Actor earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level actor earnings begin at:

$37.96 per hour

$78,967 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level actor earnings begin at:

$26.89 per hour

$55,931 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level actor earnings begin at:

$18.33 per hour

$38,126 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level actor earnings begin at:

$12.49 per hour

$25,989 per year

10th percentile

Starting level actor earnings begin at:

$8.85 per hour

$18,408 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 13% less than similar careers in Texas. On average, they make less than music artists but more than dancers.

Career Median Salary
Music artist salary $50K
Singer salary $50K
Choreographer salary $56K
Conductor salary $58K
Announcer salary $36K
Actor salary $38K
Performer salary $31K
Costume attendant salary $35K
Dancer salary $32K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)