Average Salaries

• Some variance exists in the salaries of the different types of cartoonists. Illustrators, for example, made an average annual salary of $53,080 per year, as of May 2010, while animators averaged $63,440 annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All other related cartoonists and artists made an average salary of $61,760 per year in 2010.
  
  

Pay Scale

• The pay scale for each type of cartoonist also varies somewhat. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the middle 50 percent of illustrators made between $29,440 and $65,420 per year in 2010, with a median salary of $44,850. Animators, on the other hand, made between $44,020 and $77,870, with a reported median salary of $58,510 in 2010. Other related artists made between $38,230 and $82,360, in terms of the middle 50 percent of workers in this field. The median salary for these cartoonists and other artists was $58,840, according to the bureau.
  
  

Location

• Location provides a fairly reliable indicator of what various cartoonists can expect to make. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the largest number of illustrators worked in California and earned an average salary of $66,270, while the highest-paid illustrators worked in New Mexico, earning an average of $71,320 in 2010. Animators working in California were the highest-paid in the profession with an average annual salary of $74,560 in 2010. Arizona was the top-paying state for all other related artists at $83,020 per year in 2010, according to the bureau.
  
  

Employers

• The employers of cartoonists also have an influence on how much they are paid on average. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most illustrators worked as independent or freelance artists and earned an average annual salary of $51,340 per year, as of May 2010. The highest-paid group worked in scientific research and development and made an average of $80,420 per year, according to the bureau. Animators worked primarily in the motion picture industry, making an average of $72,380 per year in 2010. This was also the highest-paying employer for those working as animators. Other related artists made the highest level of pay in the motion picture industry at $75,840 per year in 2010.