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Job outlook for actresses in the United States
Actress job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected actress job growth rate is 8% from 2018-2028.
About 4,100 new jobs for actresses are projected over the next decade.
Actress salaries have increased 15% for actresses in the last 5 years.
There are over 4,429 actresses currently employed in the United States.
There are 2,661 active actress job openings in the US.
The average actress salary is $48,747.
Are actress jobs in demand?
Actress job and salary trends over time
Actress jobs over time
Actress job growth rate over time
Year  | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,429 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 6,543 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 7,744 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 6,980 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 6,397 | 0.00% |
Average actress salary over time
Actress salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $48,747 | $23.44 | +4.0% |
| 2024 | $46,853 | $22.53 | +5.4% |
| 2023 | $44,461 | $21.38 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $43,498 | $20.91 | +2.8% |
| 2021 | $42,317 | $20.34 | +2.1% |
Actress jobs by state
Most common states for actresses
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 739,795 | 0 | 0% |
| 2 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 0 | 0% |
| 3 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 0 | 0% |
| 4 | Delaware | 961,939 | 0 | 0% |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 0 | 0% |
| 6 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 0 | 0% |
| 7 | California | 39,536,653 | 0 | 0% |
| 8 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 0 | 0% |
| 9 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 0 | 0% |
| 10 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 0 | 0% |
| 11 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 0 | 0% |
| 12 | Vermont | 623,657 | 0 | 0% |
| 13 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 0 | 0% |
| 14 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 0 | 0% |
| 15 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 0 | 0% |
| 16 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 0 | 0% |
| 17 | New York | 19,849,399 | 0 | 0% |
| 18 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 0 | 0% |
| 19 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 0 | 0% |
| 20 | Texas | 28,304,596 | 0 | 0% |
Actress job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of actress experts
Warren Wilson College
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
University of Akron
University of Minnesota
Stonehill College
University of Arizona
University of San Francisco
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Birmingham-Southern College
Marquette University
Hope College
Brigham Young University
Brenau University
Chapman University
San Diego Mesa College
What general advice would you give to an Actress?
Candace Taylor: Be prepared. You never know when an opportunity will arise; and you should have your monologues and resumes ready (have more ready than they asked, so if they want to see more, you’ve got them). Don’t be shy, talk to people in the field and ask lots of questions, old actors love to give advice. Keep learning. Take a class, go to auditions, do your research.
What Actress skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Candace Taylor: Unfortunately, it’s money management and financial planning. It has little to do with art, but if you can’t figure out how to live on what you make, you’ll be working in a bank in a couple of years. Pursuing a performance career is expensive (classes, clothing, photos, transportation, etc). You can make a living but you’ll have to be smart about money until you’re a star.
What will help Actresses increase their earning potential?
Candace Taylor: Get an agent. Be reliable: show up on time, be prepared. Meet everyone you can; most of the work you’ll get is because you know people who will recommend you because they enjoyed working with you.
What general advice would you give to an Actress?
Mark Branner: The real challenge for our American society is to actually value the arts (I could go on a rant here about the scant state/federal funding for USA artists in comparison to many other nations in Europe). If you've achieved a level of education and/or excellence in your craft (an MFA degree, for example), you need to start believing that you are worth being paid for your work. You can't simply volunteer hours of hour time and energy away to star in the next community theatre production. So, first, start thinking/believing that you need to get paid. Advocate for it. Change the culture by bringing it up often. Next, do find a good financial planner. From the very beginning of your career you should be thinking of what your body and voice will be at 50 or 60. Can you actually perform in eight shows a year, when each show will require you to dedicate at least five or six weeks to a rehearsal process? A good financial planner won't care much about your artistry but may care a great deal about making sure you have some money in a retirement fund. Start putting some money away every single month, even if you are only working at Starbucks.
What will help Actresses increase their earning potential?
