Average Musicians And Singers Salary in the United States

Musicians And Singers are typically paid by the hour rather than on an annual salary. BLS reports a national median hourly wage of $42.45 per hour and tracks 38,350 workers nationally.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates . Data covers 44 states and 119 metro areas.

No annual salary published. BLS does not publish an annual wage estimate for Musicians And Singers. This happens with occupations where most work is project-based, hourly, or on irregular schedules (think actors, athletes, musicians, dancers, and some fine art roles). Hourly wages are shown below where available.

National hourly wage

Hourly pay for musicians and singers across all workers captured in the latest BLS survey.

Median hourly wage: $42.45/hr
Mean hourly wage: $55.13/hr
10th percentile: $18.68/hr
90th percentile: $105.44/hr

Hourly rates for musicians and singers vary widely by project type, union status, and experience. These figures include both short-engagement and extended work.

National employment

Workers tracked nationally: 38,350
Jobs per 1,000 workers: N/A

Where musicians and singers earn the most per hour

BLS publishes hourly wage data for some locations but not others. Here are the locations with the highest reported median hourly wage.

By hourly wage

Top-paying states

Rhode Island: $109.90/hr
Nevada: $61.85/hr
Hawaii: $51.99/hr
Minnesota: $51.99/hr
Florida: $51.33/hr
Virginia: $50.24/hr
Oregon: $50.23/hr
Arizona: $49.20/hr

By hourly wage

Top-paying metros

Naples-Marco Island, FL: $107.95/hr
Waterbury-Shelton, CT: $76.53/hr
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA: $65.30/hr
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV: $61.89/hr
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: $61.75/hr
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY: $61.62/hr
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: $60.00/hr
Erie, PA: $60.00/hr

Where musicians and singers work

Locations with the largest workforce for this occupation. The "concentration" number next to each area shows how common this job is locally compared to the rest of the country — anything above 1.00 means the area has a higher-than-average share of musicians and singers.

By employment

States with the most jobs

New York: 6,070

LQ 2.56
Illinois: 2,140

LQ 1.42
Tennessee: 1,980

LQ 2.43
Florida: 1,880

LQ 0.77
Pennsylvania: 1,400

LQ 0.94
Ohio: 1,290

LQ 0.94
Texas: 1,100

LQ 0.32
Michigan: 1,050

LQ 0.96

By employment

Metros with the most jobs

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 4,920

LQ 2.11
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 1,740

LQ 1.56
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN: 1,490

LQ 5.46
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 1,010

LQ 1.69
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 730

LQ 0.94
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 550

LQ 0.79
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 540

LQ 1.13
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 530

LQ 0.78

Job outlook

BLS projects employment for musicians and singers from 2024 to 2034. Growth is below the US average of roughly 4% across all occupations. The field is relatively stable but not expanding quickly.

Projected growth: +1.1%; 1,800 net jobs over the projection period
Annual openings: 19,400; Includes growth plus replacements
Typical entry education: No formal educational credential

There are no formal educational requirements for entry. Much of the training happens through experience on the job.

Related occupations

Other jobs in the same field. Some of these are also hourly or project-based occupations without a published annual salary.