Side-by-side distribution
Animator
$121,680
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 21.4%
- Live roles
- 112
Journalist
$83,975
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 31.7%
- Live roles
- 126
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Robot Animator
Lead Technical Animator
Motion Graphics Designer/ Animator
Rive Motion Designer and Animator (Contract-to-Hire)
Lead Animator
Lead Animator
Senior Gameplay Animator - IGC/ Gameplay (Contingent)
Senior Cinematic Facial Animator (CONTRACT)
Senior Gameplay Animator (CONTRACT)
Principal Gameplay Animator
Highest-paying jobs
Journalist/Writer
Opinion Journalist
Freelance Multimedia Journalist
Senior Data Journalist
Senior Video Journalist, Live Video Production
Senior Video Journalist, International
Senior Video Journalist, Podcast Video, Popcast
Senior Video Journalist, Opinion
Senior Video Journalist, Reporter Video
Senior Video Journalist, NYT Magazine
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
2K
|
$105,230 | 3 |
Sony Pictures Imageworks
|
$71,417 | 3 |
|
Insomniac Games
|
$169,468 | 2 |
The National Football League
|
$121,680 | 2 |
|
Epic Games
|
$233,694 | 1 |
| SA Skild AI | $200,000 | 1 |
|
Rilla
|
$166,400 | 1 |
|
Naughty Dog
|
$162,708 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
The New York Times
|
$138,490 | 10 |
TEGNA Inc.
|
$57,502 | 5 |
| NC News Corp Australia | $97,500 | 4 |
Nexstar Media Group
|
$38,480 | 4 |
FOX
|
$80,007 | 3 |
| FT Financial Times | $88,750 | 2 |
TelevisaUnivision
|
$72,625 | 2 |
|
micro1
|
$239,200 | 1 |
Journalist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $138,490 | 13 |
Animator vs Journalist: which pays more?
The median for Animator is $121,680 per year (typically $94,000–$162,552), versus $83,975 for Journalist ($61,192–$128,099). That puts Animator about 45% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Animator and Journalist are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.