Mark Branner: Much like the comments above, you will need to be multi-faceted. Don't just study acting and think that is all you need. You'll probably need some film editing classes or sound editing classes. YOU will be responsible for your career Nobody else will look out for you in those particular ways. So you need to be working on finding ways to show all that you can do in order to find parking 'gigs' that may eventually lead to a permanent position (if that is what you are seeking). The field (even theatre) is NOT going to move away from technology. So learn how to use video and audio editing tools and social media tools to promote your next production.
What general advice would you give to an Actress?
Professor David Kaye: The arts are a challenging place to do well financially. The hard truth is, artists usually have to cultivate a duel career. So first, ask yourself- what would be fulfilling for me to do that would be my career that will pay for my living expenses and that will also allow me the time to cultivate my arts career? Performers who also have additional training and/or experience in theatre education, design, theater technology and arts administration can keep that second career in the field. This is great because so much of building a theatre (and film) career is making connections and cultivating relationships. The best bit of overall advice I can give is to work to make yourself the most irreplaceable person on the stage or the film set. Find as many ways as possible to support the work that is happening , in addition to doing all the great artistic work you are trained and ready to do!
What Actress skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Professor David Kaye: It often takes time to work your way into the professional circles in theatre and film. So advice #1 is to take the time to really identify where you want to live and work. Many students head to NYC or LA, but others go to Chicago, DC, Boston, Seattle, and several other large, medium and small cities. It takes about two years to really establish yourself. Commit to at least that amount of time to really see if you can make your mark there. Find every opportunity to audition. If you are a director, volunteer to serve as an assistant director on a production. In general, get your foot in the door. Also, don't be shy about making something happen on your own. You need to be scrappy, but self-producing is a great way to get yourself on the playing board.
Octavia Biggs-Fleck
Director of Shooting Stars Youtheatre with Lexington Children’s Theatre, Lecturer of Theatre at Morehead State University, and Director of The Little Company with Morehead State UniversityWhat general advice would you give to an Actress?
Octavia Biggs-Fleck: By far the most difficult aspect to acting/the arts is the lack of consistency with regards to pay, the lack of insurance, and other benefits. It is also hard to stay disciplined to focus on the business aspect of being an artist.
What will help Actresses increase their earning potential?
Octavia Biggs-Fleck: By far the most difficult aspect of acting/the arts is the lack of consistency with regards to pay, the lack of insurance, and other benefits. It is also hard to stay disciplined to focus on the business aspect of being an artist.
Kari-Anne Innes Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Head of Theatre Arts ManagementSlippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Drama/Theatre Arts And Stagecraft
What general advice would you give to an Actress?
Kari-Anne Innes Ph.D.: Broaden your horizons about what a career in the theatre may look like or where it may start. The multi-hyphenate artist is the new triple threat. In addition to talent in acting, singing, and dancing, consider other skills that will make you more distinctive, competitive, and valuable. Some sectors, including the performing arts, are recovering more slowly than others like web publishing, streaming, and motion pictures. The arts and cultural industries employed 4.9 million workers in 2021 (NEA). There is a place for you in it!
What will help Actresses increase their earning potential?
Kari-Anne Innes Ph.D.: Before moving to any market, including the big three of New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, research the city for the kinds and numbers of theatres and creative industries, cost of living, and opportunities for networking. You may be surprised at the numbers of opportunities in smaller markets that will allow you gain experience, make connections, and save money before your big move and big break. Remember that you are your own product and brand. Choose a company or city that matches your values and brand.
Dane Leasure MFA
Senior Lecturer and Area CoordinatorUniversity of Akron
Dance
What general advice would you give to an Actress?
Dane Leasure MFA: The industry is always looking for new actors. Between theatre, film and television along with streaming services, the demand for new quality content has never been greater. It is still a difficult profession to pursue, but extremely rewarding for those who do.
What Actress skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dane Leasure MFA: Entertaining others is a major like by most actors. Storytelling and being someone else is a thrill. The major dislike it the patchwork nature of work. While you might be employed on a show or film set for several weeks, after that you need to have another project lined up. Many actors are continuing to audition while working other gigs to make sure they can bounce from job to job.
