Actor earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level actor earnings begin at:

$23.67 per hour

$49,234 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level actor earnings begin at:

$16.35 per hour

$34,008 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level actor earnings begin at:

$14.01 per hour

$29,141 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level actor earnings begin at:

$12.72 per hour

$26,458 per year

10th percentile

Starting level actor earnings begin at:

$11.29 per hour

$23,483 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 23% less than similar careers in Tennessee. On average, they make less than casting directors but more than performers.

Career Median Salary
Casting director salary $62K
Singer salary $38K
Music artist salary $38K
Announcer salary $30K
Actor salary $29K
Dancer salary $30K
Performer salary $23K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)