleigh, NC$69,481
Atlanta, GA$69,375
Battle Creek, MI$69,353
Salt Lake City, UT$69,332
Lancaster, PA$69,226
Harrisburg, PA$69,127
Kansas City, MO$69,056
Champaign, IL$69,042
Kansas City, KS$69,042
Fort Worth, TX$69,034
Columbus, OH$69,022
Boca Raton, FL$69,006
Pittsburgh, PA$68,978
Richmond, VA$68,949
Indianapolis, IN$68,935
Cleveland, OH$68,928
Las Vegas, NV$68,843
Cincinnati, OH$68,843
Petersburg, VA$68,737
Huntsville, AL$68,631
Lansing, MI$68,583
Lebanon, PA$68,574
Pueblo, CO$68,567
Appleton, WI$68,546
Buffalo, NY$68,517
Dayton, OH$68,496
Racine, WI$68,482
Charlotte, NC$68,475
Saint Louis, MO$68,454
York, PA$68,411
Elkhart, IN$68,411
Gastonia, NC$68,398
Billings, MT$68,381
Beaumont, TX$68,361
Lorain, OH$68,347
Benton Harbor, MI$68,333
Toledo, OH$68,319
Binghamton, NY$68,283
Rock Hill, SC$68,276
Rockford, IL$68,241
Springfield, IL$68,213
Elyria, OH$68,206
Fargo, ND$68,206
Flagstaff, AZ$68,156
Fort Lauderdale, FL$68,113
Duluth, MN$68,071
Miami, FL$68,071
Cheyenne, WY$68,021
Grand Forks, ND$68,021
Bangor, ME$67,865
Cedar Rapids, IA$67,788
Durham, NC$67,758
Louisville, KY$67,752
Grand Rapids, MI$67,738
Hialeah, FL$67,731
Casper, WY$67,632
Scranton, PA$67,547
New Orleans, LA$67,525
Virginia Beach, VA$67,518
Akron, OH$67,483
Peoria, IL$67,391
Sarasota, FL$67,377
Nashville, TN$67,327
Omaha, NE$67,327
Green Bay, WI$67,327
Baton Rouge, LA$67,292
Charleston, SC$67,277
Jamestown, NY$67,242
Davenport, IA$67,242
Tucson, AZ$67,207
Saint Petersburg, FL$67,164
Tampa, FL$67,150
Evansville, IN$67,107
Port Arthur, TX$67,107
Bradenton, FL$67,079
Santa Fe, NM$66,952
Orlando, FL$66,824
Clearwater, FL$66,803
Canton, OH$66,654
La Crosse, WI$66,654
Albuquerque, NM$66,611
Newport News, VA$66,604
High Point, NC$66,583
Ogden, UT$66,555
Corpus Christi, TX$66,498
Norfolk, VA$66,456
Laramie, WY$66,456
Rock Island, IL$66,413
Saginaw, MI$66,399
Jacksonville, FL$66,392
Salisbury, NC$66,378
Boise, ID$66,364
Moline, IL$66,328
Fort Myers, FL$66,307
Memphis, TN$66,293
Tulsa, OK$66,257
Waterloo, IA$66,215
Spartanburg, SC$66,144
Lincoln, NE$66,108
Fort Wayne, IN$66,094
Provo, UT$66,087
Cedar Falls, IA$66,002
San Antonio, TX$65,974
Greensboro, NC$65,946
South Bend, IN$65,938
Savannah, GA$65,860
Muskegon, MI$65,832
Birmingham, AL$65,825
Winston Salem, NC$65,790
Lake Charles, LA$65,620
Anderson, IN$65,605
Lexington, KY$65,584
Augusta, GA$65,563
Greenville, SC$65,563
Lima, OH$65,506
Wichita, KS$65,499
Tuscaloosa, AL$65,499
Columbia, SC$65,435
Springfield, OH$65,421
Asheville, NC$65,308
Bloomington, IN$65,258
Knoxville, TN$65,003
Shreveport, LA$64,996
Wilmington, NC$64,904
Roanoke, VA$64,904
Topeka, KS$64,777
Frankfort, KY$64,769
Oklahoma City, OK$64,720
Chillicothe, OH$64,691
Longview, TX$64,684
Melbourne, FL$64,677
Sioux Falls, SD$64,564
Mobile, AL$64,557
Terre Haute, IN$64,529
Altoona, PA$64,486
Amarillo, TX$64,436
Killeen, TX$64,415
Fayetteville, AR$64,359
Chattanooga, TN$64,337
Sioux City, IA$64,273
Idaho Falls, ID$64,259
Lynchburg, VA$64,203
Gainesville, FL$64,111
Portsmouth, OH$64,075
Little Rock, AR$64,061
Lafayette, LA$64,033
Youngstown, OH$64,033
Daytona Beach, FL$63,990
Clarksville, TN$63,983
Pensacola, FL$63,976
Temple, TX$63,971
Hopkinsville, KY$63,763
Erie, PA$63,749
Florence, SC$63,721
Charleston, WV$63,608
Great Falls, MT$63,572
Macon, GA$63,473
Tallahassee, FL$63,466
Fayetteville, NC$63,452
Waco, TX$63,437
Helena, MT$63,388
Pine Bluff, AR$63,361
Vincennes, IN$63,275
Lubbock, TX$63,246
Alamogordo, NM$63,204
Twin Falls, ID$63,140
Rapid City, SD$63,119
Jackson, MS$62,991
Huntington, WV$62,986
Greenville, MS$62,984
Parkersburg, WV$62,912
Montgomery, AL$62,899
Wichita Falls, TX$62,828
Springfield, MO$62,828
Biloxi, MS$62,793
Monroe, LA$62,722
Johnstown, PA$62,672
Sumter, SC$62,644
Columbus, GA$62,637
Pascagoula, MS$62,502
Abilene, TX$62,502
Kingsport, TN$62,318
Albany, GA$62,318
Gulfport, MS$62,297
Alexandria, LA$62,063
Fort Smith, AR$61,886
El Paso, TX$61,695
Las Cruces, NM$61,376
Harlingen, TX$61,196
Pocatello, ID$61,185
Florence, AL$61,092
Brownsville, TX$61,078
Mcallen, TX$60,929
Dothan, AL$60,830
Columbus, MS$60,409
Altus, OK$60,079
Lawton, OK$59,945
Pierre, SD$59,690
What Skills Can Increase a 3d Character Animator's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Networking (Mentioned in 14.84% Job Postings): Ability to maintain, build and expand a personal and business contact list to grow one's career and business opportunities.
