SOC 27-1014 · Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations · May 2025

How much do Special Effects Artists and Animators make in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Special Effects Artists and Animators in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD is $90,050. The 10th percentile is $54,100 and the 90th percentile is $123,650. Employment is 90.

Median annual wage

$90,050

10th percentile
$54,100
25th percentile
$66,440
Median
$90,050
75th percentile
$97,810
90th percentile
$123,650
Mean
$87,660

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A transit bus driver standing beside a bus at a rest stop in Denali
Denali transit bus driver Gary at Teklanika Rest Stop, August 29, 2019. Photograph by Emily Mesner, National Park Service. Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Percentile spread

For Special Effects Artists and Animators, the published 10th percentile is $54,100 and the 90th percentile is $123,650. The difference is $69,550, which is 77.2% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $66,440 to the 75th at $97,810, covers $31,370.

The mean annual wage is $87,660, which sits below the median of $90,050. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD median is 11.7% lower than the national median of $102,030 for Special Effects Artists and Animators. In 2024 national prices the local median is $86,183, which is 15.5% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 4.9% higher than the Maryland median of $85,830.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD is 104.487, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $90,050 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Special Effects Artists and Animators at $86,183 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

6 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Special Effects Artists and Animators. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD ranks 3rd of 7 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV is 60 miles away, with a median of $92,760 and employment of 290. That median is 3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $85,192, against $86,183 here.
  • Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD is 77 miles away, with a median of $76,770 and employment of 100. That median is 14.7% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $74,858, against $86,183 here.
  • Richmond, VA is 139 miles away, with a median of $76,380 and employment of 30. That median is 15.2% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $78,052, against $86,183 here.

Employment share

Special Effects Artists and Animators accounts for 0.01% of wage-and-salary employment in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD (90 of 1,356,680). Nationally the occupation is 0.01% of employment (19,970 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.52 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD · Special Effects Artists and Animators by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Special Effects Artists and Animators make in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Special Effects Artists and Animators in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD is $90,050. The 10th percentile is $54,100 and the 90th percentile is $123,650. Employment is 90.

How does that compare with the national median for Special Effects Artists and Animators?

The local median is 11.7% lower than the national median of $102,030.

What is Special Effects Artists and Animators pay in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD is 104.487, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $90,050 is $86,183. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD compare with nearby metros for Special Effects Artists and Animators?

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 60 miles away, at $92,760. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD ranks 3rd of 7 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.