Multimedia Artists and Animators

Median Salary: $58,300

Many multimedia artists and animators across the country share a number of key professional traits. For example, stress tolerance, cooperation, and achievement/effort can be critical for success in the industry, especially when mixed with career training. Around 28,800 people were working as multimedia artists and animators nationwide in 2009. With that much workplace competition, it's crucial to develop these characteristics and receive proper training, particularly if you're ready to progress in the field.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual income for multimedia artists and animators in the U.S. was $58,300 in 2009, which works out to a median hourly wage of $28.00. Of course, income can vary with training and by location. Below, you'll find more data about multimedia artists and animators, including wages and job density for areas all over the country.

Multimedia artists and animators should be skilled in:

Written Comprehension
Originality
Category Flexibility
Selective Attention
Visual Color Discrimination

Different people go into different careers; multimedia artists and animators are typically:

Artistic
Investigative
Conventional

Working as a multimedia artist or animator requires knowledge in subjects like:

Fine Arts
Design
Computers and Electronics

Related Occupations

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Below, you'll see links to more information on the top cities for this occupation (based on the number of people working as multimedia artists and animators). Note: "Job density" refers to the proportion of multimedia artists and animators in each city as compared to the national average.

Alabama
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Birmingham	30	$40,900	$19.70	$49,300	$23.70	-71.4%

Arizona
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Phoenix	130	$53,700	$25.80	$71,500	$34.40	-67.3%

Arkansas
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Little Rock	NA	$68,000	$32.70	$80,700	$38.80	NA

California
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Los Angeles (Area)	5,540	$65,000	$31.30	$85,900	$41.30	280.5%
Oakland	380	$64,000	$30.80	$82,100	$39.50	75.9%
Oxnard	30	$55,100	$26.50	$72,800	$35.00	-51.4%
Riverside	NA	$53,600	$25.80	$68,500	$33.00	NA
Sacramento	NA	$60,600	$29.10	$73,900	$35.50	NA
San Diego	390	$62,600	$30.10	$75,300	$36.20	39.1%
San Francisco (Area)	2,280	$72,700	$34.90	$91,500	$44.00	427.7%
San Francisco (City)	1,900	$81,400	$39.10	$101,000	$48.50	780%
San Jose	650	$81,600	$39.20	$97,000	$46.60	234.5%

Colorado
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Boulder	NA	$49,500	$23.80	$62,300	$29.90	NA
Denver	190	$50,700	$24.40	$62,100	$29.80	-29.5%

Connecticut
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Bridgeport	50	$54,000	$26.00	$78,300	$37.70	-41.4%
Hartford	280	$46,400	$22.30	$59,500	$28.60	125%

District of Columbia
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Washington (Area)	740	$65,800	$31.60	$78,500	$37.70	41.4%

Florida
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Miami (Area)	200	$57,900	$27.80	$77,400	$37.20	-49.5%
Orlando	220	$49,800	$24.00	$60,500	$29.10	3.2%
Tampa	130	$47,700	$22.90	$65,200	$31.30	-47.3%

Georgia
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Atlanta	NA	$53,900	$25.90	$62,300	$30.00	NA

Hawaii
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Honolulu	NA	$57,900	$27.80	$67,000	$32.20	NA

Idaho
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Boise City	NA	$47,300	$22.80	$57,600	$27.70	NA

Illinois
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Champaign	30	$51,800	$24.90	$62,700	$30.10	58.2%
Chicago (Area)	730	$53,200	$25.60	$68,600	$33.00	-9.1%
Peoria	30	$48,000	$23.10	$57,600	$27.70	-7.7%

Indiana
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Indianapolis	90	$39,400	$19.00	$64,000	$30.80	-53.2%

Kentucky
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Louisville	70	$46,600	$22.40	$57,400	$27.60	-48.2%

Louisiana
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Baton Rouge	50	$37,700	$18.10	$48,400	$23.30	-39.1%

Maryland
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Baltimore	160	$60,000	$28.90	$84,400	$40.60	-42.7%

Massachusetts
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Boston (Area)	690	$62,100	$29.90	$78,400	$37.70	52.3%
Springfield	40	$48,200	$23.20	$64,400	$31.00	-43.6%

