Cartoonists

Freelance cartoonists may earn anywhere from $100 to $1,200 or more per drawing, but top dollar generally goes only for big, full-color projects such as magazine cover illustrations. Although the U.S. Department of Labor does not give specific information regarding cartoonists' earnings, it does note that the median annual earnings for salaried craft and fine artists, which includes cartoonists, was $52,910 in May 2023, with the bottom 10 percent earning $27,110 per year or less and the top 10 percent earning $129,440 and more per year, although syndicated cartoonists on commission can earn much more. Salaries depend on the work performed. Comic strip artists are usually paid according to the number of publications that carry their strip.

Self-employed artists do not receive fringe benefits such as paid vacations, sick leave, health insurance, or pension benefits. Those who are salaried employees of companies, agencies, newspapers, and the like do typically receive these fringe benefits.