What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Key Animator Jobs in the United States?

We found several jobs related to Key Animator in the United States that pay more on average. Topping the list is Game Designer Creative Director at $67,144 (81.9%) above Key Animator. Job Title Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Game Designer Creative Director $149,118 $12,426 $2,867 $71.69 Art Director Animation $121,757 $10,146 $2,341 $58.54 Prop Designer $83,148 $6,929 $1,599 $39.98 Graphic Novel Illustrator $51,500 $4,291 $990 $24.76 Video Game Animator $38,600 $3,216 $742 $18.56

What are the top 10 cities with the highest pay for Key Animator?

We've identified 10 cities in the United States where Key Animator jobs typically pay above the area average. Topping the list is Johnstonville, CA (41.2% above average), followed by Berry Creek, CA and Nome, AK. City Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Johnstonville, CA $115,764 $9,647 $2,226 $55.66 Berry Creek, CA $106,134 $8,844 $2,041 $51.03 Nome, AK $101,688 $8,474 $1,955 $48.89 Cupertino, CA $101,135 $8,427 $1,944 $48.62 Berkeley, CA $100,372 $8,364 $1,930 $48.26 Sitka, AK $98,752 $8,229 $1,899 $47.48 San Francisco, CA $96,579 $8,048 $1,857 $46.43 Santa Clara, CA $96,273 $8,022 $1,851 $46.29 Novato, CA $96,243 $8,020 $1,850 $46.27 Sunnyvale, CA $96,209 $8,017 $1,850 $46.25

Key Animator

Key Animator Salary

Q: How much does a Key Animator make?

The average annual pay for a key animator in the United States is $81,974 a year — that works out to approximately $39.41 an hour. The middle 80% of Key Animators earn between $26,000 (10th percentile) and $146,000 (90th percentile) per year, depending on experience and employer.

$22K

$65K

$146K

$81,974

/year

$39.41

/hour

Key Animator Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$81,974

Columbus

Ohio

$79,178

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How much does a Key Animator make?

As of Jul 26, 2026, the average annual pay for a Key Animator in the United States is $81,974 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $39.41 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,576/week or $6,831/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $146,000 and as low as $22,000, the majority of Key Animator salaries currently range between $45,500 (25th percentile) to $133,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $146,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Key Animator varies greatly (by as much as 87500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

A Key Animator in your area makes on average $79,178 per year, or $2,796 (3.411%) less than the national average annual salary of $81,974. Ohio ranks number 31 out of 50 states nationwide for Key Animator salaries.

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

Find your next high paying job as a Key Animator on ZipRecruiter today.

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Key Animator Jobs

We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Key Animator job is above the national average. Topping the list is Johnstonville, CA, , with Berry Creek, CA, and Nome, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Nome, AK, beats the national average by $19,714 (24.0%), and Johnstonville, CA, furthers that trend with another $33,790 (41.2%) above the $81,974 average.

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

However, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies modestly at 18% between Johnstonville, CA, and Sunnyvale, 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 a Key Animator role.

City	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Johnstonville, CA	$115,764	$9,647	$2,226	$55.66
Berry Creek, CA	$106,134	$8,844	$2,041	$51.03
Nome, AK	$101,688	$8,474	$1,955	$48.89
Cupertino, CA	$101,135	$8,427	$1,944	$48.62
Berkeley, CA	$100,372	$8,364	$1,930	$48.26
Sitka, AK	$98,752	$8,229	$1,899	$47.48
San Francisco, CA	$96,579	$8,048	$1,857	$46.43
Santa Clara, CA	$96,273	$8,022	$1,851	$46.29
Novato, CA	$96,243	$8,020	$1,850	$46.27
Sunnyvale, CA	$96,209	$8,017	$1,850	$46.25

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Key Animator Jobs in the U.S.

We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Key Animator category.

For example Game Designer Creative Director jobs pay as much as $67,144 (81.9%) more than the average Key Animator salary of $81,974. If you're qualified, finding work as a Game Designer Creative Director may help you make more money than that of the average Key Animator position.

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Game Designer Creative Director	$149,118	$12,426	$2,867	$71.69
Art Director Animation	$121,757	$10,146	$2,341	$58.54
Prop Designer	$83,148	$6,929	$1,599	$39.98
Graphic Novel Illustrator	$51,500	$4,291	$990	$24.76
Video Game Animator	$38,600	$3,216	$742	$18.56

About Our Data

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

Infographic detailing Key Animator salary across the United States as of July 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $81,974 per year or $39.41 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.

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