Side-by-side distribution
Animator
$120,840
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 22%
- Live roles
- 118
Writer
$85,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 55.2%
- Live roles
- 1,153
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
Freelance Business Writer
Freelance Business Writer
Freelance Finance Content Writer
Freelance Finance Content Writer
Executive Communications Writer
Freelance Writer/Stock Analyst
Technical Writer
Lawyer/Legal Writer
Journalist/Writer
Educator/ Assessor Writer
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
2K
|
$104,250 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
Mondelez International
|
$36,400 | 242 |
NoGigiddy
|
$42,640 | 44 |
Anduril Industries
|
$130,500 | 21 |
Northrop Grumman
|
$83,499 | 12 |
Leidos
|
$92,163 | 10 |
| SH Syneos Health | $128,150 | 8 |
CACI
|
$109,700 | 8 |
Grafana Labs
|
$113,851 | 6 |
Writer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | $239,200 | 4 |
| New York | $91,000 | 53 |
| San Francisco | $91,000 | 17 |
| Boston | $90,000 | 8 |
| Chicago | $80,441 | 16 |
| London | $69,632 | 5 |
| Toronto | $66,356 | 7 |
| Austin | $55,120 | 9 |
| Los Angeles | $53,061 | 14 |
| Seattle | $42,640 | 6 |
Animator vs Writer: which pays more?
The median for Animator is $120,840 per year (typically $88,000–$160,070), versus $85,000 for Writer ($49,608–$118,601). That puts Animator about 42% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Animator and Writer 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.