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Senior artist salary
Average senior artist salary
$83,394
Average Senior Artist Salary
The average salary for a Senior Artist in the United States is $83,394 annually, translating to approximately $40 per hour. This figure can vary based on several factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry. For instance, Senior Artists in high-demand areas or specialized sectors may earn significantly more.
Salary by State
Understanding the average salary by state can provide insights into where Senior Artists are compensated best. States like California and New York often offer higher salaries due to the concentration of creative industries and the cost of living. In contrast, states with fewer opportunities may see lower average salaries.
Opportunities for Advancement
As a Senior Artist, advancing your career can lead to roles such as Lead Designer or Art Director, which typically offer higher compensation. Pursuing further education or specialized training can also enhance your earning potential and job prospects.
Resources for Job Seekers
At Zippia, we provide valuable tools to aid in your job search. Browse current listings for Senior Artist positions, compare salaries across companies, and explore industry trends to make informed decisions about your career.
Let Zippia find your next senior artist job
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Where can a Senior Artist earn more?
Senior artist salary estimates from across the web
Average senior artist salary by state
The highest-paying states for senior artists are Nevada, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The lowest average senior artist salary states are Missouri, Nebraska, and Ohio.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior artists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $118,180 | $56.82 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $114,134 | $54.87 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $111,035 | $53.38 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $117,671 | $56.57 |
| 5 | New York | $97,439 | $46.85 |
| 6 | California | $99,173 | $47.68 |
| 7 | Nevada | $130,094 | $62.55 |
| 8 | Washington | $87,146 | $41.90 |
| 9 | Delaware | $113,668 | $54.65 |
| 10 | Maryland | $96,850 | $46.56 |
| 11 | Oregon | $79,622 | $38.28 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $80,789 | $38.84 |
| 13 | Illinois | $79,824 | $38.38 |
| 14 | Idaho | $85,248 | $40.98 |
| 15 | North Carolina | $79,216 | $38.08 |
| 16 | Maine | $80,525 | $38.71 |
| 17 | Michigan | $77,531 | $37.27 |
| 18 | Virginia | $79,246 | $38.10 |
| 19 | New Mexico | $81,007 | $38.95 |
| 20 | Iowa | $71,679 | $34.46 |
| 21 | Indiana | $71,601 | $34.42 |
| 22 | Utah | $67,800 | $32.60 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $75,375 | $36.24 |
| 24 | New Jersey | $76,981 | $37.01 |
| 25 | Kentucky | $67,834 | $32.61 |
| 26 | Massachusetts | $68,259 | $32.82 |
| 27 | Colorado | $70,402 | $33.85 |
| 28 | Arizona | $71,457 | $34.35 |
| 29 | Texas | $67,227 | $32.32 |
| 30 | Kansas | $70,716 | $34.00 |
| 31 | Florida | $69,539 | $33.43 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $64,114 | $30.82 |
| 33 | Arkansas | $68,388 | $32.88 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $67,596 | $32.50 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $70,604 | $33.94 |
| 36 | Vermont | $67,983 | $32.68 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $54,435 | $26.17 |
| 38 | Georgia | $53,895 | $25.91 |
| 39 | Minnesota | $53,416 | $25.68 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $57,238 | $27.52 |
| 41 | Ohio | $47,615 | $22.89 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $48,068 | $23.11 |
| 43 | Alabama | $52,722 | $25.35 |
| 44 | Alaska | $57,626 | $27.70 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $52,830 | $25.40 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $52,559 | $25.27 |
| 47 | Missouri | $48,255 | $23.20 |
| 48 | Montana | $48,346 | $23.24 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $46,721 | $22.46 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $42,405 | $20.39 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $43,623 | $20.97 |
Highest paying cities for senior artists
The highest-paying cities for senior artists are Reno, NV, Novato, CA, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reno, NV | $138,702 | $66.68 |
| 2 | Novato, CA | $107,960 | $51.90 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $97,768 | $47.00 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $87,788 | $42.21 |
| 5 | Eugene, OR | $80,787 | $38.84 |
| 6 | Arlington, VA | $80,677 | $38.79 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $80,511 | $38.71 |
| 8 | Charlotte, NC | $76,787 | $36.92 |
| 9 | Indianapolis, IN | $71,233 | $34.25 |
| 10 | Denver, CO | $70,096 | $33.70 |
| 11 | Orlando, FL | $69,790 | $33.55 |
| 12 | Norwood, MA | $68,499 | $32.93 |
| 13 | Austin, TX | $67,698 | $32.55 |
| 14 | Alpharetta, GA | $53,486 | $25.71 |
| 15 | Cleveland, OH | $49,029 | $23.57 |
Senior artist salary details
A senior artist's salary ranges from $54,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $128,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior artist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $128,000 | $10,667 | $62 |
| 75th Percentile | $104,000 | $8,667 | $50 |
| Average | $83,394 | $6,950 | $40 |
| 25th Percentile | $66,000 | $5,500 | $32 |
| 10th Percentile | $54,000 | $4,500 | $26 |
Highest paying senior artist jobs
The highest paying types of senior artists are interactive designer, visual designer, and concept artist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Designer | $86,495 | $7,208 | $41.58 | 46,815 |
| Web Graphic Designer | $52,574 | $4,381 | $25.28 | 51,462 |
| Graphic Designer/Production | $48,619 | $4,052 | $23.37 | 95,831 |
| Graphic Designer | $49,450 | $4,121 | $23.77 | 45,625 |
| Freelance Designer | $57,260 | $4,772 | $27.53 | 45,914 |
| Motion Graphics Designer | $62,558 | $5,213 | $30.08 | 44,960 |
Top companies hiring senior artists now:
Which companies pay senior artists the most?
