Special Effects Artists and Animators
Also called: 3D Artist (Three-Dimensional Artist), Animator, Artist, Graphic ArtistCreate special effects or animations using film, video, computers, or other electronic tools and media for use in products, such as computer games, movies, music videos, and commercials.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 12 of its 13 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 0.3% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 5.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Artists and related workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.8 hires for every 10 job openings in information, which employs about 54% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | not published | not published | 110 |
| Arizona | $89,650 | $65,810 to $100,230 | 190 |
| California | $130,540 | $99,280 to $164,800 | 7,410 |
| Colorado | $91,290 | $77,570 to $105,120 | 210 |
| Florida | $85,870 | $81,730 to $104,410 | 1,530 |
| Georgia | $81,390 | $58,480 to $96,200 | 350 |
| Illinois | $81,180 | $67,230 to $108,640 | 630 |
| Indiana | $75,250 | $54,640 to $93,090 | 300 |
| Iowa | $47,530 | $42,580 to $60,980 | not published |
| Kansas | $62,720 | $59,000 to $85,040 | not published |
| Kentucky | $50,970 | $45,490 to $73,990 | 40 |
| Maryland | $85,830 | $57,520 to $96,640 | 170 |
| Massachusetts | $80,640 | $63,090 to $98,370 | not published |
| Michigan | $86,630 | $68,590 to $121,830 | 230 |
| Minnesota | $64,990 | $64,980 to $69,960 | 30 |
| Missouri | $65,470 | $59,160 to $77,570 | 80 |
| Nebraska | $50,830 | $43,340 to $77,330 | 90 |
| Nevada | $97,350 | $77,420 to $105,920 | 370 |
| New Jersey | not published | not published | 320 |
| New Mexico | $54,000 | $52,790 to $54,010 | 80 |
| New York | $96,770 | $76,420 to $136,840 | 1,540 |
| North Carolina | $88,350 | $62,530 to $105,260 | 370 |
| Ohio | $67,000 | $62,160 to $156,170 | 200 |
| Oklahoma | $66,980 | $52,920 to $69,560 | not published |
| Oregon | not published | not published | 870 |
| Pennsylvania | $71,760 | $57,490 to $93,410 | 300 |
| Rhode Island | $80,040 | $48,640 to $84,510 | not published |
| Tennessee | $83,080 | $66,070 to $101,530 | 90 |
| Texas | $78,930 | $62,460 to $121,960 | not published |
| Utah | $88,210 | $60,590 to $126,770 | 320 |
| Virginia | $81,510 | $66,920 to $110,180 | 380 |
| Washington | $133,480 | $100,550 to $174,990 | 1,130 |
| West Virginia | $60,940 | $50,860 to $61,270 | 40 |
| Wisconsin | $64,890 | $56,670 to $91,050 | 210 |
Nationally: $102,030. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 12 of its 13 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Design complex graphics and animation, using independent judgment, creativity, and computer equipment. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Create basic designs, drawings, and illustrations for product labels, cartons, direct mail, or television. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Participate in design and production of multimedia campaigns, handling budgeting and scheduling, and assisting with such responsibilities as production coordination, background design, and progress tracking. | Not published |
| AI + software | Create two-dimensional and three-dimensional images depicting objects in motion or illustrating a process, using computer animation or modeling programs. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Apply story development, directing, cinematography, and editing to animation to create storyboards that show the flow of the animation and map out key scenes and characters. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Make objects or characters appear lifelike by manipulating light, color, texture, shadow, and transparency, or manipulating static images to give the illusion of motion. | under 0.01% |
See all 13 tasks
| AI + software | Script, plan, and create animated narrative sequences under tight deadlines, using computer software and hand drawing techniques. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Develop briefings, brochures, multimedia presentations, web pages, promotional products, technical illustrations, and computer artwork for use in products, technical manuals, literature, newsletters, and slide shows. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Assemble, typeset, scan, and produce digital camera-ready art or film negatives and printer's proofs. | Not published |
| AI alone | Implement and maintain configuration control systems. | Not published |
| AI + software | Convert real objects to animated objects through modeling, using techniques such as optical scanning. | Not published |
| AI + software | Create pen-and-paper images to be scanned, edited, colored, textured, or animated by computer. | Not published |
| AI + software | Use models to simulate the behavior of animated objects in the finished sequence. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 7 of the 13 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 13 tasks fall under 9 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #14 Create visual designs or displays
- #16 Create artistic designs or performances
- #35 Process digital or online data
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create visual designs or displays | |||
| Create artistic designs or performances | |||
| Process digital or online data | |||
| Set up equipment | |||
| Maintain electronic, computer, or other technical equipment | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Assemble equipment or components | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures |
Show all 9 activities
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An app or website29%
- A video or animation17%
- A presentation or slides9%
- A design mockup6%
- A document or report5%
How they worked with Claude
47% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for special effects artists and animators specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 11,489 moves out
- 1 Web Developers (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 8%
- 2 Graphic Designers Very high -1.7% 7%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 4 Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators High -2.9% 5%
- 5 Audio and Video Technicians High +3.9% 5%
Where people moved in from
of 10,383 moves in
- 1 Web Developers (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 11%
- 2 Graphic Designers Very high -1.7% 9%
- 3 Art Directors Very high +4.2% 5%
- 4 Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators High -2.9% 4%
- 5 Designers, All Other High +1.2% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 5% high school
- 2% associate's
- 92% not published
O*NET marks 92% of the answers as too uncertain to publish, so the parts shown don't add up to 100%.
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 18 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 4% less than high school
- 14% high school
- 16% some college
- 8% associate's
- 44% bachelor's
- 12% master's
- 1% professional degree
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Artists and related workers” · 3,457 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Artists and related workers”
9 programs, such as Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects, Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design and Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation.
See all
- Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects
- Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design
- Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation
- Digital Arts
- Graphic Design
- Game and Interactive Media Design
- Drawing
- Intermedia/Multimedia
- Painting
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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