Actors

Detailed Occupation

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2023 Workforce

34.8k

Average Age

40.4

Estimated Job Growth

4.61%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$58,224

Average Male Salary

$65,489

Average Female Salary

$49,808

About

Actors are most often employed by the Independent artists, writers, and performers industry. The average yearly wage for Actors was $58,224 in 2023.

The locations that employ the most Actors are Los Angeles County (Central)--Burbank City PUMA, CA, Los Angeles County (Central)--LA City (East Central & Hollywood) PUMA, CA, and NYC-Queens Community District 1--Astoria & Queensbridge PUMA, NY. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Actors are Los Angeles County (Central)--Burbank City PUMA, CA, Los Angeles County (Central)--West Hollywood & Beverly Hills Cities PUMA, CA, and Los Angeles County (Central)--LA City (East Central & Hollywood) PUMA, CA.

Photo by christopher walling

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Employment

Employment and salary information for the Actors workforce. Actors workforce in 2023 was 34,786 people, of which 46.3% were women and 53.7% were men. Actors are paid most in Los Angeles County (Northwest)--Santa Clarita City (North) PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Los Angeles County (Central)--Burbank City PUMA, CA.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

18,668

Male Workforce

± 3.35k

16,118

Female Workforce

± 3.12k

The Actors workforce in 2023 was 34,786 people (46.3% women and 53.7% men). This implies an average annual growth of 34% between 2014 (25,963) and 2023 (34,786).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Actors.

During 2023, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Connecticut ($397,014), California ($80,295), and New York ($74,507).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$58,224

AVERAGE WAGE

#274 in the ranking (2023)

$67,727

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2023, Actors earned an average of $58,224, $9,503 less than the average national salary of $67,727

The graph shows the ranking of Actors in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2023.

In 2023, Actors had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.646, which is higher than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly for Actors (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Actors compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Actors and on wages for those in the field. Independent artists, writers, and performers is the industry that employs the most Actors, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Actors, by average wage, is Telecommunications, except wired telecommunications carriers ($119,183).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

34.8k

2023 Workforce

± 4,579

2.72%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 18.2%

This graphic shows the share of Actors employed by various industries. Independent artists, writers, and performers employs the largest share of Actors at 38.1%, followed by Motion pictures & video industries with 31.6% and Performing arts companies with 15.9%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Actors in the US. The workforce of Actors in 2023 was 34,786 people, with 46.3% woman, and 53.7% men. The average age of male Actors in the workforce is 41.4 and of female Actors is 39.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Actors is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Actors in 2023 was 34,786 people, with 46.3% woman, and 53.7% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 25 to 29 years (5,080 people), 30 to 34 years (5,077 people), and 35 to 39 years (4,607 people). Among them they concentrated 42.8% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2023, 15.6% of Actors workers were Hispanic and 84.4% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (48%), Puerto Rican (19.2)%, and Cuban (9.29)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2023, 65.8% of the Actors workforce were White, of which 46.2% were women and 53.8% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (10.7%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Actors from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Actors is Visual & Performing Arts but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2023 were Visual & Performing Arts.

Among the necessary skills for Actors, Speaking stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Actors need more than the average amount of Social Perceptiveness.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Actors in 2023 (counting all academic degrees) were Visual & Performing Arts (8,315 people), Business (2,052 people), and Communications (1,921 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Actors workers were Bachelors Degree (15,302 people), Some college (6,357 people), and Graduate Degree (4,889 people).

The graphic shows the Actors workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Actors from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Actors need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Actors from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 4.02%, but Actors are expected to see a growth of 4.61% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

4.61%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

4.02%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Actors. This profession is expected to grow more than than 4.02%, the average rate of national job growth.