Actors

Detailed Occupation

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2021 Workforce

32.1k

Average Age

Estimated Job Growth

10-year projection

Average Salary

$51,370

Average Male Salary

$60,362

Average Female Salary

$40,945

About

Actors are most often employed by the Independent artists, writers, and performers industry. The average yearly wage for Actors was $51,370 in 2021.

The locations that employ the most Actors are LA City (Central/Pacific Palisades) PUMA, CA, LA City (East Central/Hollywood) PUMA, CA, and West Hollywood & Beverly Hills Cities PUMA, CA. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Actors are LA City (Central/Pacific Palisades) PUMA, CA, West Hollywood & Beverly Hills Cities PUMA, CA, and Burbank City PUMA, CA.

Photo by christopher walling

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Education, legal, community service, arts, & media occupations Arts, design, entertainment, sports, & media occupations

Employment and salary information for the Actors workforce. Actors workforce in 2021 was 32,130 people, of which 46.3% were women and 53.7% were men. Actors are paid most in LA City (Mount Washington, Highland Park & Glassell Park) PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in LA City (Central/Pacific Palisades) PUMA, CA.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

17,250

Male Workforce

± 3.22k

14,880

Female Workforce

± 2.99k

The Actors workforce in 2021 was 32,130 people (46.3% women and 53.7% men). This implies an average annual growth of 24.2% between 2014 (25,866) and 2021 (32,130).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

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

During 2021, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Connecticut ($274,107), Nevada ($162,439), and Massachusetts ($106,430).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$51,370

AVERAGE WAGE

#275 in the ranking (2021)

$59,596

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2021, Actors earned an average of $51,370, $8,226 less than the average national salary of $59,596

The graph shows the ranking of Actors in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2021.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.644

WAGE GINI

In 2021, Actors had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.644, which is higher than the national average of 0.478. 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 ($182,965).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

32.1k

2021 Workforce

± 4,400

−1.9%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 19.6%

This graphic shows the share of Actors employed by various industries. Independent artists, writers, and performers employs the largest share of Actors at 39.2%, followed by Motion pictures & video industries with 38.9% and Performing arts companies with 21.8%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Actors in the US. The workforce of Actors in 2021 was 32,130 people, with 46.3% woman, and 53.7% men. The average age of male Actors in the workforce is 39.9 and of female Actors is 38.1, and the most common race/ethnicity for Actors is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Actors in 2021 was 32,130 people, with 46.3% woman, and 53.7% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 35 to 39 years (4,704 people), 25 to 29 years (4,391 people), and 20 to 24 years (4,328 people). Among them they concentrated 42.1% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2021, 13.9% of Actors workers were Hispanic and 86.1% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (60.3%), Puerto Rican (30)%, and Cuban (9.7)%

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

Races

In 2021, 70.9% of the Actors workforce were White, of which 45.7% were women and 54.3% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (12.7%) and Two or More Races (7.86%).

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 2021 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 2021 (counting all academic degrees) were Visual & Performing Arts (7,811 people), Communications (1,931 people), and Business (1,698 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 (13,856 people), Some college (6,286 people), and Graduate Degree (4,515 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 3.71%, but Actors are expected to see a growth of 3% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

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 less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.