Average 3D Artist Salary in Denver, United States for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average 3D Artist salary for 2026 in Denver and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a 3D Artist Make in Denver?

A 3D Artist working in Denver will typically earn around 86,100 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 45,900 USD to the highest average salary of 134,100 USD.

Average Annual Salary86,100 USD
Average Monthly Salary7,175 USD
Average Lowest Salary45,900 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary3,825 USD
Average Highest Salary134,100 USD
Highest Monthly Salary11,175 USD

These are average salaries for a 3D Artist in Denver and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a 3D Artist to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

3D Artist salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of 3D Artist Salaries in Denver

So we've looked at the average salaries a 3D Artist will earn in Denver. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a 3D Artist can earn between 45,900 USD and 134,100 USD on average in Denver. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a 3D Artist in Denver is 84,200 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 84,200 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 84,200 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average 3D Artist salary in Denver, 25% of the population are earning less than 56,600 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 56,600 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 103,600 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 103,600 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

3D Artist Salary by Experience Level in Denver

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average 3D Artist salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A 3D Artist in Denver that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 53,600 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average 3D Artist salary would increase to 65,900 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a 3D Artist, the average salary would be 92,900 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 109,700 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A 3D Artist with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 119,700 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a 3D Artist with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 128,200 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
53,600 USD
2-5 Years+23%
65,900 USD
5-10 Years+42%
92,900 USD
10-15 Years+17%
109,700 USD
15-20 Years+10%
119,700 USD
20+ Years+6%
128,200 USD

3D Artist Salary by Education Level in Denver

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a 3D Artist in Denver based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A 3D Artist in Denver with a high school education can earn an average salary of 63,400 USD.
  • Certificate or Diploma. A 3D Artist in Denver with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 73,300 USD.
  • Bachelor's Degree. A 3D Artist in Denver with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 95,200 USD.
  • Master's Degree. A 3D Artist in Denver with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 128,200 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School-
63,400 USD
Certificate or Diploma+13%
73,300 USD
Bachelor's Degree+31%
95,200 USD
Master's Degree+32%
128,200 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

3D Artist Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Denver, a male 3d artist will earn an average of 86,800 USD, while a female 3d artist will earn around 81,900 USD.

This means that a male 3d artist earns approximately 6% more than a female 3d artist for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Denver

Male-
86,800 USD
Female-6%
81,900 USD

3D Artist Average Pay Raise in Denver

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a 3D Artist in Denver is around 11% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a 3D Artist in Denver can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Denver for 2026

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
4%
Energy-
8%
Information Technology-
3%
Healthcare-
7%
Travel-
2%
Construction-
6%
Education-
1%

3D Artist Bonus and Incentive Rates in Denver

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A 3D Artist is a low bonus based job, with 34% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

66% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus-
34%
No Bonus-
66%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
98,800 USD
Private Sector-6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a 3D Artist

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a 3D Artist in Denver.

