Filmmaker earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level filmmaker earnings begin at:

$40.51 per hour

$84,260 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level filmmaker earnings begin at:

$29.54 per hour

$61,450 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level filmmaker earnings begin at:

$21.98 per hour

$45,720 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level filmmaker earnings begin at:

$14.33 per hour

$29,810 per year

10th percentile

Starting level filmmaker earnings begin at:

$9.94 per hour

$20,680 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Filmmaker salary by state

State Name Average Salary
California $97,550
New York $96,590
Connecticut $83,506
District of Columbia $82,150
New Jersey $75,830
Maryland $75,620
Georgia $73,470
Pennsylvania $73,093
Illinois $72,771
Hawaii $70,120
Minnesota $65,770
Virginia $65,140
Tennessee $65,040
Washington $64,400
Massachusetts $61,810
Texas $61,790
Nevada $60,510
Florida $60,320
Rhode Island $60,020
North Carolina $59,660
Alaska $58,940
Colorado $58,830
Oregon $58,040
Kansas $56,680
Utah $55,940
Michigan $55,830
Louisiana $55,690
Missouri $55,380
New Mexico $54,030
New Hampshire $53,570
Delaware $53,300
South Dakota $53,200
Ohio $53,190
Alabama $52,279
Vermont $52,220
Wisconsin $51,740
Arkansas $51,650
Kentucky $50,710
Oklahoma $49,080
South Carolina $47,510
Idaho $47,070
Arizona $46,969
Nebraska $46,940
Indiana $46,827
Maine $46,690
Montana $45,720
Wyoming $43,570
Puerto Rico $43,260
Iowa $43,190
North Dakota $42,480
Mississippi $41,050

How do filmmaker salaries compare to similar careers?

Filmmakers earn about the same as related careers in Montana. On average, they make less than industrial designers but more than multimedia animators.

Career Median Salary
Industrial designer salary $56K
Urban planner salary $58K
Interior designer salary $58K
Producer salary $46K
Talent director salary $46K
Filmmaker salary $46K
Film director salary $46K
Multimedia animator salary $45K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)