Average Actor Salary in United States for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Actor salary for 2024 in United States and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does an Actor Make in United States?

An Actor working in United States will typically earn around 116,400 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 58,700 USD to the highest average salary of 175,200 USD.

Average Annual Salary
116,400 USD
Average Monthly Salary
9,700 USD

Lowest Annual Salary
58,700 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary
4,891 USD

Highest Annual Salary
175,200 USD
Highest Monthly Salary
14,600 USD

These are average salaries for an Actor in United States and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for an Actor to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Actor salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Actor Salaries in United States

So we've looked at the average salaries an Actor will earn in United States. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an Actor can earn between 58,700 USD and 175,200 USD on average in United States. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for an Actor in United States is 108,200 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 108,200 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 108,200 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Actor salary in United States, 25% of the population are earning less than 76,000 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 76,000 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 138,700 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 138,700 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Actor Salary by Experience Level in United States

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average actor salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. An Actor in United States that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 67,300 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Actor salary would increase to 91,200 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Actor, the average salary would be 117,100 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 142,300 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Actor with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 156,200 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Actor with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 163,800 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
67,300 USD
2-5 Years +34%
91,200 USD
5-10 Years +30%
117,100 USD
10-15 Years +21%
142,300 USD
15-20 Years +9%
156,200 USD
20+ Years +5%
163,800 USD

Actor Salary by Education Level in United States

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for an Actor in United States based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. An Actor in United States with a high school education can earn an average salary of 80,400 USD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. An Actor in United States with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 116,400 USD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. An Actor in United States with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 158,700 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
80,400 USD
Certificate or Diploma +43%
116,400 USD
Bachelor's Degree +38%
158,700 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Actor Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In United States, a male actor will earn an average of 117,100 USD, while a female actor will earn around 112,700 USD.

This means that a male actor earns approximately 4% more than a female actor for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United States

Male
117,100 USD
Female -4%
112,700 USD

Actor Average Pay Raise in United States

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for an Actor in United States is around 12% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 12 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 9%

What this means is that an Actor in United States can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 9% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United States for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Actor Bonus and Incentive Rates in United States

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

An Actor is a low bonus based job, with 30% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

70% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3%.

Received Bonus
30%
No Bonus
70%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
98,800 USD
Private Sector -6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to an Actor

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Actor in United States.

