Animation Director Salary in the United States

How much does an Animation Director make in the United States?

As of May 01, 2026, the average salary for an Animation Director in the United States is $96,543 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $46.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $110,567
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $87,602 to $103,884
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $79,461
Compensation Planning
Develop a Job Description
Pay Equity
2025 Compensation Trend
AI Onboarding
Smart Recruiting
View as table View as graph 25% $87,602 10% $79,461 90% $110,567 75% $103,884 $96,543 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Animation Director Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $103,884 $8,657 $1,998 $50
Average $96,543 $8,045 $1,857 $46
25th Percentile $87,602 $7,300 $1,685 $42
Check out Animation Director Job Openings in the United States
Director of Nursing

Southwest Healthcare Services - BOWMAN, ND

EMS Director

South Central Wyoming EMS - SARATOGA, WY

Director of Nursing

Meadowbrook at Black River Falls - BLACK RIVER FALLS, WI

Psychiatrist and Medical Director

Confidential - , MO

Search More Animation Director Jobs in the United States

Key Factors That Influence Animation Director Salaries

An Animation Director'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 and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Animation Director Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of an Animation Director'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): $64,656
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $79,198
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $96,004
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $131,687
  • Expert (over 8 years): $159,817
Levels Salary
Motion Gr... Level Animation Director$64,656
Motion Gr... Level Animation Director$79,198
Animation... Level Animation Director$96,004
Motion Gr... Level Animation Director$131,687
Motion Gr... Level Animation Director$159,817
$64,656 0 yr
$79,198 < 2 yrs
$96,004 2-4 yrs
$131,687 5-8 yrs
$159,817 > 8 yrs
View as Table
View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Animation Directors

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: $121,770
  • San Francisco: $120,437
  • Oakland: $117,899

What Skills Can Increase an Animation Director's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Collaboration (Mentioned in 1.32% Job Postings): Works cooperatively and shares ideas with coworkers and managers to achieve common goals and objectives.
  • Software Design (Mentioned in 3.67% 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.
  • Advertising (Mentioned in 1.29% Job Postings): Advertising is a marketing communication that employs an openly sponsored, non-personal message to promote or sell a product, service or idea.:465 Sponsors of advertising are typically businesses wishing to promote their products or services. Advertising is differentiated from public relations in that an advertiser pays for and has control over the message. It differs from personal selling in that the message is non-personal, i.e., not directed to a particular individual.:661,672 Advertising is communicated through various mass media, including traditional media such as newspapers, magazines, television, radio, outdoor advertising or direct mail; and new media such as search results, blogs, social media, websites or text messages. The actual presentation of the message in a medium is referred to as an advertisement, or "ad" or advert for short. Commercial ads often seek to generate increased consumption of their products or services through "branding", which associates a product name or image with certain qualities in the minds of consumers. On the other hand, ads that intend to elicit an immediate sale are known as direct-response advertising. Non-commercial entities that advertise more than consumer products or services include political parties, interest groups, religious organizations and governmental agencies. Non-profit organizations may use free modes of persuasion, such as a public service announcement. Advertising may also help to reassure employees or shareholders that a company is viable or successful.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Collaboration 1.32%
Software Design 3.67%
Advertising 1.29%
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 an Animation Director's salary.
  • Scheduling: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
  • Animation Design: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
  • Technical Skills: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Scheduling
$105,232
9%
Animation Design
$102,336
6%
Technical Skills
$99,440
3%
Leadership
$99,440
3%
Innovation
$99,440
3%
Initiative
$99,440
3%
Get Latest Data

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

Understanding how an Animation Director'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.

Last Updated on May 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Animation Director

Salaries for an Animation Director can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $89,638 in 2023 to around $87,928 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Animation Director salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Animation Director Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$89,638
2024
$88,632
2025
$87,928
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $89,638
2024 $88,632
2025 $87,928
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Animation Director

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 Animation Director

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

Find Your Next Animation Director Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Animation Director 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