The average wage for a musician in the United States is around $27.58 per hour.
Avg Wage
Musicians earn an average hourly wage of $27.58.
Salaries typically start from $10.08 per hour and go up to $75.45 per hour.
18% above national average Updated in 2019
Musician earnings by seniority
90th percentile
Top-level musician earnings begin at:
$75.45 per hour
$156,943 per year
75th percentile
Senior-level musician earnings begin at:
$46.85 per hour
$97,439 per year
50th percentile
Mid-level musician earnings begin at:
$27.58 per hour
$57,375 per year
25th percentile
Junior-level musician earnings begin at:
$16.24 per hour
$33,785 per year
10th percentile
Starting level musician earnings begin at:
$10.08 per hour
$20,975 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Musician salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Nevada | $86,174 |
| Hawaii | $79,280 |
| South Carolina | $77,085 |
| Connecticut | $75,962 |
| New Mexico | $69,430 |
| Massachusetts | $69,014 |
| Texas | $66,789 |
| Pennsylvania | $66,768 |
| Georgia | $65,541 |
| New York | $64,813 |
| District of Columbia | $64,272 |
| California | $63,669 |
| Illinois | $61,950 |
| Missouri | $55,931 |
| Minnesota | $55,578 |
| New Jersey | $55,515 |
| Rhode Island | $54,288 |
| Florida | $54,038 |
| Arkansas | $52,320 |
| Colorado | $50,898 |
| Ohio | $48,485 |
| Michigan | $47,320 |
| Alabama | $46,015 |
| North Carolina | $45,727 |
| Oregon | $45,406 |
| Iowa | $42,751 |
| Louisiana | $40,539 |
| Tennessee | $39,054 |
| Kansas | $35,232 |
| Montana | $33,280 |
| Nebraska | $30,805 |
| Arizona | $27,040 |
| Virginia | $27,000 |
| Washington | $25,480 |
| Maryland | $20,280 |
How do musician salaries compare to similar careers?
Musicians earn about the same as related careers in the United States. On average, they make less than talent directors but more than composers.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Talent director salary | $74K |
| Singer salary | $63K |
| Music artist salary | $63K |
| Musician salary | $57K |
| Music teacher salary | $59K |
| Conductor salary | $52K |
| Audio engineer salary | $53K |
| Composer salary | $52K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)