Senior artist salaries at Meta and Microsoft are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior artist salary at companies like NVIDIA and The Walt Disney Company are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $157,985 | $75.95 |
| 2 | Microsoft | $143,046 | $68.77 |
| 3 | NVIDIA | $142,020 | $68.28 |
| 4 | The Walt Disney Company | $128,950 | $62.00 |
| 5 | Netflix | $128,700 | $61.88 |
| 6 | Ascent Capital Group | $120,219 | $57.80 |
| 7 | Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. | $117,742 | $56.61 |
| 8 | Amazon | $113,920 | $54.77 |
| 9 | Warner Bros. | $103,797 | $49.90 |
| 10 | LAIKA | $100,982 | $48.55 |
| 11 | Forever 21 | $99,505 | $47.84 |
| 12 | Nintendo | $99,206 | $47.70 |
| 13 | PlayStation | $98,466 | $47.34 |
| 14 | Rockstar Games | $97,396 | $46.83 |
| 15 | Live Nation Entertainment | $96,617 | $46.45 |
| 16 | Sony Interactive Entertainment America | $96,611 | $46.45 |
| 17 | Gearbox Software | $96,325 | $46.31 |
| 18 | Sucker Punch Productions | $95,516 | $45.92 |
| 19 | 2k | $95,112 | $45.73 |
| 20 | CCP Global | $92,719 | $44.58 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Artist salary by industry
The average senior artist salary varies across industries:
- The average senior artist salary in the technology industry is $93,336, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior artist salary in the finance industry is $93,220.
- Senior artists in the retail industry earn an average salary of $59,983, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior artists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $93,336 | $44.87 |
| 2 | Hospitality | $93,220 | $44.82 |
| 3 | Media | $90,283 | $43.41 |
| 4 | Retail | $59,983 | $28.84 |
High paying senior artist jobs
Senior artist salary trends
The average senior artist salary has risen by $18,106 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior artist earned $65,288 annually, but today, they earn $83,394 a year. That works out to a 19% change in pay for senior artists over the last decade.
Compare senior artist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior artist salary over time
Compare senior artist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior artist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $83,400 | $40.09 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | $80,800 | $38.84 | +3.7% |
| 2024 | $77,800 | $37.42 | +2.7% |
| 2023 | $75,700 | $36.39 | +7.4% |
| 2022 | $70,100 | $33.69 | +2.0% |
Recently added senior artist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naughty Dog | Senior Character Artist | Santa Monica, CA | 06/26/2025 | $138,200 |
| Activision | Senior VFX Artist-Treyarch | Vista, CA | 06/24/2025 | $80,800 |
| Lightspeed La | Senior VFX Artist | Irvine, CA | 06/24/2025 | $89,640 |
| WPP PLC | Senior Photoshop Artist | Sunnyvale, CA | 06/24/2025 | $91,828 |
| That's No Moon Entertainment | Senior VFX Artist (Project) | Los Angeles, CA | 06/20/2025 | $121,000 |
| The Estee Lauder Companies | Global Senior Artist, Mac Cosmetics North America | Los Angeles, CA | 06/14/2025 | $85,000 |
| Blind Squirrel | SR. Character Artist | Irvine, CA | 06/10/2025 | $93,000 |
| Kabam | Senior VFX Artist | Vancouver, WA | 06/09/2025 | $98,880 |
| Epic Games | Senior UI Artist | Bellevue, WA | 06/09/2025 | $141,010 |
| 2K | Senior VFX Artist | San Mateo, CA | 06/09/2025 | $90,000 |
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