Character Animation Salary in the United States

How much does a Character Animation make in the United States?

As of May 01, 2026, the average salary for a Character Animation in the United States is $62,838 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $30.

However, a Character Animation's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $80,780
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $52,678 to $72,229
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $43,428
Compensation Planning
Develop a Job Description
Pay Equity
2025 Compensation Trend
AI-Powered HR
Recruit with AI
Salary Salary + Bonus Benefits
Paid Annually Paid Monthly Paid Semimonthly Paid Biweekly Paid Weekly Paid Hourly
View as table View as graph 25% $52,678 10% $43,428 90% $80,780 75% $72,229 $62,838 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Character Animation Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary		 Monthly
Pay		 Weekly
Pay		 Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $72,229 $6,019 $1,389 $35
Average $62,838 $5,236 $1,208 $30
25th Percentile $52,678 $4,390 $1,013 $25
Check out Character Animation Job Openings in the United States
Licensed Dental Assistant

OMS Specialists - BLAINE, MN

Physician Sign On

Mercy Health - JOPLIN, MO

Physician Sign On

Mercy Health - WEBB CITY, MO

Physician

Wellpath - WARREN, ME

Search More Character Animation Jobs in the United States
Choose Similar Job
Choose Category
Cost of Living
Average Salary for United States
See it in Action

Key Factors That Influence Character Animation Salaries

A Character Animation's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Character Animation Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Character Animation's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $64,954
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $79,564
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $96,446
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $132,295
  • Expert (over 8 years): $160,554
Levels Salary
Character... Level Character Animation$64,954
Motion Gr... Level Character Animation$79,564
Motion Gr... Level Character Animation$96,446
Motion Gr... Level Character Animation$132,295
Motion Gr... Level Character Animation$160,554
$64,954 0 yr
$79,564 < 2 yrs
$96,446 2-4 yrs
$132,295 5-8 yrs
$160,554 > 8 yrs
View as Table
View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

How Do Character Animation 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 Character Animations. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

  • District of Columbia: $69,574.
  • California: $69,310.
  • Massachusetts: $68,386.

Top Paying Cities for Character Animations

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: $79,257
  • San Francisco: $78,390
  • Oakland: $76,738

What Skills Can Increase a Character Animation's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Initiative (Mentioned in 6.13% Job Postings): Taking decisive action and initiating plans independently to address problems, improve professional life, and achieve goals.
  • Motion Graphics (Mentioned in 4.25% Job Postings): Motion Graphics is essentially graphic design made video. This style combines sound, text, charts, symbols, and animation, to convey hard data and written information in a compelling and clear way.
  • Software Design (Mentioned in 1.86% Job Postings): Software design is the process by which an agent creates a specification of a software artifact, intended to accomplish goals, using a set of primitive components and subject to constraints. Software design may refer to either "all the activity involved in conceptualizing, framing, implementing, commissioning, and ultimately modifying complex systems" or "the activity following requirements specification and before programming, as ... [in] a stylized software engineering process." Software design usually involves problem solving and planning a software solution. This includes both a low-level component and algorithm design and a high-level, architecture design.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Initiative 6.13%
Motion Graphics 4.25%
Software Design 1.86%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
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 Character Animation's salary.
  • Product Design: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
  • Commitment: Can increase your salary by up to 8%.
  • Consulting: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Product Design
 $70,378
12%
Commitment
 $67,865
8%
Consulting
 $67,236
7%
Insight
 $66,608
6%
Analysis
 $66,608
6%
Motion Graphics
 $65,980
5%
Get Latest Data

How Education impacts a Character Animation's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Character Animations enter the field with a No Diploma degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Character Animation with a No Diploma is between $54,202 and $59,919).

Character Animation Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Character Animation
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 10.0%
High School 10.0%
Associates 10.0%
Bachelors 67.0%
Masters 12.2%
Doctorate 0.8%
view as graph

Character Animation Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Character Animation'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 May 01, 2026
$52,678
Average $62,838/year
$72,229
$4,390
Average $5,236/month
$6,019
$1,013
Average $1,208/week
$1,389
$25
Average $30/hour
$35
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $72,229 $6,019 $1,389 $35
Average $62,838 $5,236 $1,208 $30
25th Percentile $52,678 $4,390 $1,013 $25

Salaries of jobs related to Character Animation

Salary Trends for Character Animation

Salaries for a Character Animation can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $58,763 in 2023 to around $58,222 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Character Animation salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Character Animation Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$58,763
2024
$58,599
2025
$58,222
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $58,763
2024 $58,599
2025 $58,222
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Character Animation

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

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution.

Compensation Planning

Common company salaries for Character Animation

Here are companies hiring for Character Animation and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Character Animation Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Character Animation job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

United States
For Employees

Get a Salary Increase

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Search Job Openings

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

For Employers

Adjust Employee Salary

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Price My Industry Jobs

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

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.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

  • Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
  • Job and employee pricing reports
  • Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.
Learn about CompAnalyst