Actors salary
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes only hourly pay for actors, because most do not work full-time, year-round schedules. Half earned more than $29.05 an hour in May 2025, and half earned less.
- Median / hr
- $29.05
- Bottom 10% / hr
- $16.50
- Top 10% / hr
- $143.68
- Jobs (wage & salary)
- 55,000
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, national, all industries.
What does it take to become one?
- Typical entry education
- Some college, no degree
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
“Typical” describes what most entrants need, as assessed by BLS. Licensing and certification rules vary by state and are not shown here.
Is the number of jobs growing?
BLS projects employment of actors to change by 0.0% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the +3.5% projected for all occupations. It expects about 6,300 openings a year on average, counting jobs left by people who retire or change occupations.
About 23.0% of people in this occupation were self-employed in 2025. The wage figures on this page do not include them.
What these numbers include
- Wages are straight-time gross pay reported by employers: base pay, commissions, production bonuses, tips and similar pay are included; overtime, shift differentials, non-production bonuses and benefits are not.
- Only employees are counted. Self-employed workers and owners of unincorporated businesses are not in the survey.
- Figures cover all industries nationwide. Pay for a single employer, city or experience level can differ widely.
Related rankings
- Highest-paying jobs without a degree
- Highest-paying jobs outside healthcare
- Ranking for “Some college, no degree”
- All 825 occupations ranked
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national and state files).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35, Table 1.2.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state, 2024.