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3d artist salary

Average 3d artist salary

$74,721

$35.92 hourly rate

Entry-level 3d artist salary
$47,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding the 3D Artist Salary Landscape

The average yearly salary for a 3D Artist in the United States is about $74,721, translating to approximately $36 per hour. Salaries can differ based on several factors, including experience level, geographic location, and the industry segment.

Factors Influencing Salary

Experience plays a crucial role; entry-level positions may start around $50,000, while seasoned professionals can command upwards of $100,000. Additionally, 3D Artists working in industries such as gaming or film often see higher compensation than those in less lucrative fields.

Top Paying States

States like California, New York, and Washington are known for offering higher salaries due to the concentration of major studios and tech companies. In California, for example, the average salary can exceed $80,000.

Job Opportunities

With the rise of virtual reality and gaming, the demand for 3D Artists is expected to grow. Job seekers can explore various roles within creative studios, game development companies, and architectural firms, positioning themselves for lucrative career paths.

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Where can a 3D Artist earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
111k
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Columbus, OH$97,607
Kettering, OH$41,033
Compare salary by company
Vs
178k
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Meta$151,133
ArenaNet$88,494

3d artist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Payscale, the average salary for a 3d artist typically falls between $61,860 and $104,536.
zippia
$74,721yearly
glassdoor[1]
$64,972yearly
indeed[2]
$75,626yearly
Salary.com[3]
$104,536yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$82,353yearly
payscale[5]
$61,860yearly

Average 3d artist salary by state

The highest-paying states for 3d artists are Nevada, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The lowest average 3d artist salary states are Nebraska, Missouri, and Ohio.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for 3d artists

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Connecticut$101,702$48.90
2Rhode Island$101,615$48.85
3New Hampshire$98,754$47.48
4District of Columbia$98,005$47.12
5Washington$92,932$44.68
6California$88,614$42.60
7Delaware$99,884$48.02
8Utah$76,280$36.67
9Nevada$116,715$56.11
10New York$78,735$37.85
11Idaho$77,979$37.49
12Maryland$85,130$40.93
13Virginia$79,305$38.13
14Oregon$73,200$35.19
15Michigan$69,414$33.37
16Iowa$65,362$31.42
17New Mexico$73,285$35.23
18Pennsylvania$70,687$33.98
19Maine$69,234$33.29
20Indiana$64,006$30.77
21North Carolina$65,759$31.61
22Wisconsin$58,170$27.97
23Arizona$64,327$30.93
24West Virginia$66,325$31.89
25Kentucky$59,384$28.55
26Wyoming$49,653$23.87
27Kansas$63,991$30.76
28Texas$54,262$26.09
29North Dakota$63,881$30.71
30Arkansas$60,564$29.12
31New Jersey$66,784$32.11
32Vermont$58,959$28.35
33Florida$54,204$26.06
34Tennessee$59,154$28.44
35Illinois$53,503$25.72
36Georgia$46,748$22.48
37Massachusetts$48,031$23.09
38Oklahoma$51,130$24.58
39Colorado$48,696$23.41
40Alaska$53,611$25.77
41Hawaii$47,950$23.05
42Minnesota$48,292$23.22
43Nebraska$43,998$21.15
44Alabama$45,986$22.11
45Mississippi$46,167$22.20
46South Dakota$38,570$18.54
47Louisiana$41,333$19.87
48Ohio$42,401$20.39
49Missouri$43,365$20.85
50Montana$44,010$21.16
51South Carolina$37,521$18.04

Highest paying cities for 3d artists

The highest-paying cities for 3d artists are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and New York, NY.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$97,607$46.93
2Seattle, WA$93,729$45.06
3New York, NY$78,839$37.90
4Salt Lake City, UT$75,707$36.40
5Greenville, NC$69,742$33.53
6Royal Oak, MI$69,720$33.52
7Pittsburgh, PA$68,147$32.76
8Jersey City, NJ$66,914$32.17
9Sarasota, FL$55,049$26.47
10Houston, TX$54,153$26.04
11Skokie, IL$54,142$26.03
12Denver, CO$48,472$23.30
13Boston, MA$47,956$23.06
14Atlanta, GA$46,538$22.37
15Huntsville, AL$44,854$21.56
16Kettering, OH$41,033$19.73

