Average Actors Salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

Actors in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn a median hourly wage of $20.00 per hour. BLS does not publish an annual salary figure for this occupation because most work is project-based or on irregular schedules. There are 610 workers employed locally.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates for Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (metro area).

No annual salary published for this location. BLS does not publish an annual wage estimate for actors in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. This is common for occupations where most work is project-based, hourly, or on irregular schedules (actors, athletes, musicians, dancers). Hourly wages and employment are shown below.

Local hourly wage

Hourly pay for actors in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, across all workers BLS surveyed.

Median hourly wage: $20.00/hr
Mean hourly wage: $31.42/hr
10th percentile: $15.00/hr
90th percentile: $84.67/hr

Local employment

Workers tracked locally: 610
How common this job is here: 0.38×; Less concentrated here than nationally.

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

Maryland: $36.98/hr
Oregon: $29.81/hr
New York: $28.44/hr
Connecticut: $27.91/hr
Texas: $25.86/hr
Alabama: $24.71/hr
New Jersey: $24.29/hr
Mississippi: $23.71/hr

By hourly wage

Top-paying metros

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: $65.27/hr
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: $55.29/hr
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD: $37.10/hr
Charleston-North Charleston, SC: $31.90/hr
Salt Lake City-Murray, UT: $31.19/hr
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: $28.97/hr
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: $28.81/hr
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT: $28.53/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.