2021 Annual Salary, Salary Range, and Highest Paying States and Industries
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Actors
Actors play parts in stage, television, radio, video, or film productions, or other settings for entertainment, information, or instruction. Interpret serious or comic role by speech, gesture, and body movement to entertain or inform audience. May dance and sing.
Table of contents
- Average salary
- Starting salary
- Salary rank
- Salary range
- Highest paying states
- Highest paying industries
Average salary
Starting salary
Entry-level Actors with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $11 to $14 per hour. Similar to any other job, their salary will increase as they gain experience.
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Salary rank
We wanted to make it easy for our readers to compare the salary of Actors to all the other careers out there. So we created Salary Rank. We compared the salary of all careers then we gave them a rank of A, B, C, or D depending on where their average salary sit in comparison to other careers.
Salary range
| Level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Highest (Top 10%) | $65 | $* |
| Senior (Top 25%) | $30 | $* |
| Middle (Mid 50%) | $22 | $* |
| Junior (Bottom 25%) | $14 | $* |
| No experience (Bottom 10%) | $11 | $* |
Highest paying states
| State | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| NY | $48 | $* |
| NC | $44 | $* |
| GA | $34 | $* |
| CA | $32 | $* |
| CO | $30 | $* |
| NV | $29 | $* |
| MI | $27 | $* |
| IL | $24 | $* |
| MO | $24 | $* |
| WA | $23 | $* |
* Actors are generally paid on an hourly basis not yearly.
Another simple way to increase your salary as an Actor is to move to a higher paying state. However moving to a higher paying state like NY doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the expenses at NY might be much higher than where you are currently living at right now.
According to BLS, the highest paid Actors are in the states of NY, NC, GA, CA and CO.
Highest paying industries
| Salary by industry | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services | $ | $* |
| Traveler Accommodation | $ | $16.54 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | $ | $17.36 |
| Junior Colleges | $ | $17.13 |
| Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land | $ | $19.21 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | $ | $26.35 |
| Motion Picture and Video Industries | $ | $32.99 |
| Other Schools and Instruction | $ | $28.78 |
| Sound Recording Industries | $ | $* |
| Performing Arts Companies | $ | $29.36 |
| Radio and Television Broadcasting | $ | $* |
| Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events | $ | $26.73 |
| Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services | $ | $39.57 |
| Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers | $ | $36.21 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | $ | $22.09 |
| Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions | $ | $14.37 |
| Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | $ | $16.89 |
| Amusement Parks and Arcades | $ | $17.53 |
| Employment Services | $ | $29.91 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries | $ | $12.93 |
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