Back Office (Mentioned in 5.18% Job Postings): The back office is the administration and support personnel who are not client-facing. Back-office personnel provide essential functions to the business.
Ethernet (Mentioned in 1.19% Job Postings): Ethernet is the traditional technology for connecting devices in a wired local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN). It enables devices to communicate with each other via a protocol, which is a set of rules or common network language.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a 3d Character Animator's salary.
Ethernet: Can increase your salary by up to 40%.
Insurance Products: Can increase your salary by up to 15%.
Insurance Sales: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
3d Character Animator Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For 3d Character Animator roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 50% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Business Services and Financial Services
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 25% above the average.
In contrast, 3d Character Animator positions in Healthcare or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view 3d Character Animator as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a 3d Character Animator
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Business Services
$88,560
$43.0
25%
Financial Services
$74,391
$36.0
5%
3d Character Animator Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a 3d Character Animator's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$64,221
Average$70,848/year
$75,506
$5,352
Average$5,904/month
$6,292
$1,235
Average$1,362/week
$1,452
$31
Average$34/hour
$36
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$75,506
$6,292
$1,452
$36
Average
$70,848
$5,904
$1,362
$34
25th Percentile
$64,221
$5,352
$1,235
$31
Salaries of Jobs related to 3d Character Animator
3D Animator V$157,000
3D Animator IV$129,300
3D Animator III$94,300
3d Character Artist$91,636
3d Animator$90,345
3D Animator II$77,800
Senior 3d Animator$77,680
3D Animator/Designer$74,611
3D Artist/Animator$65,690
Character Animator$63,502
3D Animator I$63,500
Salary Trends for 3d Character Animator
Salaries for a 3d Character Animator can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $79,398 in 2023
to around $74,995 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of 3d Character Animator salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of 3d Character Animator Over Time
$???
$79,398
$76,834
$74,995
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$79,398
2024
$76,834
2025
$74,995
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for 3d Character Animator
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for 3d Character Animator
Here are companies hiring for 3d Character Animator and their salaries, click below for more details.
K$114,295/per year
Kpmg Us LLPBusiness Servicesthe United States
W$114,096/per year
Warner Bros DiscoveryBusiness Servicesthe United States
D$111,927/per year
Dentsu International LtdBusiness Servicesthe United States
G$111,873/per year
GroupM Worldwide IncBusiness Servicesthe United States
C$111,651/per year
CoWorx StaffingBusiness Servicesthe United States
C$110,194/per year
Contemporary Services CorpBusiness Servicesthe United States
S$107,128/per year
Showcase CinemasBusiness Servicesthe United States
A$106,429/per year
Amentum Services IncBusiness Servicesthe United States
A$106,199/per year
Allied Universal Security Services LLCBusiness Servicesthe United States
S$106,104/per year
Sodexo USABusiness Servicesthe United States
J$105,192/per year
JLL TechnologiesBusiness Servicesthe United States
I$104,478/per year
Intact Insurance Group USA LLCBusiness Servicesthe United States
N$101,619/per year
NielsenIQBusiness Servicesthe United States
T$101,470/per year
The Leading Edge AllianceBusiness Servicesthe United States
H$101,308/per year
Honeywell UOPBusiness Servicesthe United States
R$97,720/per year
Reeve & AssociatesBusiness Servicesthe United States
M$97,584/per year
ManpowerGroup Global IncBusiness Servicesthe United States
F$95,980/per year
Financial Sys NcoBusiness Servicesthe United States
A$95,314/per year
Arrow Global LtdBusiness Servicesthe United States
C$94,777/per year
CarMax Enterprise Services LLCBusiness Servicesthe United States
D$94,479/per year
DZConneXBusiness Servicesthe United States
A$93,802/per year
Adecco Staffing, USABusiness Servicesthe United States
R$92,937/per year
Resource MFGBusiness Servicesthe United States
Z$92,774/per year
Zachry Brands IncBusiness Servicesthe United States
G$88,138/per year
Greystar Worldwide LLCBusiness Servicesthe United States
Find Your Next 3d Character Animator Job
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FAQ about 3d Character Animator
1. What industry pays the highest salary for 3d Character Animator?
The Business Services industry offers the highest average compensation for 3d Character Animator roles,
with salaries approximately 25% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
