Actors

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

32.8k

Average Age

38.4

Estimated Job Growth

10-year projection

Average Salary

$49,402

Average Male Salary

$58,541

Average Female Salary

$38,617

About

Actors are most often employed by the Motion pictures & video industries industry. The average yearly wage for Actors was $49,402 in 2020.

The locations that employ the most Actors are LA City (Central/Pacific Palisades) PUMA, CA, LA City (East Central/Hollywood) PUMA, CA, and LA City (Northeast/North Hollywood & Valley Village) PUMA, CA. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Actors are LA City (Central/Pacific Palisades) PUMA, CA, LA City (East Central/Hollywood) PUMA, CA, and West Hollywood & Beverly Hills 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 and salary information for the Actors workforce. Actors workforce in 2020 was 32,753 people, of which 45.9% were women and 54.1% 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

17,729

Male Workforce

± 3.27k

15,024

Female Workforce

± 3.01k

The Actors workforce in 2020 was 32,753 people (45.9% women and 54.1% men). This implies an average annual growth of 26.6% between 2014 (25,866) and 2020 (32,753).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

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

During 2020, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Nevada ($145,923), Massachusetts ($113,115), and California ($73,535).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$49,402

AVERAGE WAGE

#268 in the ranking (2020)

$55,954

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2020, Actors earned an average of $49,402, $6,552 less than the average national salary of $55,954

The graph shows the ranking of Actors in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2020.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.642

WAGE GINI

In 2020, Actors had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.642, 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. Motion pictures & video industries 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 Broadcasting (except internet) ($136,391).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

32.8k

2020 Workforce

± 4,443

−4.33%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 19.8%

This graphic shows the share of Actors employed by various industries. Motion pictures & video industries employs the largest share of Actors at 38.3%, followed by Independent artists, writers, and performers with 38% and Performing arts companies with 23.7%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Actors in the US. The workforce of Actors in 2020 was 32,753 people, with 45.9% woman, and 54.1% men. The average age of male Actors in the workforce is 39 and of female Actors is 37.6, and the most common race/ethnicity for Actors is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Actors in 2020 was 32,753 people, with 45.9% woman, and 54.1% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 20 to 24 years (5,031 people), 25 to 29 years (4,808 people), and 35 to 39 years (4,035 people). Among them they concentrated 42.7% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2020, 13.1% of Actors workers were Hispanic and 86.9% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (58.9%), Puerto Rican (31.3)%, and Cuban (9.79)%

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

Races

In 2020, 73.5% of the Actors workforce were White, of which 44.7% were women and 55.3% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (5.96%).

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 2020 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 2020 (counting all academic degrees) were Visual & Performing Arts (7,765 people), Communications (1,808 people), and Business (1,407 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 (13,577 people), Some college (7,068 people), and Graduate Degree (4,217 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.