Animation Technical Director

Animation Technical Director Salary

$26K

$111.5K

$232.5K

$115,510

/year

$55.53

/hour

Animation Technical Director Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$115,510

Columbus

Ohio

$111,571

    Do you get a good deal as an Animation Technical 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 Technical Director make?

    As of Aug 26, 2026, the average annual pay for an Animation Technical Director in the United States is $115,510 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $55.53 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,221/week or $9,625/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $232,500 and as low as $26,000, the majority of Animation Technical Director salaries currently range between $68,000 (25th percentile) to $154,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $196,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for an Animation Technical Director varies greatly (by as much as 86500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    An Animation Technical Director in your area makes on average $111,571 per year, or $3,939 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $115,510. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Animation Technical Director salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Animation Technical 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 Technical Director on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Animation Technical Director Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for an Animation Technical Director job is above the national average. Topping the list is Cupertino, CA, , with Fort Meade, MD, and Nome, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Nome, AK, beats the national average by $27,780 (24.0%), and Cupertino, CA, furthers that trend with another $51,609 (44.7%) above the $115,510 average.

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

    However, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies modestly at 20% between Cupertino, CA, and San Francisco, CA, , suggesting it may be difficult to see much positive wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may help determine the balance between location and salary for an Animation Technical Director role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Cupertino, CA

    $167,119

    $80.35

    Fort Meade, MD

    $155,656

    $74.83

    Nome, AK

    $143,290

    $68.89

    Palm Springs, CA

    $142,572

    $68.54

    Mercer Island, WA

    $141,469

    $68.01

    Sitka, AK

    $139,153

    $66.90

    Sunnyvale, CA

    $137,424

    $66.07

    Fort Lee, NJ

    $136,782

    $65.76

    Mexico, ME

    $136,344

    $65.55

    San Francisco, CA

    $136,091

    $65.43

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

    We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Animation Technical Director category.

    For example Houdini Artist jobs pay as much as $130,740 (113.2%) more than the average Animation Technical Director salary of $115,510. If you're qualified, finding work as an Houdini Artist may help you make more money than that of the average Animation Technical Director position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Houdini Artist

    $246,250

    $118.39

    Graphic Design Art Director

    $121,757

    $58.54

    Creative Director Copywriter

    $76,412

    $36.74

    Cinema 4D

    $66,288

    $31.87

    Ey Design Studio

    $53,000

    $25.48

    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 Technical Director salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $115,510 per year or $55.53 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.