The average wage for a musician in the United States is around $4.25 per hour.
Avg Wage
Musicians earn an average hourly wage of $4.25.
Salaries typically start from $1.74 per hour and go up to $10.39 per hour.
83% below national average Updated in 2023
Musician earnings by seniority
90th percentile
Top-level musician earnings begin at:
$10.39 per hour
$21,619 per year
75th percentile
Senior-level musician earnings begin at:
$6.81 per hour
$14,160 per year
50th percentile
Mid-level musician earnings begin at:
$4.25 per hour
$8,849 per year
25th percentile
Junior-level musician earnings begin at:
$2.66 per hour
$5,529 per year
10th percentile
Starting level musician earnings begin at:
$1.74 per hour
$3,622 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Musician salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Ohio | $98,550 |
| Connecticut | $98,488 |
| Hawaii | $98,072 |
| Nevada | $86,174 |
| California | $84,469 |
| Arkansas | $84,136 |
| Virginia | $83,741 |
| Colorado | $82,472 |
| New Jersey | $82,472 |
| Washington | $81,037 |
| New York | $78,083 |
| Texas | $73,029 |
| Georgia | $72,758 |
| Wyoming | $62,587 |
| Illinois | $62,338 |
| Rhode Island | $62,338 |
| Pennsylvania | $60,362 |
| Oregon | $60,112 |
| District of Columbia | $51,126 |
| Wisconsin | $50,648 |
| Florida | $50,253 |
| Arizona | $49,608 |
| Indiana | $49,546 |
| Michigan | $48,942 |
| Massachusetts | $47,424 |
| Maine | $47,050 |
| Missouri | $46,883 |
| North Carolina | $45,136 |
| Iowa | $42,751 |
| Kentucky | $39,270 |
| South Carolina | $38,875 |
| Kansas | $38,813 |
| Tennessee | $38,376 |
| Nebraska | $38,126 |
| New Mexico | $36,982 |
| Utah | $36,338 |
| Oklahoma | $35,734 |
| Montana | $33,280 |
| Louisiana | $31,387 |
| Puerto Rico | $24,211 |
| Alabama | $24,003 |
| Maryland | $20,280 |
| Minnesota | $104,978 |
How do musician salaries compare to similar careers?
Musicians earn 57% less than similar careers in the United States. On average, they make less than piano tuners but more than singers.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Piano tuner salary | $41K |
| Composer salary | $33K |
| Audio engineer salary | $28K |
| Music teacher salary | $24K |
| Music artist salary | $20K |
| Musician salary | $9K |
| Singer salary | $7K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)