South Dakota Animation Careers: Employment & Salary Trends, Job Opportunities, & Colleges Offering Animation Programs in South Dakota

Animation Careers in South Dakota

Overview - There are more than 5,000 artists living in South Dakota and many of them work in the graphic design, film and video, and animation industries. In addition to a large and growing artist community, South Dakota is home to a number of active animation studios as well as the:

• South Dakota Animation Festival (SoDak Animation)
• South Dakota Film Office
• South Dakota Film Festival
• Black Hills Film Festival
• South Dakota Film Office

Animators in South Dakota have many of opportunities to work in the film and video industry, but they may also work in advertising, the technology industry, or education. Animation or related courses are available at a number of colleges in the art, multi-media, engineering, communications, or computer science departments or at elementary and secondary schools. The state is home to 728 elementary and secondary schools and 25 colleges.

Employment and Salary Trends for South Dakota Animators

As of 2009, 70 animators worked in production studios, education, advertising, and the technology industry in South Dakota. Across the nation, employment in the animation (and multi-media) industry is expected to grow by 14 percent for the 2008-2018 decade. This is higher than all occupations in the “artists and related workers” industry. At 12 percent, art directors are second in employment growth, followed by fine artists at 9 percent.

As of May 2009, the mean annual wage for animators overall was $62,810 per year. The lowest paid animators earned $32,360 per year and the highest paid animators earned $99,130 per year. As of May 2009, animators in South Dakota earned a mean salary of $36,130 per year.

The highest paying states for animators are:

• California ($76,010 per year)
• Maryland ($66,850 per year)
• Washington  ($64,840 per year)
• New York ($62,150 per year)

Animation Career Opportunities in South Dakota

Animators with an interest in film and video may find opportunities at animation studios such as:

• Liquid Ice Entertainment, Newell
• Vision Video Inc., Sioux Falls
• Steam Digital, Sioux Falls
• Epic Multimedia, Sioux Falls
• Animation Factory, Sioux Falls

Animators interested in working multi-media, advertising, or the graphics design industries may find opportunities at:

• Lawrence & Schiller, Sioux Falls, Deadwood
• Weave Your Design, Belle Fourche
• Digital Designs, Spearfish
• MAS Media, Volga
• Interactive Media, Rapid City
• Keyframe, Brookings
• Spore Creative, Rapid City

There are more than 100 computer technology and design firms in South Dakota, so animators with a computer science background may have a number of opportunities to work in the tech industry. Although jobs for animators are available in many South Dakota cities, most are available in principle cities such as Sioux Falls, Rapid City, and Watertown.  

South Dakota Animation Training Programs

The state of South Dakota does not have as many colleges as the larger states in the U.S., but the few colleges that it does have offer a high quality education and degree programs that can help prepare students for a career in animation. These include:

• University of South Dakota, Vermillion
• South Dakota State University, Brookings
• Dakota State University, Madison
• Black Hills State University, Spearfish

More Animation related programs to consider:  

To get started on a career in animation, you can begin by choosing one of the following degree programs:

• Animation
• Multi-media art
• Computer science with a focus in animation or multi-media art
• Fine art with a focus in animation
• Advertising with a focus in animation

In addition to offering a degree in animation or multi-media art, most of the schools listed in this article offer degrees in the related fields mentioned above.

SOURCE: May 2009 BLS State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates,

2008-18. http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcst.htm