Special Effects Artists and Animators · SOC 27-1014
Special Effects Artists and Animators Salary in the Illinois
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Illinois
Figures describe the state of Illinois as a whole.
Special Effects Artists and Animators in the Illinois earned a median of $81,180 per year ($39.03 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $60,760 at the 10th percentile to $136,710 at the 90th. BLS estimates 630 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Special Effects Artists and Animators in the Illinois earn more than $81,180 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $67,230 and $108,640.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $60,760 | $67,230 | $81,180 | $108,640 | $136,710 |
| Hourly | $29.21 | $32.32 | $39.03 | $52.23 | $65.73 |
A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.
How this area compares
- Illinois$81,180 median for Illinois; middle half earns $67,230 to $108,640
- United Statesnational$102,030 median for United States; middle half earns $75,490 to $139,130
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is −20% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Metro areas in Illinois
Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for special effects artists and animators, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
- Illinoisthis page$81,180 median for Illinois; middle half earns $67,230 to $108,640
- $83,200 median for Chicago metro area; middle half earns $65,500 to $109,990
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
Keep exploring
Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:
Highest-paying metro areas for special effects artists and animatorss · Highest-paying occupations in Illinois
About this estimate
These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.
Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.