Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media jobs: what they pay

$79,790avg. a year

$38.36 an hour · 2,046,290 employed in the U.S.

National average and median pay for 41 arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media jobs, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. Open a job to see pay in every state and large metro area.

All 41 jobs Other categories

Top-paying arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media jobs

Average annual U.S. pay, May 2025

41 arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media jobs

Job	Avg. pay	Median	Jobs
Public Relations Specialists	$84,120	$74,750	283,380
Coaches and Scouts	$60,160	$47,320	248,950
Graphic Designers	$70,560	$62,960	197,830
Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers	$42,830	$39,390	165,220
Producers and Directors	$113,300	$90,360	143,120
Editors	$90,060	$77,920	91,690
Interior Designers	$74,540	$67,190	71,500
Audio and Video Technicians	$64,630	$58,100	70,230
Actors	$58.29	$29.05	55,000
Art Directors	$129,440	$114,850	53,070
Interpreters and Translators	$66,360	$60,170	52,060
Photographers	$55,410	$44,660	51,760
Writers and Authors	$86,090	$76,910	47,940
Technical Writers	$96,970	$90,390	45,500
Floral Designers	$39,520	$37,360	40,590
News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists	$102,460	$62,200	39,250
Musicians and Singers	$60.46	$47.80	36,180
Commercial and Industrial Designers	$93,260	$83,910	33,490
Film and Video Editors	$86,130	$75,420	25,610
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film	$83,210	$74,990	21,550
Fashion Designers	$91,230	$80,960	21,450
Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys	$78,720	$47,340	21,240
Broadcast Technicians	$67,960	$59,570	21,110
Special Effects Artists and Animators	$112,870	$102,030	19,970
Media and Communication Workers, All Other	$83,860	$73,620	19,590
Entertainers and Performers, Sports and Related Workers, All Other	$30.70	$18.82	16,550
Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials	$53,010	$40,710	15,780
Athletes and Sports Competitors	$206,180	$66,710	15,070
Sound Engineering Technicians	$81,390	$73,130	13,080
Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners	$78,760	$72,420	12,870
Music Directors and Composers	$90,470	$73,710	12,540
Media and Communication Equipment Workers, All Other	$81,040	$70,720	12,450
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators	$73,150	$55,490	11,220
Set and Exhibit Designers	$83,160	$75,240	10,630
Designers, All Other	$79,090	$64,950	9,480
Lighting Technicians	$78,380	$68,060	8,900
Dancers	$30.83	$24.80	8,130
Disc Jockeys, Except Radio	$32.57	$21.61	7,920
Artists and Related Workers, All Other	$80,530	$71,240	6,930
Craft Artists	$49,740	$46,080	4,580
Choreographers	$73,100	$55,310	2,860

Why people trust JobPayFacts

Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.

Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.

Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.

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Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.