What will help Actresses increase their earning potential?
Dane Leasure MFA: Entertaining others is a major like by most actors. Storytelling and being someone else is a thrill. The major dislike it the patchwork nature of work. While you might be employed on a show or film set for several weeks, after that you need to have another project lined up. Many actors are continuing to audition while working other gigs to make sure they can bounce from job to job.
Aaron Todd Douglas
Director, University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training ProgramUniversity of Minnesota
Theatre Arts and Dance
What skills will help Actresses earn the most?
Aaron Todd Douglas: Earning potential is a tricky thing. TV & film star and Broadway director Ruben Santiago-Hudson said that "show business" is one of the few occupations where skill and talent do not directly correlate with financial success. That is to say, never underestimate the importance of luck. One of my mantras is a saying attributed to the Roman dramatist Seneca: "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."
What general advice would you give to an Actress?
Matthew Greene: Anyone exiting college, or any place of training, needs to understand that everything is reset. Regardless of if you were cast in every show, or rarely appeared on stage, what matters now is what you do going forward. While experience is important, no one cares what you have done before if it’s not reflected in your current work, and most importantly, your work ethic and attitude.
What Actress skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Matthew Greene: Staying current with marketing/social media trends as a way of getting your name and content out there. This is where the younger generations have an edge. However, at the end of the day, the work needs to be of the highest caliber. Nothing beats work ethic and a thirst for knowledge.
What will help Actresses increase their earning potential?
Matthew Greene: Your focus shouldn’t be on salary at the start of your career—your focus should be finding work in your field and gaining knowledge, experience, and making quality contacts. Do not enter any work environment with the attitude of “What can I get?”, but instead approach every opportunity with “How can I help?”. This is how you will make yourself a valuable, treasured member of the community and build yourself a reputation as someone an employer desires.
What general advice would you give to an Actress?
Henk Stratton: Maintain an attitude that is adaptable, flexible, patient, courageous, and disciplined. Remember that it is hard (and important) work.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Actress job market given the pandemic?
Ken Sonkin: The three most prevalent trends in the performing arts during the pandemic are:
1. Arts organizations have had to make major cutbacks in staffing, programming, and infrastructure. Everybody is hurting financially and theaters are no exception. However, "When life hands us lemons, we make lemonade." Theaters have become some of the most innovative and creative entities, to not only stay culturally relevant but to also come up with new revenue streams in order to help defer 2020 losses;
2. Theater organizations are hiring more people of color. Promoting into leadership roles, casting in non-traditional ways, and commissioning BIPOC writers who are telling stories about and for people of underserved communities. Most importantly, theater companies have been charged with considering how they serve their mission/vision during this crisis. Social justice is much more prevalent in how and what we create; and
3. Theaters are looking for artists who are up-to-date on the latest technology. Zoom and video performances, live-streaming, online formats, social media, etc., will be a part of the visual and performing arts landscape moving into the new normal. During this pandemic, arts organizations have learned a tremendous amount about delivering online content, and these innovations will continue to flourish in the next few years as the economy bounces back. (Hopefully, that will include increased funding for the arts!) Technology will never take the place of live performance, but it will be incorporated into the arts in new and creative ways.
What Actress skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Ken Sonkin: Read, read, read! Take in all the material you can, especially things written by writers of color, so that we can begin to dismantle systemic racism in the performing arts. I would also suggest developing an "actor's routine" including audition prep (monologues), re-tooling your resume, creating your website (doesn't have to cost money!), and committing to physical and vocal workouts in order to keep your instrument well-tuned. If you can afford it, invest in computer upgrades, along with a microphone, camera, green screen, etc.
The next generation of actors will need to be proficient at submitting professional online auditions. Next: take a class! There are tons of free and inexpensive resources online for you to broaden your horizons. Also, create your own artist collective - a group of like-minded people who get together weekly/monthly to discuss current trends in the arts, read plays or screenplays aloud, and be a support group for one another. The most challenging part of this year has been the isolation of young artists. We are collaborative beings by nature, so it's vital to maintain your personal/professional relationships.
