Actors

More data on this career

Industries that employ this career. The largest shares of actors work in Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (54%), Information (29%), Educational Services (6%) and Health Care and Social Assistance (2%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).

Where the jobs are, and what they pay by industry. Nationwide, the industries that employ the most actors are Motion Picture and Video Industries (47% of the jobs counted), Performing Arts Companies (16% of the jobs counted), Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (13% of the jobs counted), Amusement Parks and Arcades (13% of the jobs counted) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Pay differs by industry for many reasons, including the mix of jobs and where employers are located.

What workers studied. Among actors with a bachelor's degree or higher, the most common fields of the bachelor's degree are Drama and Theater Arts (29%), Fine Arts (7%), English Language and Literature (5%) and Music (5%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).

Injury and illness rates. For actors, employers reported 1556.7 nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers, compared with 94.6 for all U.S. workers; the median case kept the worker away 45 days (all workers: 8) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023-2024). Rates reflect the work setting as well as the occupation.

Union membership. In the broad group "Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media", which includes this career, 6.6% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%); median weekly pay is $2,032 for union members and $1,387 for workers not in a union (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to actors.

Employer benefits. In the broad group "Professional and related", which includes this career, 86% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 85% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 92% had paid sick leave, 73% paid vacation and 78% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to actors, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $74.42 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Professional and related" in June 2026 ($50.37 in wages and salaries and $24.06 in benefits, 32.3% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).

Work environment. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, the conditions most often placed at the two highest levels for actors are: level of competition (100%), e-mail (94%), physical proximity (94%), contact with others (86%), indoors, environmentally controlled (77%), work with or contribute to a work group or team (77%). Each percentage is the share of respondents choosing the top two levels for that condition (for example 'most of the time' or 'continually'), so it describes how common the condition is in the job, not how a particular workplace is (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).

Typical preparation. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, for related work experience, the most common answer (53% of 34 respondents) was "none"; for on-site or in-plant training, the most common answer (59% of 34 respondents) was "none"; for on-the-job training, the most common answer (52% of 33 respondents) was "none or short demonstration". These are what workers report is needed to do the job; employers' requirements and individual paths vary (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).

Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to actors in the work done and the skills used: Musicians and Singers, Talent Directors, Choreographers, Music Directors and Composers, Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers, Producers and Directors, Dancers, Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).

Compare actors with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →