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Industry Profile · California

Special Effects Artists and Animators salary in Professional services, California

Legal, accounting, management consulting, advertising, and corporate administrative services.

Adrian Serafin, founder and editor of RateOrchardBy Adrian SerafinFounderUpdated May 4, 2026
Real disclosed salaries

Special Effects Artists and Animators (Pro services) in California: actual employer-disclosed pay

Public records from 21 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $100,000. Every figure below is an actual offered salary an employer attested to under federal law.

By DOL wage level

DOL classifies every offer into one of four wage levels based on the role's experience and skill requirements.

LevelFilingsMedian offer
Level I — entry13$87,000
Level II — qualified4$120,000
Level III — experienced1$150,000
Level IV — fully competent1$162,000

Top employers filing for this role

Companies with the most certified filings for Special Effects Artists and Animators (Pro services) in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.

EmployerMost-filed titleFilingsMedian
LOLA VISUAL EFFECTS LLCCOMPUTER GRAPHICS ANIMATOR3$120,000
XITE LLCMULTIMEDIA DESIGNER2$81,120
Framestore, IncMid-Level CG Artist2$115,200
Specs Inc.Visual Designer (5)1$152,734
Reel FX, Inc.Virtual Cinematographer1$144,000
Heavy IndustryDesigner / Animator1$94,500
Sena Advertising Inc.Associate Art Specialist1$76,378
Tideform Studio, LLCMultimedia Artist/Founder1$94,453
DEUTSCH LA, INC.MOTION DESIGN DIRECTOR1$162,000
R2C USA LLC3D Technical Artist1$69,035

Recent sample filings

A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.

  • Visual Designer (5) at Specs Inc.
    $152,734
    Santa MonicaDecided Dec 12, 2025I-200-25339-461476
  • Virtual Cinematographer at Reel FX, Inc.
    $144,000
    HollywoodDecided Nov 20, 2025I-200-25317-406066
  • Designer / Animator at Heavy Industry
    $94,500
    IrvineWage Level IDecided Sep 12, 2025I-200-25248-291105
  • Associate Art Specialist at Sena Advertising Inc.
    $76,378
    San DiegoWage Level IDecided Aug 22, 2025I-200-25228-246789
  • Multimedia Artist/Founder at Tideform Studio, LLC
    $94,453
    San FranciscoWage Level IDecided Jun 17, 2025I-200-25161-073665
  • MOTION DESIGN DIRECTOR at DEUTSCH LA, INC.
    $162,000
    LOS ANGELESWage Level IVDecided Jun 12, 2025I-200-25156-058527
  • 3D Technical Artist at R2C USA LLC
    $69,035
    DavisWage Level IDecided Jun 9, 2025I-200-25153-043099
  • MULTIMEDIA DESIGNER at XITE LLC
    $81,120
    CALABASASWage Level IDecided May 28, 2025I-200-25140-995738

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification. Disclosed wages reflect what employers attested to pay; actual paid wages may differ. Only certified filings are shown — denied and withdrawn cases are excluded.