Lastly, I encourage students who are experiencing a gap year to journal. Write down your thoughts. I believe it's helpful to chronicle what you're going through during these trying times. And who knows? These private thoughts may be fuel for the next great play, film, song, or dance you get to create.
What general advice would you give to an Actress?
Ken Sonkin: Breathe. It's hard to fully understand the challenging times we're going through right now. It may be years before we're able to fully process the trauma and contraction of our economy, the arts, and our lives. But there has and always will be a human need to tell stories. Live performing arts will return and so we have to be patient.
That's hard to swallow for someone who has just finished their training and is eager to get out into the real world. But I believe this is the time to be planting the seeds for the future of the arts. To ask the hard questions. To celebrate the strength of those around us and especially within ourselves. Artists create in the times they live in; we have always held a mirror up to society so that as a civilization, we may laugh, cry, get pissed off or turned on, and challenge our thinking. Now is the time to reflect and prepare. One of my favorite quotes for this year: "What is there left for us, that have seen the newly discovered stability of things changed from an enthusiasm to a weariness, but to labor with a high heart, though it may be with weak hands, to rediscover an art of the theatre that shall be joyful, fantastic, extravagant, whimsical, beautiful, resonant, and altogether reckless?" - William Butler Yeats.
Artists who are beginning their careers now should remember to love themselves and those around them, dare to dream, and most importantly - breathe. They are our hope for a better tomorrow.
What Actress skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Brian Jones: Learn some production tools such as filming and video editing using decent hardware and software, but not necessarily top-of-the-line commercial/industrial tools. For example, learning to use Adobe suite elements such as Premiere Pro, Audition, and In Design. This can be self-taught via YouTube videos and crowdsourcing instruction. The most important thing is being disciplined about it. Invent a project for yourself and then make it just to learn from it. Know it's not going to be the best and might even suck. Then show up at your work station EVERY DAY at set times and durations. You might also study how to set up a business in Quickbooks or some other financial software or find a partner who can. Start thinking of your life as your business, and your gigs as segments of your "brand."
What general advice would you give to an Actress?
Brian Jones: Be patient with yourself. It's never been normal to make your living in the performing arts right out of school. It's going to take five years after graduation to develop your career and another five to get it off the ground. You will know if you "were made for this" or that you should make a lateral evolution to some other area of your life's experience that's calling you. The good news is that a theatre graduate usually learns pretty quickly to be self-determinate. That brings freedom and satisfaction.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Actresses in the next 5 years?
Alan Litsey: We rely on story-tellers to entertain, divert us, raise vital questions, and teach us. Our nation's creative artists and technicians are vital as we navigate uncertainty. As our world grows more complex, the need for art will continue to increase. The need and the opportunities are out there. We need leaders who are capable of leading others in making data-informed decisions and thinking collaboratively and boldly. Critically, we need collaborators who can be present with each other, develop trust and rapport with diverse stakeholders, and have the ability to step into the shoes of others. In other words, we need liberal arts graduates.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Actresses to find work opportunities?
Jamie Cheatham: Currently, theatre across the nation is hurting. Without an audience's ability to assemble safely, theatre, as we know it, has come to a relative standstill. Artists are finding ways to produce content and share their talents, but this is because artists need an outlet, and they need to create. Finding work will only happen when it is safe to go back into the theatres. Until then, we are all in a holding pattern, trying our best to practice our craft until the industry is once again safe. Hopefully, this will be soon. While it will be challenging to find work in the future, this is nothing new. Theatre artists always struggle, in good times and bad, to find work. It is their passion that drives them. No one enters the theatre, thinking it will be easy to get a job. Though, as many aspects of the job search transfer to online versions, such as auditions and portfolio submissions, new graduates will have access to a greater national reach than ever before as they seek out work. This will be a bonus.
How do you envision technology impacting Actresses in the next 5 years?
