ZipRecruiter

Log In

Animation Director

Animation Director Salary

$11K

$172K

$171,000

/year

$82.21

/hour

Animation Director Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$171,000

Columbus

Ohio

$165,168

    Do you get a good deal as an Animation Director?

    Take The Breakroom Quiz to find out if your job offers fair pay and conditions. The 3-minute quiz lets you compare your pay, hours, benefits, and more.

    Take The Breakroom Quiz

    Breakroom banner

    How much does an Animation Director make?

    As of Aug 12, 2026, the average annual pay for an Animation Director in the United States is $171,000 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $82.21 an hour. This is the equivalent of $3,288/week or $14,250/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $172,000 and as low as $11,000, the majority of Animation Director salaries currently range between $171,000 (25th percentile) to $171,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $171,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for an Animation Director varies little (about 0), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.

    An Animation Director in your area makes on average $165,168 per year, or $5,832 (3.411%) less than the national average annual salary of $171,000. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Animation Director salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Animation Director jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

    Find your next high paying job as an Animation Director on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Animation Director Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for an Animation Director job is above the national average. Topping the list is Nome, AK, , with Atherton, CA, and Sitka, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Sitka, AK, beats the national average by $34,999 (20.5%), and Nome, AK, furthers that trend with another $41,124 (24.0%) above the $171,000 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as an Animation Director appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

    Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 5% between Nome, AK, and Livermore, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for an Animation Director role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Nome, AK

    $212,124

    $101.98

    Atherton, CA

    $207,249

    $99.64

    Sitka, AK

    $205,999

    $99.04

    San Bruno, CA

    $204,291

    $98.22

    San Francisco, CA

    $201,467

    $96.86

    Palo Alto, CA

    $201,013

    $96.64

    Santa Clara, CA

    $200,828

    $96.55

    Novato, CA

    $200,765

    $96.52

    Sunnyvale, CA

    $200,694

    $96.49

    Livermore, CA

    $200,580

    $96.43

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Animation Director Jobs in the U.S.

    Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Animation Director job category, we found that Animation Technical Director jobs have average salaries similar than Animation Director jobs.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Animation Technical Director

    $115,510

    $55.53

    Radio Production Director

    $107,478

    $51.67

    Creative Director Copywriter

    $76,412

    $36.74

    Digital Learning Designer

    $72,920

    $35.06

    Motion Graphics Artist

    $60,546

    $29.11

    About Our Data

    ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

    Infographic detailing Animation Director salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $171,000 per year or $82.21 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.
    All SalariesAnimation Director Salary