Special Effects Artists and Animators H1B Visa — Salary, Sponsors & Cities

H1B Visa Sponsorship Overview for Special Effects Artists and Animators

Special Effects Artists and Animators (SOC code 27-1014) is one of the occupations that U.S. employers sponsor through the H1B visa program. A total of 5,595 labor condition applications have been filed by 1,622 employers for this occupation across the United States. The H1B visa allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations, and Special Effects Artists and Animators positions represent a significant portion of these filings.

The average salary offered on H1B applications for Special Effects Artists and Animators positions is $81,113, with a median of N/A. Salaries range from $24,066 to $615,000, reflecting the wide variation across experience levels, geographic locations, and prevailing wage levels. Compared to the national BLS median salary of $61,790 for this occupation, H1B salaries are +31.3% Above Market.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national annual mean salary for Special Effects Artists and Animators is $64,130, with approximately 0 workers employed in this role nationwide. The BLS reports salary percentiles ranging from $44,190 (10th percentile) to $96,470 (90th percentile). These benchmarks are essential for understanding H1B salary requirements and prevailing wage determinations.

The top H1B sponsors for Special Effects Artists and Animators positions include BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC., Electronic Arts, Inc., and Pixar among others. These employers actively hire foreign workers for this role and submit LCA applications to the Department of Labor as part of the H1B approval process.

The most popular work locations for H1B Special Effects Artists and Animators positions include new york, NY and San Francisco, CA. Location significantly impacts both salary offers and the applicable prevailing wage, making geographic analysis crucial for H1B applicants and employers.

California leads H1B filings for this occupation with 3,312 applications, followed by New York and Washington. View Special Effects Artists and Animators H1B data in California for state-level details.

Top H1B Sponsors for Special Effects Artists and Animators

These employers have filed the most H1B applications for Special Effects Artists and Animators positions. Click any employer to view their full H1B sponsorship profile.

#	Employer	State	LCAs	Avg Salary	Market Median	vs Market
1	BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC.	CA	138	$92,537	$61,790	+49.8% Above Market
2	Electronic Arts, Inc.	CA	136	$91,949	$61,790	+48.8% Above Market
3	Pixar	CA	124	$76,845	$61,790	+24.4% Above Market
4	The Mill Group, Inc.	NY	115	$68,749	$61,790	+11.3% Above Market
5	Google LLC	WA	113	$134,655	$61,790	+117.9% Above Market
6	DreamWorks Animation, LLC	CA	101	$96,296	$61,790	+55.8% Above Market
7	Microsoft Corporation	WI	100	$137,963	$61,790	+123.3% Above Market
8	Riot Games, Inc.	CA	85	$78,032	$61,790	+26.3% Above Market
9	Activision Publishing, Inc.	CA	82	$91,940	$61,790	+48.8% Above Market
10	Framestore, Inc.	NY	78	$101,078	$61,790	+63.6% Above Market
11	Blue Sky Studios, Inc.	NY	69	$84,947	$61,790	+37.5% Above Market
12	PACIFIC DATA IMAGES, INC.	CA	58	$83,725	$61,790	+35.5% Above Market
13	Walt Disney Pictures	CA	56	$93,371	$61,790	+51.1% Above Market
14	DELUXE MEDIA CREATIVE SERVICES, INC.	NY	49	$84,197	$61,790	+36.3% Above Market
15	Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc.	CA	46	$89,984	$61,790	+45.6% Above Market
16	Zynga, Inc.	CA	41	$77,622	$61,790	+25.6% Above Market
17	Rockstar San Diego, Inc.	CA	39	$89,796	$61,790	+45.3% Above Market
18	Apple Inc.	CA	38	$149,641	$61,790	+142.2% Above Market
19	Naughty Dog, Inc.	CA	38	$79,328	$61,790	+28.4% Above Market
20	Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc.	CA	38	$90,393	$61,790	+46.3% Above Market

Special Effects Artists and Animators H1B Salary by City

H1B salaries for Special Effects Artists and Animators vary significantly by metro area. The table below shows the top cities with their average offered salary and how it compares to the local BLS median.

#	City	LCAs	Employers	Avg Salary	Local BLS Median	vs Local Market
1	new york, NY	805	324	$75,388	N/A	N/A
2	San Francisco, CA	442	166	$87,278	N/A	N/A
3	Los Angeles, CA	399	149	$73,621	N/A	N/A
4	Santa Monica, CA	269	53	$82,080	N/A	N/A
5	Irvine, CA	194	19	$87,590	N/A	N/A
6	Redwood City, CA	174	24	$86,857	N/A	N/A
7	Burbank, CA	167	38	$90,524	N/A	N/A
8	Glendale, CA	139	18	$91,375	N/A	N/A
9	Culver City, CA	136	28	$98,071	N/A	N/A
10	Mountain View, CA	132	26	$124,963	N/A	N/A
11	Emeryville, CA	129	4	$77,054	N/A	N/A
12	Redmond, WA	100	14	$121,436	N/A	N/A
13	Venice, CA	99	27	$93,341	N/A	N/A
14	Bellevue, WA	97	24	$86,445	N/A	N/A
15	Brooklyn, NY	81	47	$68,638	N/A	N/A
16	Carlsbad, CA	73	7	$89,850	N/A	N/A
17	Greenwich, CT	67	1	$85,099	N/A	N/A
18	Austin, TX	66	24	$75,011	N/A	N/A
19	Palo Alto, CA	61	34	$90,903	N/A	N/A
20	Atlanta, GA	56	22	$50,255	N/A	N/A

Special Effects Artists and Animators H1B Data by State

#	State	LCAs	Employers	Avg Salary	BLS State Median
1	California	3,312	823	$86,901	$128,360
2	New York	937	396	$73,970	$102,170
3	Washington	263	62	$102,999	N/A
4	Texas	176	56	$68,082	$88,620
5	Florida	128	53	$63,774	$73,820
6	Georgia	120	43	$52,233	$79,040
7	Massachusetts	86	48	$75,616	$76,500
8	Connecticut	77	7	$82,208	N/A
9	Illinois	74	46	$62,543	$74,850
10	North Carolina	44	14	$83,660	$65,000

Prevailing Wage Levels for Special Effects Artists and Animators

The Department of Labor assigns prevailing wage levels (I through IV) to H1B positions based on experience and skill requirements. Level I represents entry-level positions, while Level IV indicates expert-level roles. Understanding wage levels is critical for both employers and H1B workers.

Wage Level	LCAs	% of Total	Avg Salary	Min Salary	Max Salary
I	79	3.7%	$71,849	$39,437	$293,800
II	205	9.7%	$102,121	$47,778	$176,390
III	109	5.2%	$131,848	$61,984	$243,678
IV	120	5.7%	$163,052	$82,160	$279,500
Level I	515	24.4%	$54,092	$32,552	$210,000
Level II	571	27.0%	$77,996	$28,850	$162,000
Level III	232	11.0%	$92,634	$47,700	$182,000
Level IV	280	13.3%	$113,758	$61,901	$235,000

BLS National Salary Distribution for Special Effects Artists and Animators

The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides detailed salary percentile data for Special Effects Artists and Animators positions across the United States. This data serves as a benchmark for evaluating H1B salary offers.