Average Actors Salary in California

BLS did not publish a wage for actors in California in the latest release, but in 2023 the local median hourly wage was $21.68. There are 6,640 workers employed locally today.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates for California (state).

No annual salary published for this location. BLS does not publish an annual wage estimate for actors in California. This is common for occupations where most work is project-based, hourly, or on irregular schedules (actors, athletes, musicians, dancers). No wage figures were published at all for this location in the latest release.

Local employment

Workers tracked locally: 6,640
How common this job is here: 1.46×; More concentrated here than nationally — this state is unusually strong in this occupation.

The last time BLS reported wages here

The latest release does not include a wage figure for actors in California, but earlier releases did. Here is the most recent year with a published wage.

Last reporting year: 2023
Median hourly wage (2023): $21.68/hr
Employment (2023): 22,220

This data is from the 2023 BLS release. Recent figures may differ — small-sample suppression is common for this occupation.

Metros inside California

Pay and employment for actors often cluster in specific cities within the state. Drill into any metro for its local breakdown.

Where actors earn the most per hour

Locations where BLS did publish hourly wage data for actors this release, ranked highest to lowest.

By hourly wage

Top-paying states

Oklahoma: $39.00/hr
New York: $37.64/hr
Connecticut: $30.10/hr
Minnesota: $29.18/hr
South Carolina: $28.63/hr
Oregon: $24.96/hr
New Jersey: $23.79/hr
Arizona: $22.63/hr

By hourly wage

Top-paying metros

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: $51.99/hr
Oklahoma City, OK: $38.99/hr
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT: $30.10/hr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: $29.58/hr
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: $29.18/hr
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: $24.35/hr
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: $24.09/hr
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: $23.13/hr

National job outlook

BLS publishes national employment projections for actors from 2024 to 2034. These projections are national and not broken down by state.

Projected growth: +0.3%; 200 net jobs over the projection period
Annual openings: 6,300; Includes growth plus replacements
Typical entry education: Some college, no degree

Related occupations

Other jobs in the same field. Many of these follow similar hourly or project-based pay patterns.