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Background Artist Salary in the United States

How much does a Background Artist make in the United States? The salary range for a Background Artist job is from $58,877 to $75,268 per year in the United States. Click on the filter to check out Background Artist job salaries by hourly, weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly, and yearly.

Average base salary
updated at March 01, 2025
$68,031
Per Year
The average salary for a Background Artist is $68,031
per Year in the United States.
Individually reported data submitted by users of our website

HOW SHOULD YOU USE THIS DATA?

Employees: Use this as a guide for salary expectations, but be aware that responsibilities can change across companies for the same job title, so there may be differences between this data, other free site and our subscription products bought by employers.

Employers: This data could be used as reference point in your market pricing, but not the only source, due to differences across jobs locations, and sizes of companies.Consider additional sources like our Employer reported data.

Base Salary
$58,877
$68,031
Medium
$75,268

Highest Paying Cities for Background Artist in the United States

Background Artist salaries in the United States will pay differently by cities. Below following are the eight cities with the highest income for Background Artist jobs in the United States. The city with the highest salary is San Jose. Click on the Background Artist salary in cities you are interested in to view detailed job salary information.

States with Higher Salaries for Background Artist

The five states where Background Artist jobs get higher salaries in the United States are: District of Columbia, California, New Jersey, Alaska, and Massachusetts. Compared with the average salary of a Background Artist in the United States, the state of District of Columbia with the highest job income for this job. The second and third states are California and New Jersey respectively. The high or low salary paid to Background Artist by the US has a greater relationship with the demand for jobs and the cost of living.

How Much Do Similar Professions Get Paid in the United States?

There are some different titles for Background Artist jobs, and the job title of Background Artist will vary in different companies. The job title has a lot to do with the department and responsibilities, and the same job title will vary in different departments. The following list is the salary of jobs similar to Background Artist, start to view Background Artist-related jobs you are interested in.
2D Background Artist
Average salary
United States
$77,344
per Year
Background Investigator
Average salary
United States
$73,993
per Year
Background Painter
Average salary
United States
$48,053
per Year
Background Actor
Average salary
United States
$62,871
per Year
Background Specialist
Average salary
United States
$56,902
per Year
Background Check Specialist
Average salary
United States
$55,909
per Year

How Much Should You Be Earning?

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What Does a Background Artist Do?

The work of background artists can be seen in motion pictures, television, video games and other forms of media.

December 15, 2021

A background artist is someone who is involved in the process of animation who establishes the colour, style and mood of scene, as described by the writer, artistic director, or client.

December 07, 2021

But who are not Background Artists, are layout artists (who design the backgrounds, lighting, and camera angles).

December 02, 2021

If you yourself are not planning to animate it, you will need to pay artists to complete tasks such as character design, storyboarding, background paintings, character/prop animation, voice acting, and editing, assuming your project is 2D animation.

November 21, 2021

There are two distinct types of background artist jobs as the term holds two completely unrelated meanings.

November 21, 2021

Most Common Benefits for Background Artist

Social Security
Healthcare
401(k)
Pension
Disability
Time Off (days)

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about salaries for a Background Artist
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The highest Background Artist salary is $75,268, while the lowest is $58,877 in the United States.
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