How much does an animation director make?

The average animation director salary in the United States is $71,266. Animation director salaries typically range between $43,000 and $117,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for animation directors is $34.26 per hour. Animation director salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Animation directors earn the highest average salary in New Hampshire.

Animation director salary

Q: What state pays Animation Directors the most?

New Hampshire pays Animation Directors the most in the United States, with an average salary of $119,011 per year, or $57.22 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as an animation director?

You know if you are being paid fairly as an animation director if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Rhode Island you should be paid close to $118,938 per year.

Average animation director salary

$71,266

$34.26 hourly rate

Entry-level animation director salary

$43,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Animation Director Salaries

As the creative lead in animation projects, animation directors are responsible for overseeing the artistic and technical aspects of production. Their salary can vary significantly based on several factors, including geographical location, industry sector, and years of experience.

Average Salary Breakdown

The average salary for an animation director is approximately $71,266 per year, translating to about $34 per hour. This figure reflects a general industry standard, but actual earnings can differ based on specific job roles and responsibilities.

State Comparisons

Salary estimates can vary by state, with higher compensation typically found in areas with a strong entertainment or tech presence. States such as California and New York are known for offering competitive salaries for animation professionals.

Industries with Higher Pay

Animation directors working in film or video game development often earn more than those in traditional television. The demand for skilled directors in emerging technologies, such as virtual reality, also offers lucrative opportunities.

Understanding these dynamics can help you make informed career decisions in the animation field, allowing you to maximize your earning potential.

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Animation director salary by:

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Where can an Animation Director earn more?

Compare salary by location

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Columbus, OH$101,529

Austin, TX$53,741

Compare salary by company

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Microsoft$134,867

University of Pennsylvania$55,405

Animation director salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, SalaryExpert, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for an animation director typically falls between $71,266 and $143,590.

zippia

$71,266yearly

glassdoor[1]

$143,590yearly

comparably[2]

$77,614yearly

Salary.com[3]

$96,218yearly

ZipRecruiter[4]

$91,750yearly

payscale[5]

$110,782yearly

SalaryExpert[6]

$74,235yearly

Average animation director salary by state

The average animation director salary in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average animation director salary states are Ohio, Montana, and South Dakota.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for animation directors

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New Hampshire	$119,011	$57.22
2	Connecticut	$117,659	$56.57
3	Delaware	$113,891	$54.76
4	District of Columbia	$111,865	$53.78
5	Nevada	$113,935	$54.78
6	Maryland	$97,194	$46.73
7	Rhode Island	$118,938	$57.18
8	California	$94,123	$45.25
9	New York	$91,223	$43.86
10	Maine	$86,523	$41.60
11	Iowa	$76,193	$36.63
12	West Virginia	$76,845	$36.94
13	North Carolina	$82,845	$39.83
14	Idaho	$77,059	$37.05
15	Michigan	$81,205	$39.04
16	Illinois	$83,503	$40.15
17	Washington	$77,467	$37.24
18	Arkansas	$68,554	$32.96
19	Oregon	$72,877	$35.04
20	Kansas	$74,038	$35.60
21	Indiana	$74,721	$35.92
22	New Mexico	$75,648	$36.37
23	Massachusetts	$74,501	$35.82
24	Vermont	$73,369	$35.27
25	North Dakota	$71,706	$34.47
26	Tennessee	$69,238	$33.29
27	Kentucky	$70,732	$34.01
28	Oklahoma	$56,321	$27.08
29	Wisconsin	$67,098	$32.26
30	Utah	$59,852	$28.77
31	Pennsylvania	$64,147	$30.84
32	New Jersey	$72,564	$34.89
33	Colorado	$68,539	$32.95
34	Arizona	$64,982	$31.24
35	Alabama	$51,041	$24.54
36	Alaska	$66,649	$32.04
37	Florida	$57,234	$27.52
38	Mississippi	$50,005	$24.04
39	Texas	$53,494	$25.72
40	Virginia	$60,191	$28.94
41	South Dakota	$43,696	$21.01
42	Georgia	$52,922	$25.44
43	Louisiana	$43,342	$20.84
44	Wyoming	$52,660	$25.32
45	Minnesota	$55,279	$26.58
46	Nebraska	$51,225	$24.63
47	Ohio	$49,227	$23.67
48	Missouri	$51,355	$24.69
49	Montana	$45,297	$21.78
50	South Carolina	$43,042	$20.69
51	Hawaii	$37,099	$17.84