Michigan
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Ann Arbor	30	$55,700	$26.80	$66,700	$32.10	-28.2%
Detroit (Area)	160	$47,300	$22.80	$61,900	$29.80	-62.3%
Grand Rapids	40	$58,400	$28.10	$84,300	$40.50	-45%

Minnesota
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Minneapolis	680	$52,600	$25.30	$65,400	$31.40	80%

Mississippi
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Jackson	30	$38,000	$18.20	$49,100	$23.60	-40.5%

Missouri
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Kansas City	300	$43,400	$20.90	$57,200	$27.50	36.4%
Springfield	NA	$51,500	$24.80	$58,600	$28.20	NA
St. Louis	190	$46,700	$22.40	$54,300	$26.10	-33.2%

Nevada
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Las Vegas	150	$57,800	$27.80	$70,500	$33.90	-20%

New Jersey
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Trenton	40	$64,000	$30.80	$84,200	$40.50	-21.4%

New Mexico
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Albuquerque	NA	$49,800	$24.00	$58,300	$28.00	NA

New York
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Albany	100	$49,400	$23.80	$62,800	$30.20	2.3%
Buffalo	90	$55,200	$26.60	$69,300	$33.30	-21.8%
New York (Area)	3,330	$48,400	$23.30	$64,800	$31.20	-3.2%
Rochester	50	$54,700	$26.30	$67,300	$32.40	-55.5%

North Carolina
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Durham	70	$55,600	$26.70	$72,600	$34.90	8.6%
Raleigh	410	$48,100	$23.10	$71,400	$34.40	275%
Winston-Salem	40	$42,700	$20.50	$71,000	$34.10	-13.6%

Ohio
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Cincinnati	140	$47,800	$23.00	$57,700	$27.70	-35.9%
Cleveland	80	$46,400	$22.30	$58,100	$28.00	-64.5%
Columbus	100	$63,400	$30.50	$82,700	$39.80	-50%
Dayton	30	$42,700	$20.50	$51,600	$24.80	-63.2%

Oregon
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Eugene	60	$45,900	$22.10	$56,300	$27.10	98.6%
Portland	430	$57,300	$27.60	$75,200	$36.20	98.6%

Pennsylvania
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Allentown	30	$37,500	$18.10	$56,100	$27.00	-55%
Harrisburg	40	$50,400	$24.30	$57,200	$27.50	-44.1%
Lancaster	30	$41,900	$20.20	$61,600	$29.60	-31.4%
Philadelphia (Area)	NA	$43,900	$21.10	$59,000	$28.40	NA
Pittsburgh	100	$40,200	$19.30	$61,200	$29.40	-58.6%

South Carolina
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Columbia	NA	$30,900	$14.80	$34,400	$16.50	NA
Greenville	30	$43,500	$20.90	$60,700	$29.20	-54.1%

South Dakota
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Sioux Falls	30	$34,400	$16.50	$45,800	$22.00	17.3%

Tennessee
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Chattanooga	40	$30,500	$14.60	$43,200	$20.80	-18.2%
Memphis	NA	$55,600	$26.80	$65,900	$31.70	NA
Nashville	NA	$48,600	$23.40	$59,000	$28.40	NA

Texas
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Austin	510	$72,500	$34.90	$88,400	$42.50	200.9%
Dallas (Area)	NA	$40,700	$19.60	$58,500	$28.10	NA
Houston	280	$59,200	$28.40	$68,500	$32.90	-50.5%
San Antonio	80	$54,900	$26.40	$65,900	$31.70	-56.4%

Utah
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Logan	30	$49,000	$23.50	$53,800	$25.90	195.5%
Provo	50	$40,700	$19.60	$55,300	$26.60	21.4%
Salt Lake City	60	$47,800	$23.00	$58,600	$28.20	-53.2%

Virginia
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Richmond	40	$38,200	$18.40	$65,100	$31.30	-72.3%
Virginia Beach	80	$54,100	$26.00	$63,000	$30.30	-52.3%

Washington
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Seattle (Area)	1,340	$61,500	$29.60	$80,900	$38.90	333.2%

Wisconsin
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Green Bay	40	$37,600	$18.10	$44,100	$21.20	18.2%
Madison	150	$47,800	$23.00	$55,300	$26.60	106.8%
Milwaukee	170	$51,100	$24.60	$64,300	$30.90	-5.5%