The average wage for an actor in the United States is around $20.01 per hour.
Avg Wage
Actors earn an average hourly wage of $20.01.
Salaries typically start from $9.33 per hour and go up to $42.95 per hour.
25% below national average Updated in 2019
Actor earnings by seniority
90th percentile
Top-level actor earnings begin at:
$42.95 per hour
$89,339 per year
75th percentile
Senior-level actor earnings begin at:
$29.91 per hour
$62,223 per year
50th percentile
Mid-level actor earnings begin at:
$20.01 per hour
$41,630 per year
25th percentile
Junior-level actor earnings begin at:
$13.39 per hour
$27,853 per year
10th percentile
Starting level actor earnings begin at:
$9.33 per hour
$19,399 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Actor salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Illinois | $46,113 |
| Hawaii | $44,942 |
| California | $43,555 |
| Pennsylvania | $41,677 |
| Nevada | $39,998 |
| Texas | $38,126 |
| Arizona | $37,587 |
| New Hampshire | $36,442 |
| District of Columbia | $34,736 |
| Florida | $34,445 |
| Minnesota | $34,154 |
| South Carolina | $33,426 |
| Missouri | $32,386 |
| Michigan | $29,515 |
| Massachusetts | $29,120 |
| Tennessee | $28,808 |
| New York | $28,124 |
| Washington | $26,500 |
| New Jersey | $26,000 |
| Indiana | $24,928 |
| Ohio | $20,093 |
| Georgia | $19,739 |
| Louisiana | $19,074 |
How do actor salaries compare to similar careers?
Actors earn 19% less than similar careers in the United States. On average, they make less than talent directors but more than announcers.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Talent director salary | $74K |
| Singer salary | $63K |
| Music artist salary | $63K |
| Conductor salary | $52K |
| Choreographer salary | $46K |
| Actor salary | $42K |
| Costume attendant salary | $41K |
| Dancer salary | $37K |
| Announcer salary | $34K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)