Actor earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level actor earnings begin at:

$32.85 per hour

$68,328 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level actor earnings begin at:

$22.34 per hour

$46,467 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level actor earnings begin at:

$18.83 per hour

$39,166 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level actor earnings begin at:

$13.47 per hour

$28,018 per year

10th percentile

Starting level actor earnings begin at:

$9.92 per hour

$20,634 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Actor salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Maryland $76,918
California $62,046
Oregon $62,005
New York $59,155
Connecticut $58,053
Texas $53,789
Alabama $51,397
New Jersey $50,523
Mississippi $49,317
Colorado $48,818
Oklahoma $48,568
Washington $48,464
Pennsylvania $46,072
Tennessee $45,386
Hawaii $44,942
Arizona $44,013
Georgia $41,080
Arkansas $40,539
Missouri $39,936
Florida $39,749
Minnesota $39,416
Kentucky $39,208
North Carolina $39,166
Massachusetts $38,730
Wisconsin $38,584
South Dakota $38,272
New Hampshire $36,442
District of Columbia $34,736
South Carolina $33,426
Illinois $31,200
Louisiana $30,555
Indiana $30,139
Michigan $29,515
Ohio $28,101
Nevada $26,541
Kansas $26,000
Iowa $23,795
Utah $18,221

How do actor salaries compare to similar careers?

Actors earn 35% less than similar careers in North Carolina. On average, they make less than singers but more than performers.

Career Median Salary
Singer salary $121K
Conductor salary $63K
Announcer salary $48K
Casting director salary $64K
Actor salary $39K
Performer salary $36K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)