Multimedia Artist salary

At a glance

• Mostly Level II (mid-level). 32% of Multimedia Artist filings are Level II, compared with 42% across all H-1B filings.
• Top filer: Apple. 40 filings (8% of the total), median $176,717.
• Median up 42% since FY2020. From $86,219 in FY2020 to $122,000 in FY2026 (Q1–Q3). Nominal, not adjusted for inflation.

Multimedia Artist H-1B salary overview

Employers filed 473 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Multimedia Artist jobs in FY2025–FY2026 (occupation code 27-1014, Multimedia Artists and Animators). The median base salary is $120,600, 2% below the median for all H-1B filings ($122,699), and half of the filings fall between $90,000 and $154,000. The most common wage level is Level II (mid-level), at 32% of filings. Los Angeles, CA has the most filings (158), and Apple is the employer that files the most (40).

Top employers for Multimedia Artist

Apple40 filings · 8%$176,717 Microsoft33 filings · 7%$176,390 Activision Publishing29 filings · 6%$108,950 Blizzard Entertainment24 filings · 5%$124,680 Electronic Arts24 filings · 5%$124,722 Snap17 filings · 4%$152,734 TikTok14 filings · 3%$180,501 ByteDance11 filings · 2%$202,500 Riot Games11 filings · 2%$134,742

Employers with the most Multimedia Artist filings. Bar: share of all Multimedia Artist filings. Figure: median base salary.

Pay by level

Multimedia Artist pay by city

Median base salary in each metro area. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027.

What a Multimedia Artist does

Create special effects or animations using film, video, computers, or other electronic tools and media for use in products, such as computer games, movies, music videos, and commercials.

Typical tasks

• Design complex graphics and animation, using independent judgment, creativity, and computer equipment.
• Create basic designs, drawings, and illustrations for product labels, cartons, direct mail, or television.
• Participate in design and production of multimedia campaigns, handling budgeting and scheduling, and assisting with such responsibilities as production coordination, background design, and progress tracking.
• Create two-dimensional and three-dimensional images depicting objects in motion or illustrating a process, using computer animation or modeling programs.
• Make objects or characters appear lifelike by manipulating light, color, texture, shadow, and transparency, or manipulating static images to give the illusion of motion.
• Apply story development, directing, cinematography, and editing to animation to create storyboards that show the flow of the animation and map out key scenes and characters.

Preparation

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

O*NET occupation: Special Effects Artists and Animators (27-1014.00). This section includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

H-1B pay vs. all U.S. workers

Across all U.S. workers in this occupation (Special Effects Artists and Animators), the median annual wage was $102,030 in May 2025, with 19,970 people employed. The median H-1B base salary in FY2025–FY2026 is $120,600, 18% higher.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). BLS wages cover all wage and salary workers and include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are the base salary offered on certified LCAs. The two sources cover different periods. BLS reports wages of $239,200 or more as a single top value.

Salary details

Salary range