Pay Scale

• The pay scale for illustrators, animators and other related artists all vary. According to the BLS, the lowest 10 percent of those working as illustrators made $19,190 per year or less. The lower 25th percentile made less than $29,440, and the median salary was $44,850 annually. Animators, on the other hand, made less than $33,840 as the low end of the pay scale, with the lower 25 percent earning $44,020 or less; the median salary was $44,020 per year. Other related artists reported by the bureau made between $28,730 and $58,840 in the lower 50th percentile.
  
  

Pay by Industry

• Cartoonists can work in many different industries in addition to having various types of cartoonist jobs. Illustrators, for example, working in the industry of clay production and refractory manufacturing made an average salary of $29,130 per year, as of 2011, according to the BLS. Also near the low end of the pay scale by industry were those in glass and glass product manufacturing, who averaged $34,100 per year. These salaries were less than half of those in the highest-paying industry -- scientific research and development -- at $80,420 per year. Animators' salaries, on the other hand, differed less across various industries. The lowest paying industry for animators was advertising and public relations, with salaries at $58,910 per year. Independent artists were near the lower end of salary range for other related artists, with an average salary of $38,080 per year.
  
  

Pay by State

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics also lists the pay for cartoonists by the states in which they work. The bureau provides information regarding the five highest paying states, but it also provides further indication of what cartoonists can make in states with the highest levels of employment or in states where there is a high concentration of cartoonists. For illustrators, Utah and Florida are two of the lower paying states listed by the BLS at $39,750 and $34,940 per year, respectively. For animators, Minnesota was listed at $51,160 per year, among the states with a high concentration of artists per 1,000 workers. Alaska had the lowest listed salary average for other related artists, at $37,440 per year.
  
  

Job Outlook

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for cartoonists and other artists is expected to continue at an average pace, with about 12 percent job growth in terms of the number of new jobs available from 2008 to 2018. Illustrators and cartoonists with experience in multimedia design are more likely to find employment opportunities than those who work exclusively in print media, where jobs are expected to decline.