Cartoonist vs medical illustrator

The differences between cartoonists and medical illustrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a cartoonist and a medical illustrator. Additionally, a cartoonist has an average salary of $73,859, which is higher than the $52,144 average annual salary of a medical illustrator.

The top three skills for a cartoonist include adobe photoshop, student newspaper and comics. The most important skills for a medical illustrator are animation, graphic design, and adobe creative suite.

Cartoonist vs medical illustrator overview

	Cartoonist	Medical Illustrator
Yearly salary	$73,859	$52,144
Hourly rate	$35.51	$25.07
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	42	45,699
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	6	6

Cartoonist vs medical illustrator salary

Cartoonists and medical illustrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cartoonist	Medical Illustrator
Average salary	$73,859	$52,144
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $115,000	Between $35,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between cartoonist and medical illustrator education

There are a few differences between a cartoonist and a medical illustrator in terms of educational background:

	Cartoonist	Medical Illustrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Graphic Design	Medical Illustration And Informatics
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Cartoonist vs medical illustrator demographics

Here are the differences between cartoonists' and medical illustrators' demographics:

	Cartoonist	Medical Illustrator
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9%	Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 7.5% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between cartoonist and medical illustrator duties and responsibilities

Cartoonist example responsibilities.

Used Applescript, Javascript, and Photoshop actions to automate tasks.
Publish a series of comics short stories about the local music scene in Columbus.
Design posters, signage, print advertisements.
Create monthly political comic strips in ASL and English.
Illustrate relevant political cartoons each week for UB's student-run newspaper
Create signs for print production for in-store product ads and POS.

Medical illustrator example responsibilities.

Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
Serve as an executive member on departmental teams providing regulatory guidance and technical assistance on HIPAA privacy and security rules.
Conduct diagnostic testing, including abdominal, obstetrics/gynecology, small parts, and vascular procedures.

Cartoonist vs medical illustrator skills

Common cartoonist skills

Adobe Photoshop, 25%
Student Newspaper, 24%
Comics, 17%
Graphic Design, 7%
Comic Books, 7%
Logo, 6%

Common medical illustrator skills

Animation, 22%
Graphic Design, 16%
Adobe Creative Suite, 14%
Physiology, 7%
Surgical Procedures, 7%
Patient Education, 5%

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Cartoonist vs Medical Illustrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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