Actor earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level actor earnings begin at:

$37.21 per hour

$77,397 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level actor earnings begin at:

$25.88 per hour

$53,830 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level actor earnings begin at:

$18.02 per hour

$37,482 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level actor earnings begin at:

$15.92 per hour

$33,114 per year

10th percentile

Starting level actor earnings begin at:

$11.25 per hour

$23,400 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Actor salary by state

State Name Average Salary
New Jersey $74,298
California $62,046
New York $58,531
Maryland $50,274
Colorado $48,818
Pennsylvania $48,797
Oklahoma $48,568
Washington $48,464
Nevada $47,050
Hawaii $44,942
Arizona $43,139
Massachusetts $38,730
Wisconsin $38,584
South Dakota $38,272
Florida $37,918
Illinois $37,482
Texas $36,899
New Hampshire $36,442
District of Columbia $34,736
Minnesota $34,154
South Carolina $33,426
Louisiana $30,555
Indiana $30,139
Missouri $30,118
Michigan $29,515
Tennessee $29,141
Kansas $26,000
Oregon $25,168
Iowa $23,795
Georgia $23,650
Ohio $19,635
Utah $18,221

How do actor salaries compare to similar careers?

Actors earn 21% less than similar careers in Illinois. On average, they make less than singers but more than conductors.

Career Median Salary
Singer salary $62K
Casting director salary $61K
Announcer salary $35K
Actor salary $37K
Conductor salary $38K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)