3D Artists are the most in-demand in these five cities:

  1. San Francisco, CA
  2. Seattle, WA
  3. New York, NY
  4. Salt Lake City, UT
  5. Royal Oak, MI

3d artist salary details

A 3d artist's salary ranges from $47,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $116,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average 3d artist salary graph
Average 3d artist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a 3d artist's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$116,000$9,667$56
75th Percentile$94,000$7,833$45
Average$74,721$6,227$36
25th Percentile$59,000$4,917$28
10th Percentile$47,000$3,917$23

Highest paying 3d artist jobs

The highest paying types of 3d artists are interactive designer, visual designer, and animator.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Web Graphic Designer$52,574$4,381$25.2851,462
Visual Merchandiser$38,037$3,170$18.2974,351
Freelance Designer$57,260$4,772$27.5345,914
Graphic Designer$49,450$4,121$23.7745,625
Visual Designer$86,495$7,208$41.5846,815
Motion Graphics Designer$62,558$5,213$30.0844,960

Top companies hiring 3d artists now:

  1. Meta jobs (9)
  2. Microsoft jobs (40)
  3. Apple jobs (12)
  4. PlayStation jobs (10)
  5. Rockstar Games jobs (6)

Which companies pay 3d artists the most?

3d artist salaries at Meta and Microsoft are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average 3d artist salary at companies like Apple and NVIDIA are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Meta$151,133$72.66
2Microsoft$141,405$67.98
3Apple$140,249$67.43
4NVIDIA$137,577$66.14
5Edelman Financial Engines$129,501$62.26
6The New York Times Company$118,361$56.90
7Houzz$111,548$53.63
8Amazon$108,203$52.02
9Lucasfilm$104,050$50.02
10TikTok$102,869$49.46
11Warner Bros.$101,750$48.92
12Tesla$101,165$48.64
13HTC Global Services - Official Page$99,610$47.89
14Magic Leap$97,869$47.05
15Raw Thrills$97,263$46.76
16Gearbox Software$90,285$43.41
17NOV$90,226$43.38
18GSN Games$89,466$43.01
19Riot Games$88,577$42.59
20ArenaNet$88,494$42.55

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$71,000$69,800$68,600$67,400$66,200$65,000
MaleFemale

3D Artist salary by industry

The average 3d artist salary varies across industries:

  • The average 3d artist salary in the utilities industry is $112,291, the highest of any industry.
  • The average 3d artist salary in the finance industry is $88,651.
  • 3d artists in the professional industry earn an average salary of $75,896, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for 3d artists

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Utilities$112,291$53.99
2Technology$88,651$42.62
3Media$84,738$40.74
4Health Care$77,318$37.17
5Professional$75,896$36.49

High paying 3d artist jobs

3d artist salary trends

The average 3d artist salary has risen by $16,223 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average 3d artist earned $58,498 annually, but today, they earn $74,721 a year. That works out to a 19% change in pay for 3d artists over the last decade.

Compare 3d artist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average 3d artist salary over time

Compare 3d artist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

3d artist salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$74,700$35.92+3.1%
2024$72,400$34.80+3.7%
2023$69,700$33.53+2.7%
2022$67,800$32.61+7.4%
2021$62,800$30.19+2.0%

Recently added 3d artist salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Roblox3D ArtistSan Mateo, CA06/29/2025$131,210
American Bath Group3D ArtistDallas, TX06/19/2025$48,001
Noa Brands America3D ArtistWestminster, CO06/19/2025$55,000
Gungho Online Entertainment America, Inc.Senior 3D Environment ArtistRedondo Beach, CA06/16/2025$90,000
Gungho OnlineSenior 3D Environment ArtistRedondo Beach, CA06/14/2025$90,000
The RefineryFreelance 3D ArtistLos Angeles, CA05/29/2025$117,394
The Refinery CreativeFreelance 3D ArtistLos Angeles, CA05/28/2025$117,394
Zoox3D ArtistFoster City, CA04/28/2025$115,000
Sphere Entertainment CoShow of Interest-3D Generalist Artist-Project BasedBurbank, CA04/28/2025$30,000
Keywords Studios3D Character ArtistPortland, OR04/25/2025$60,000

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