Actors

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2019 Workforce

42.1k

Average Age

38.9

Estimated Job Growth

10-year projection

Average Salary

$45,921

Average Male Salary

$49,245

Average Female Salary

$41,614

About

Actors are most often employed by the Independent artists, writers, and performers industry. The average yearly wage for Actors was $45,921 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Actors by wage are Eligibility interviewers, government programs, Wholesale & retail buyers, except farm products, and Child, family, and school social workers.

Actors are part of the Arts, design, entertainment, sports, & media occupations, along with Artists & related workers, Commercial and industrial designers, Fashion designers, Floral designers, Graphic designers, and 25 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Actors are LA City (East Central/Hollywood) PUMA, CA, LA City (Central/Pacific Palisades) PUMA, CA, and Washington Heights, Inwood & Marble Hill PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Actors are West Hollywood & Beverly Hills Cities PUMA, CA, LA City (Central/Pacific Palisades) PUMA, CA, and Calabasas, Agoura Hills, Malibu & Westlake Village Cities 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

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Actors and on wages and locations 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 Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events, agents and managers for artists, athletes, entertainers, and other public figures. Actors are paid most in Santa Monica City PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in West Hollywood & Beverly Hills Cities PUMA, CA.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$45,921

AVERAGE SALARY

± $9,373

In 2019, Actors earned an average of $45,921, $9,603 less than than the average national salary of $55,524.

Child, family, and school social workers make somewhat more than Actors while Eligibility interviewers, government programs make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Actors as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.666

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Actors had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.666, which is higher than 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).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Actors.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Actors

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Actors.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Actors, by number of employees, are Independent artists, writers, and performers, Motion pictures & video industries, and Performing arts companies.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Actors, by average wage, are Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events, agents and managers for artists, athletes, entertainers, and other public figures, Independent artists, writers, and performers, and Performing arts companies.

Industries by Share

42.1k

2019 Workforce

± 5,038

37.9%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 13.4%

The number of people employed as Actors has been growing at a rate of 37.9%, from 30,552 people in 2018 to 42,122 people in 2019.

This graphic shows the share of Actors employed by various industries. Independent artists, writers, and performers employs the largest share of Actors at 23.9%, followed by Motion pictures & video industries with 17.9% and Performing arts companies with 15.7%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Actors in the US. The average age of male Actors in the workforce is 37.9 and of female Actors is 40.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Actors is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

23.8k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 3,785

18.3k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 3,325

56.4% of Actors are Male, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Actors.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Actors

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
Two or More Races (Non-Hispanic)

62.3% of Actors are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 14.4% of Actors, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Actors.

Age by Gender

37.9

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 2.18

40.2

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 2.92

The median age of Actors is 38.9, and Male employees are generally 2.26 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

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 a relatively high number of Actors hold a major in Visual & Performing Arts.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

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, and Social Perceptiveness. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Actors need more than the average amount of Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, and Reading Comprehension.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

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.