Post job

Industrial Light & Magic salary estimate

$80,032yearly

$38.48 hourly rate

Entry-level salary
$42,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Industrial Light & Magic Salary Overview

At Industrial Light & Magic, the average salary in 2025 is $80,032. This figure reflects the diverse roles within the company, including positions in art, design, and IT. For instance, the best-paying jobs within the art and design departments often exceed this average, rewarding expertise and creativity.

Highest Paying Positions

Employees in specialized roles, such as lead visual effects artists or senior software engineers, enjoy some of the highest salaries. By department, the IT sector frequently offers competitive compensation, reflecting the demand for technical skills in the animation and visual effects industry.

Salaries by Department

Here’s a brief breakdown:

  • Art/Design: $90,000+
  • IT: $85,000+
  • Production: $75,000+

Understanding these salary structures can assist job seekers in making informed decisions about their career paths within the company.

Highest paying jobs at Industrial Light & Magic

The highest paying jobs at Industrial Light & Magic are chief architect, senior information technology manager, software engineer, and account leader. Chief architect jobs at Industrial Light & Magic earn an average yearly salary of $156,437, Industrial Light & Magic senior information technology manager jobs average $121,277, and Industrial Light & Magic software engineer jobs average $115,349.

The lowest paying Industrial Light & Magic roles include production assistant and internship. Industrial Light & Magic production assistant average salary is $33,983 per year. So while the average Industrial Light & Magic salary is $80,032 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.

Highest paying jobs at Industrial Light & Magic

RankJob titleAverage Industrial Light & Magic salaryHourly rate
1Chief Architect$156,437$75.21
2Senior Information Technology Manager$121,277$58.31
3Software Engineer$115,349$55.46
4Account Leader$114,205$54.91
5Senior Producer$111,625$53.67
6Research And Development Engineer$110,695$53.22
7Systems Manager$105,907$50.92
8Animator$103,842$49.92
9Technical Director$103,195$49.61
10User Experience Designer$102,898$49.47
11Sculptor$101,394$48.75
12Concept Artist$100,990$48.55
13Database Developer$99,450$47.81
14Software Developer$94,468$45.42
15Production Artist$91,464$43.97
16Unix Systems Administrator$91,126$43.81
17Modeler$89,720$43.13
18Human Resources Business Partner$87,681$42.15
19Head Graphic Designer$84,489$40.62
20Windows System Administrator$74,168$35.66

Rate Industrial Light & Magic's fairness in compensating employees.

Zippia waving zebra

Do you work at Industrial Light & Magic?

Did Industrial Light & Magic's compensation package meet your expectations?

Industrial Light & Magic salaries by department

Salaries at Industrial Light & Magic vary depending on the department you work in. Industrial Light & Magic salaries in the research & development department are the highest with an average salary of $114,332. Employees in the engineering department at Industrial Light & Magic receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $101,978 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at Industrial Light & Magic include the sports/entertainment and the administrative organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $43,771 and $47,634, respectively.

Average Industrial Light & Magic salary by department

RankDepartmentAverage Industrial Light & Magic salaryHourly rate
1Research & Development$114,332$54.97
2Engineering$101,978$49.03
3IT$92,617$44.53
4Art/Design$83,635$40.21
5Plant/Manufacturing$71,887$34.56
6Accounting$59,286$28.50
7Human Resources$50,323$24.19
8Administrative$47,634$22.90
9Sports/Entertainment$43,772$21.04

How much does Industrial Light & Magic pay by department?

Best paying Industrial Light & Magic art/design salaries

RankPositionAverage Industrial Light & Magic salaryHourly rate
1Animator$103,842$49.92
2User Experience Designer$102,898$49.47
3Sculptor$101,394$48.75
4Concept Artist$100,990$48.55
5Production Artist$91,464$43.97
6Modeler$89,720$43.13
7Head Graphic Designer$84,489$40.62
8Artistic Director$69,161$33.25
9Editorial Assistant$42,261$20.32
10Video Technician$41,782$20.09
11Editorial Internship$35,038$16.85

Best paying Industrial Light & Magic IT salaries

RankPositionAverage Industrial Light & Magic salaryHourly rate
1Senior Information Technology Manager$121,277$58.31
2Systems Manager$105,907$50.92
3Technical Director$103,195$49.61
4Unix Systems Administrator$91,126$43.81
5Senior Staff Technologist$86,900$41.78
6Windows System Administrator$74,168$35.66
7Technology Coordinator$56,314$27.07
8Technical Assistant$35,240$16.94

Best paying Industrial Light & Magic research & development salaries

RankPositionAverage Industrial Light & Magic salaryHourly rate
1Senior Technical Director$132,099$63.51
2Research And Development Engineer$110,695$53.22
3Research Internship$40,608$19.52

Industrial Light & Magic competitors’ average salaries

Average salaries at Industrial Light & Magic competitors, like Sony Pictures Imageworks, PIXOMONDO, and Pixar Animation Studios, vary. Sony Pictures Imageworks employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $98,414. The average salary at PIXOMONDO is $91,057 per year, and the average salary at Pixar Animation Studios is $83,323 per year.

Highest paying Industrial Light & Magic competitors

RankCompany nameZippia scoreAverage salary
1Sony Pictures Imageworks4.1$98,414
2PIXOMONDO3.6$91,057
3Pixar Animation Studios4.6$83,323
4DreamWorks Animation4.8$79,120
5Lucasfilm4.8$76,776
6Method Studios3.6$71,341
7Legend3D3.4$64,886
8FuseFX4.1$62,667
9Molecule VFX4.0$62,168
10Digital Domain4.7$61,794
11LAIKA4.2$60,671
12CoSA VFX4.1$55,756
13Psyop4.2$55,626
14Blue Sky Studios3.8$55,507
15Bent Image Lab3.0$55,132
16ACM SIGGRAPH3.8$55,065
17Stargate Studios3.7$55,035
18The Post Group Production Suites4.0$54,701
19Lucas Digital Ltd4.2$53,525
20Titmouse3.9$53,146

Recently added Industrial Light & Magic salaries

JobLocationDate addedSalary
Mechanical EngineerAnaheim, CA06/28/2025$94,200
SR. Manager, Engineering, Advanced Technology & Innovation-ProjectGlendale, CA06/28/2025$138,900
Programming Insights AssociateGlendale, CA06/28/2025$87,800
Principal Software EngineerSeattle, WA06/28/2025$193,100
Asset Protection SpecialistFine, NY06/28/2025$34,436

Frequently asked questions about Industrial Light & Magic salaries

Search for jobs

Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Industrial Light & Magic, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Industrial Light & Magic. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Industrial Light & Magic. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Industrial Light & Magic. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Industrial Light & Magic and its employees or that of Zippia.

Industrial Light & Magic may also be known as or be related to Industrial Light & Magic, Industrial Light & Magic (uk) Ltd., Industrial Light & Magic (vancouver) LLC and Industrial Light + Magic (Lucasfilm).