Job TitleCategorySalary
3D DesignerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment83,000 USD
3D GeneralistMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment68,300 USD
3D Visualization SpecialistMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment87,900 USD
Acrobatic RiggerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment57,900 USD
ActorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment116,400 USD
Art AdministratorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment94,000 USD
Art DirectorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment115,600 USD
Art LeadMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment114,900 USD
Associate Media DirectorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment103,600 USD
Associate ProducerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment121,800 USD
Broadcast AssociateMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment63,900 USD
Broadcast News AnalystMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment92,300 USD
Broadcast TechnicianMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment51,800 USD
Broadcast and Sound EngineerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment72,400 USD
Broadcasting JournalistMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment107,700 USD
Broadcasting PresenterMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment107,700 USD
CAS EngineerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment92,100 USD
Camera Equipment RepairerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment62,500 USD
Camera OperatorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment55,400 USD
Cartoonist / AnimatorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment79,600 USD
Censorship ExecutiveMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment99,700 USD
ChoreographerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment73,300 USD
ColoristMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment46,200 USD
Communications ManagerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment130,400 USD
CorrespondentMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment99,700 USD
Dance DirectorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment92,300 USD
DancerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment76,000 USD
Director of PhotographyMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment95,500 USD
Disc JockeyMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment58,200 USD
Editorial AssistantMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment46,200 USD
Events ManagerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment91,600 USD
Graphic DesignerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment63,500 USD
IllustratorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment70,800 USD
Industrial DesignerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment57,100 USD
Instructional DesignerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment54,200 USD
JournalistMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment108,200 USD
Makeup ArtistMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment58,100 USD
Media Design ManagerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment151,800 USD
Media Equipment OperatorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment49,200 USD
Media Operations ManagerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment124,500 USD
Media PlannerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment77,100 USD
Media ProducerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment108,200 USD
Media Product Development ManagerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment152,700 USD
Media Production ManagerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment152,700 USD
Media Program DirectorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment160,600 USD
Media Relation ExecutiveMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment160,600 USD
Media Relations ManagerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment156,200 USD
Media Sales ManagerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment168,700 USD
Movement and Dance CoordinatorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment90,900 USD
Multimedia CoordinatorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment63,700 USD
Multimedia DesignerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment56,600 USD
Music ConsultantMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment75,900 USD
MusicianMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment65,100 USD
News AssociateMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment78,900 USD
News ReporterMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment107,300 USD
Post Production AssistantMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment51,500 USD
ProducerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment142,100 USD
Product DesignerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment59,900 USD
Product PlannerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment74,600 USD
Production ArtistMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment75,900 USD
Production AssistantMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment55,600 USD
Production DirectorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment127,600 USD
Production TechnicianMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment52,800 USD
Program ResearcherMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment92,200 USD
Promotion CoordinatorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment73,700 USD
Sound EngineerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment75,000 USD
Sound Engineering TechnicianMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment46,400 USD
Stage TechnicianMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment45,600 USD
Sub EditorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment54,600 USD
Television Executive ProducerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment172,300 USD
Transmission EngineerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment86,100 USD
Video EditorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment64,400 USD
Video ProducerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment83,300 USD
VideographerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment79,000 USD
Visual DesignerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment78,700 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

CityAverage Salary
Atlanta75,100 USD
Austin90,600 USD
Baltimore80,400 USD
Boston84,500 USD
Bristol66,100 USD
Chicago102,700 USD
Cincinnati75,000 USD
Cleveland75,800 USD
Dallas90,900 USD
Detroit83,700 USD
Honolulu67,800 USD
Houston93,100 USD
Indianapolis92,100 USD
Iowa City68,300 USD
Jacksonville87,400 USD
Kansas City82,300 USD
Kent69,700 USD
Las Vegas84,600 USD
Long Beach79,600 USD
Los Angeles100,700 USD
Memphis81,700 USD
Miami74,700 USD
Minneapolis80,700 USD
New Orleans76,000 USD
New York98,100 USD
Oakland76,900 USD
Oklahoma City83,900 USD
Orlando70,800 USD
Philadelphia96,000 USD
Phoenix100,900 USD
Sacramento82,200 USD
San Antonio93,200 USD
San Diego95,400 USD
San Francisco90,600 USD
San Jose92,200 USD
Seattle90,900 USD
Tampa73,700 USD
Vancouver71,400 USD
Washington D.C.83,300 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

StateAverage Salary
Alabama87,200 USD
Alaska74,100 USD
Arizona86,800 USD
Arkansas81,600 USD
California91,700 USD
Colorado83,300 USD
Connecticut79,600 USD
Delaware77,400 USD
District of Columbia73,500 USD
Florida92,300 USD
Georgia88,500 USD
Hawaii75,800 USD
Idaho78,200 USD
Illinois92,000 USD
Indiana86,600 USD
Iowa78,700 USD
Kansas79,000 USD
Kentucky80,500 USD
Louisiana81,400 USD
Maine77,300 USD
Maryland84,800 USD
Massachusetts83,300 USD
Michigan89,800 USD
Minnesota84,900 USD
Mississippi79,800 USD
Missouri85,500 USD
Montana72,300 USD
Nebraska76,000 USD
Nevada79,600 USD
New Hampshire76,000 USD
New Jersey87,700 USD
New Mexico75,800 USD
New York91,000 USD
North Carolina88,600 USD
North Dakota77,100 USD
Ohio98,800 USD
Oklahoma89,800 USD
Oregon87,600 USD
Pennsylvania99,100 USD
Rhode Island80,700 USD
South Carolina91,000 USD
South Dakota78,700 USD
Tennessee92,500 USD
Texas97,300 USD
Utah83,300 USD
Vermont76,800 USD
Virginia95,300 USD
Washington93,300 USD
West Virginia83,400 USD
Wisconsin92,300 USD
Wyoming75,900 USD

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