Job Title Category Salary
3D Artist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 87,500 USD
3D Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 83,000 USD
3D Generalist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 68,300 USD
3D Visualization Specialist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 87,900 USD
Acrobatic Rigger Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 57,900 USD
Art Administrator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 94,000 USD
Art Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 115,600 USD
Art Lead Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 114,900 USD
Associate Media Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 103,600 USD
Associate Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 121,800 USD
Broadcast and Sound Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 72,400 USD
Broadcast Associate Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 63,900 USD
Broadcast News Analyst Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 92,300 USD
Broadcast Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 51,800 USD
Broadcasting Journalist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 107,700 USD
Broadcasting Presenter Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 107,700 USD
Camera Equipment Repairer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 62,500 USD
Camera Operator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 55,400 USD
Cartoonist / Animator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 79,600 USD
CAS Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 92,100 USD
Censorship Executive Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 99,700 USD
Choreographer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 73,300 USD
Colorist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 46,200 USD
Communications Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 130,400 USD
Correspondent Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 99,700 USD
Dance Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 92,300 USD
Dancer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 76,000 USD
Director of Photography Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 95,500 USD
Disc Jockey Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 58,200 USD
Editorial Assistant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 46,200 USD
Events Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 91,600 USD
Graphic Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 63,500 USD
Illustrator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 70,800 USD
Industrial Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 57,100 USD
Instructional Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 54,200 USD
Journalist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 108,200 USD
Makeup Artist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 58,100 USD
Media Design Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 151,800 USD
Media Equipment Operator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 49,200 USD
Media Operations Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 124,500 USD
Media Planner Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 77,100 USD
Media Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 108,200 USD
Media Product Development Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 152,700 USD
Media Production Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 152,700 USD
Media Program Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 160,600 USD
Media Relation Executive Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 160,600 USD
Media Relations Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 156,200 USD
Media Sales Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 168,700 USD
Movement and Dance Coordinator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 90,900 USD
Multimedia Coordinator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 63,700 USD
Multimedia Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 56,600 USD
Music Consultant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 75,900 USD
Musician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 65,100 USD
News Associate Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 78,900 USD
News Reporter Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 107,300 USD
Post Production Assistant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 51,500 USD
Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 142,100 USD
Product Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 59,900 USD
Product Planner Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 74,600 USD
Production Artist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 75,900 USD
Production Assistant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 55,600 USD
Production Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 127,600 USD
Production Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 52,800 USD
Program Researcher Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 92,200 USD
Promotion Coordinator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 73,700 USD
Sound Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 75,000 USD
Sound Engineering Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 46,400 USD
Stage Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 45,600 USD
Sub Editor Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 54,600 USD
Television Executive Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 172,300 USD
Transmission Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 86,100 USD
Video Editor Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 64,400 USD
Video Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 83,300 USD
Videographer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 79,000 USD
Visual Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 78,700 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Atlanta 112,700 USD
Austin 132,000 USD
Baltimore 115,600 USD
Boston 117,100 USD
Bristol 94,800 USD
Chicago 132,000 USD
Cincinnati 95,900 USD
Cleveland 107,700 USD
Dallas 128,400 USD
Denver 121,800 USD
Detroit 119,700 USD
Honolulu 95,100 USD
Houston 138,700 USD
Indianapolis 125,400 USD
Iowa City 95,300 USD
Jacksonville 125,400 USD
Kansas City 116,400 USD
Kent 93,100 USD
Las Vegas 118,900 USD
Long Beach 107,700 USD
Los Angeles 142,100 USD
Memphis 119,700 USD
Miami 111,700 USD
Minneapolis 101,100 USD
New Orleans 105,800 USD
New York 142,300 USD
Oakland 109,700 USD
Oklahoma City 117,100 USD
Orlando 94,900 USD
Philadelphia 130,500 USD
Phoenix 128,200 USD
Sacramento 115,600 USD
San Antonio 127,700 USD
San Diego 127,700 USD
San Francisco 118,900 USD
San Jose 128,400 USD
Seattle 117,100 USD
Tampa 100,300 USD
Vancouver 98,100 USD
Washington D.C. 123,800 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

City Average Salary
Alabama 123,000 USD
Alaska 100,700 USD
Arizona 123,800 USD
Arkansas 109,700 USD
California 130,500 USD
Colorado 124,500 USD
Connecticut 114,600 USD
Delaware 109,700 USD
District of Columbia 100,700 USD
Florida 130,500 USD
Georgia 123,000 USD
Hawaii 109,700 USD
Idaho 114,600 USD
Illinois 128,200 USD
Indiana 127,700 USD
Iowa 108,200 USD
Kansas 116,400 USD
Kentucky 112,700 USD
Louisiana 115,600 USD
Maine 112,700 USD
Maryland 119,700 USD
Massachusetts 123,800 USD
Michigan 124,500 USD
Minnesota 121,800 USD
Mississippi 109,000 USD
Missouri 121,800 USD
Montana 111,700 USD
Nebraska 109,700 USD
Nevada 114,300 USD
New Hampshire 105,800 USD
New Jersey 128,200 USD
New Mexico 107,700 USD
New York 128,400 USD
North Carolina 118,900 USD
North Dakota 103,600 USD
Ohio 130,500 USD
Oklahoma 114,600 USD
Oregon 117,100 USD
Pennsylvania 124,500 USD
Rhode Island 107,300 USD
South Carolina 112,700 USD
South Dakota 105,200 USD
Tennessee 128,200 USD
Texas 127,600 USD
Utah 114,600 USD
Vermont 97,300 USD
Virginia 127,700 USD
Washington 115,600 USD
West Virginia 109,700 USD
Wisconsin 125,400 USD
Wyoming 100,500 USD

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