Actors pay in the U.S.
$58.29avg. an hour
Hourly pay only · 55,000 employed
Actors in the U.S. earn an average of $58.29 an hour and a median of $29.05. Pay is highest in New York ($50.16) and lowest in Nevada ($17.19).
$29.05Median pay
$58.29Average hourly
+86%Avg. pay since 2020
55,000Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for actors
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
16,630 jobs
New York
$50.16
$50.16 an hour
21,520 jobs
Georgia
$48.38
$48.38 an hour
32,160 jobs
Texas
$47.11
$47.11 an hour
4470 jobs
Oregon
$39.91
$39.91 an hour
5370 jobs
Tennessee
$38.08
$38.08 an hour
6520 jobs
Maryland
$35.21
$35.21 an hour
7180 jobs
Connecticut
$29.51
$29.51 an hour
8470 jobs
New Jersey
$28.44
$28.44 an hour
990 jobs
Kentucky
$27.35
$27.35 an hour
106,400 jobs
Florida
$27.32
$27.32 an hour
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.
Actors pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, hourly wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $24$24–$27$27–$35$35+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $82.51 | $82.51 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $69.19 | $69.19 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $52.43 | $52.43 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $44.36 | $44.36 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $37.60 | $37.60 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $37.02 | $37.02 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $36.12 | $36.12 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $35.89 | $35.89 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Actors pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $23.91 | $24.71 | 150 |
| Arizona | $23.05 | $21.16 | 380 |
| Arkansas | $25.15 | $19.49 | 70 |
| Connecticut | $29.51 | $27.91 | 180 |
| Florida | $27.32 | $19.11 | 6,400 |
| Georgia | $48.38 | $19.75 | 1,520 |
| Illinois | $26.11 | $15.00 | 1,060 |
| Kentucky | $27.35 | $18.85 | 90 |
| Maryland | $35.21 | $36.98 | 520 |
| Minnesota | $25.11 | $18.95 | 520 |
| Mississippi | $23.34 | $23.71 | 80 |
| Missouri | $27.32 | $19.20 | 450 |
| Nevada | $17.19 | $12.76 | 790 |
| New Jersey | $28.44 | $24.29 | 470 |
| New York | $50.16 | $28.44 | 6,630 |
| North Carolina | $22.05 | $18.83 | 730 |
| Ohio | $21.20 | $13.51 | 170 |
| Oregon | $39.91 | $29.81 | 470 |
| Pennsylvania | $27.22 | $22.15 | 890 |
| Tennessee | $38.08 | $21.82 | 370 |
| Texas | $47.11 | $25.86 | 2,160 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$82.51
24,800 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$52.43
5,430 jobsOrlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
$21.16
4,240 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$31.42
610 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$69.19
570 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$37.60
500 jobsMinneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
$24.99
470 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$26.43
450 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do actors make?
The average is $58.29 an hour across the U.S. Half earn more than $29.05 and half earn less (the median).
Which state pays actors the most?
New York, with an average of $50.16 an hour. The best-paying metro area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA at $82.51.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 27-2011. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.