Cities with the Highest Wages
When choosing any career, you want to know how and where you can make the best income. After all, the only thing better than having a career you love is having a career that also brings a good salary. Most people thing that maximizing income means having the best education, training, or skills. But you can significantly improve your income simply by living in metropolitan areas where people in your profession earn the highest salaries.
Incomes for animators can vary widely across the country. But if you live in the right metropolitan area, you can earn a very exciting salary in this profession. In the Austin-Round Rock, Texas area, animators can earn an average annual income of $74,530. This location is only one among the top five highest paying metropolitan areas that isn’t in California. If you want to earn big bucks as an animator, you might want to find a new home in the Golden State.
In Oakland, California, animators earn $74,730 on average. In the nearby San Francisco, California area, animators stand to earn an average annual salary of $78,780. Los Angeles, California is the second highest paying metropolitan area in the country for animators, with an average annual salary of $80,780. But San Jose, California tops them all, with an average annual income of $93,770.
Not sure which metropolitan area should be your new home? Always consider cost of living along with your salary, as a high cost of living can take a big bite out of your hard-earned cash.
Cities with the Highest Employment Levels
It is so important to live in an area that employs professionals in your field. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to build a career in a city that doesn’t support your industry. Not to mention, it just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. It’s like trying to be a film actor in Denver, Colorado. Or trying to be a scuba instructor in Santa Fe, New Mexico. If you want your career to have some momentum, sometimes you have to go where the momentum is.
In order to do that, you have to know which metropolitan areas have the highest employment levels for your field. In other words, where are professionals in your field in high demand? Some professions exist are strong in almost every city in the United States. But others depend more on location for success. The animation industry is one of those professions.
New York City, New York has a high employment level for animators as well as a strong salary, with animators earning average annual incomes of $63,390. In Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina, animators earn an average annual income of $52,880 as well as good employment levels. Seattle, Washington has the third highest employment level for animators and an average salary of $63,790.
San Francisco, California has one of the highest employment levels and one of the highest salaries, at $78,650. And Los Angeles, California, has the highest employment level and one of the highest salaries, at $80,780. If you want to move your animation career forward as much as possible, you want to live in a metropolitan area with high employment levels.
