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Job outlook for texture artists in the United States
Texture artist job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected texture artist job growth rate is 5% from 2018-2028.
About 3,200 new jobs for texture artists are projected over the next decade.
Texture artist salaries have increased 19% for texture artists in the last 5 years.
There are over 3,564 texture artists currently employed in the United States.
There are 3,597 active texture artist job openings in the US.
The average texture artist salary is $87,154.
Are texture artist jobs in demand?
Texture artist job and salary trends over time
Texture artist jobs over time
Texture artist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3,564 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 4,616 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 5,119 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 4,983 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 5,210 | 0.00% |
Average texture artist salary over time
Texture artist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $87,154 | $41.90 | +3.2% |
| 2025 | $84,428 | $40.59 | +3.8% |
| 2024 | $81,343 | $39.11 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $79,111 | $38.03 | +8.0% |
| 2022 | $73,245 | $35.21 | +2.1% |
Texture artist jobs by state
Most common states for texture artists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 39,536,653 | 335 | 1% |
| 2 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 73 | 1% |
| 3 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 61 | 1% |
| 4 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 56 | 1% |
| 5 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 41 | 1% |
| 6 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 23 | 1% |
| 7 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 21 | 1% |
| 8 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 16 | 1% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 9 | 1% |
| 10 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 4 | 1% |
| 11 | New York | 19,849,399 | 62 | 0% |
| 12 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 28 | 0% |
| 13 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 27 | 0% |
| 14 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 24 | 0% |
| 15 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 5 | 0% |
| 16 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 4 | 0% |
| 17 | Delaware | 961,939 | 3 | 0% |
| 18 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 3 | 0% |
| 19 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 2 | 0% |
| 20 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 1 | 0% |
Most common cities for texture artists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco | 1 | 0% | $100,795 |
Texture Artist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of texture artist experts
Webster University
Christopher Aaron
Associate Professor of Media ArtsWebster University
Radio, Television, And Digital Communication
What general advice would you give to a Texture Artist?
Christopher Aaron: - NEGOTIATE! Always negotiate. Nobody is going to take away the job you got if you negotiate. If you are the final candidate, you are the final choice. I've found candidates who make themselves negotiate early make better pay, get more respect from their leadership, and this just sets up a precedent with your supervisor for other promotions and advancements.
- Technical skills can only increase your value as a candidate. Even 2D folks can stay abreast of the developing technology and software.
What will help Texture Artists increase their earning potential?
Christopher Aaron: - Be open and adaptable and strategic. Know that most creatives do not get their dream job out of college. You may need to get a masters degree. You may need to get industry experience. So realize most need to build a career. That means starting for introductory positions, the kind that are the least popular. So maybe don't apply to Lead Character Designer at Blizzard right out of school, maybe apply for Environmental Artist or Texture Artist or Storyboard Artist at smaller studios. Once your foot is in the door, you can start networking and look to make moves to the positions you ARE interested in.
- Employers like seeing school assignments in your portfolio, but they will want to see outside work as well. I've had studio heads say they even ask candidates "Are all of these examples school assignments?" as a trick question to see if they are working on projects on their own time. If a student has more than just school assignments, it shows the drive of the potential candidate.
- Don't burn bridges and network. Students usually get their first really desirable positions from unexpected sources. Stay engaged with former peers online, use your connections for info and opportunities from your peers.