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Highest paying cities for animation directors

The highest-paying cities for animation directors are San Francisco, CA, Chicago, IL, and Redmond, WA.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	San Francisco, CA	$101,529	$48.81
2	Chicago, IL	$84,018	$40.39
3	Redmond, WA	$77,997	$37.50
4	Boston, MA	$74,643	$35.89
5	Newark, NJ	$72,810	$35.00
6	Philadelphia, PA	$64,495	$31.01
7	Orlando, FL	$57,292	$27.54
8	Austin, TX	$53,741	$25.84

Animation director salary details

An animation director's salary ranges from $43,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $117,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average animation director salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an animation director's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$117,000	$9,750	$56
75th Percentile	$92,000	$7,667	$44
Average	$71,266	$5,939	$34
25th Percentile	$54,000	$4,500	$26
10th Percentile	$43,000	$3,583	$21

Highest paying animation director jobs

The highest paying types of animation directors are technical artist, storyboard artist, and texture artist.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
3D Modeler	$75,946	$6,329	$36.51	1,245
Storyboard Artist	$90,053	$7,504	$43.29	3,757
Concept Artist	$85,713	$7,143	$41.21	3,596
Visual Artist	$81,873	$6,823	$39.36	7,209
Lead Artist	$83,041	$6,920	$39.92	4,799
Game Artist	$86,932	$7,244	$41.79	5,040

Top companies hiring animation directors now:

Which companies pay animation directors the most?

Animation director salaries at Microsoft and Merck are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average animation director salary at companies like Rockstar Games and Jam City are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Microsoft	$134,867	$64.84
2	Merck	$109,348	$52.57
3	Rockstar Games	$97,960	$47.10
4	Jam City	$96,339	$46.32
5	Certain Affinity	$96,051	$46.18
6	Electronic Arts	$95,639	$45.98
7	Activision Blizzard	$94,082	$45.23
8	AmerisourceBergen	$89,473	$43.02
9	TAD PGS	$82,318	$39.58
10	i.am+	$78,170	$37.58
11	Charles River Labs	$76,121	$36.60
12	Paramount	$74,539	$35.84
13	Charles River Center	$73,953	$35.55
14	University of Pennsylvania	$55,405	$26.64

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$67,000$65,800$64,600$63,400$62,200$61,000

MaleFemale

Animation Director salary by industry

The average animation director salary varies across industries:

The average animation director salary in the technology industry is $90,848, the highest of any industry.
The average animation director salary in the finance industry is $78,146.
Animation directors in the media industry earn an average salary of $65,934, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for animation directors

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Technology	$90,848	$43.68
2	Manufacturing	$78,146	$37.57
3	Hospitality	$75,443	$36.27
4	Start-up	$75,427	$36.26
5	Media	$65,934	$31.70

High paying animation director jobs

Animation director salary trends

The average animation director salary has risen by $15,473 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average animation director earned $55,793 annually, but today, they earn $71,266 a year. That works out to a 19% change in pay for animation directors over the last decade.

Compare animation director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average animation director salary over time

Compare animation director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Animation director salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$71,300	$34.26	+3.1%
2024	$69,000	$33.19	+3.7%
2023	$66,500	$31.98	+2.7%
2022	$64,700	$31.10	+7.4%
2021	$59,900	$28.79	+2.0%

Recently added animation director salaries

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Fitch Ratings	Director, Producer/Editor With Animation Skills	New York, NY	12/11/2024	$85,000
New World	Animation Director, Amazon	San Diego, CA	12/10/2024	$136,100
Albany Medical Center	Director Animal Resources	Albany, NY	10/21/2024	$150,000
Thefarmersdog	Director of Animal Nutrition	New York, NY	10/13/2024	$190,000
Iamag	Animation Director, Amazon	San Diego, CA	10/04/2024	$172
New World	Animation Director, Amazon	San Diego, CA	09/28/2024	$136,100

Animation director salary FAQs

What state pays Animation Directors the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as an animation director?

Have more questions? See all answers to common arts, entertainment, sports, and media questions.

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Animation Director Salary

Updated December 15, 2025

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