Producers and Directors
Median $90,360
Occupation · SOC 27-2011
Actors: pay and where the jobs are
What actors earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
Not published median annual wage
A full pay-range chart isn't shown because BLS doesn't publish every percentile for this occupation (some are suppressed or top-coded).
- Mean (average) annual wage
- Not published
- Median hourly wage
- $29.05
- Mean hourly wage
- $58.29
- Employment
- 55,000
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-2011.
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How much do actors make?
As an hourly rate, the median is $29.05. About 55,000 people work in this occupation nationwide.
Actors: pay by state
21 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 150 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| Arizona | 380 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| Arkansas | 70 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| Connecticut | 180 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| Florida | 6,400 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| Georgia | 1,520 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| Illinois | 1,060 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| Kentucky | 90 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| Maryland | 520 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| Minnesota | 520 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| Mississippi | 80 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| Missouri | 450 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| Nevada | 790 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| New Jersey | 470 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| New York | 6,630 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| North Carolina | 730 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| Ohio | 170 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| Oregon | 470 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| Pennsylvania | 890 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| Tennessee | 370 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
| Texas | 2,160 | Not published | Not published | Not published | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-2011. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.