Jamie Cheatham: New technology always impacts theatre, eventually. Computerized lighting boards revolutionized lighting. Video projected scenery keeps advancing and finding a more permanent place in the theatre. As theatres continue to experiment with online production techniques, they will undoubtedly find a foothold in our future endeavors. Hopefully, not as a substitute for our live performances but integrated within live productions. There is no substitute for live theatre. There is a reason why we still gather after thousands of years this way, to see live actors draw us into their stories, acted out for our benefits. It is a communal sharing of ideas, empathy, creativity, and joy that cannot be found in any other venue.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Actresses?
Michelle Bombe: It has been a heartbreaking time for artists, including our recent graduates. Many were poised to start exciting internships and new jobs, all of which vanished when the pandemic hit.
As the realization that Covid-19 would be with us for some time, it has become obvious that, as a culture, we need the arts more than ever. My advice to recent graduates is to use this time to write, create, and think of new ways that the arts can reach people.
I am also cognizant of the emotional toll the pandemic has taken on creative types, and really everyone, and how important it is to be gentle with yourself and do what is needed to care for your family and friends. I am incredibly inspired by a recent Hope theatre alumni, Bridget McCarthy, who was in the middle of making a successful acting career for herself in Atlanta, Georgia when Covid-19 struck. She saw a real need in her community to care for artists. She began cooking meals in her kitchen and ultimately founded a 501 3c called Atlanta Artist Relief Fund. She and her nonprofit have raised over $40,000 and are feeding artists, helping them find mental health resources, and assisted artists navigating unemployment benefits.
While this has been a devastating time for the arts, it has also been a time to pause, to make sure that the arts organizations that we build back are more diverse and equitable. I have hope when I see arts organizations retooling to add more BIPOC artists to their creative teams and leadership staff and working to create more equitable theatre.
Tim Threlfall
Head of MDT, ProfessorBrigham Young University
Theatre: BFA Acting
What general advice would you give to an Actress?
Tim Threlfall: I am guessing that live theatre will take a while to return to the incredible level it was at before the pandemic. The Broadway musical really is (was before March) in a 'platinum era' with more Americans than ever enjoying musicals with mega-hits such as WICKED, BOOK OF MORMON, and HAMILTON, in the last decade or so. Musical theatre stars are also becoming recognizable actors in a way they really have not been before.
Even though I think live theatre will take a while to return (the base audience demographic remains in the senior citizen category, and they (we...me!) may be a bit more hesitant to return to a packed performance, the majority of theatre practitioners will be more than eager to return, as soon as possible, and will help get the theatre back on its feet.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Actresses?
Tim Threlfall: I am guessing that many stage auditions will be via tape in the near future. Actors' Equity Association, the union for professional actors, has always resisted taped auditions for obvious reasons. But that is changing with the virus. I am reading about the deliberations AEA is going through at this time, and I think some things will be different.
Even in TV and film, the self-tape audition is the norm now. It used to be the self-tape was just for the first round of auditions (what they call a 'pre-screen' audition), and the second round of auditions would be live. But I think we've all booked things recently from a single self-tape audition. I just finished a union (Screen Actors Guild/AFTRA) TV film a month ago, booked from a single, self-tape audition. I don't know if this will continue after the pandemic, but it is faster and less expensive...so it may stick around for some projects.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Actresses?
Gay Hammond: Absolutely. Timing plays a big role in the building of a career in the arts. In creating a sudden and massive loss of both current and future jobs, the pandemic has caused a giant rift in that process. Our graduates are still scrambling to find ways over and around that rift. For instance, 90% of our 2020 graduates had performing and/or technical theatre jobs lined up upon graduation; 98% of those jobs were canceled. Future auditions and hiring practices have been indefinitely put on hold for the vast majority of theatre organizations around the country. The resumes of our recent graduates will have this particular gap in their professional progression.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Actresses to find work opportunities?
Gay Hammond: Normally, Atlanta has a lot of opportunities in both film and theatre; many of our graduates also live and work in Chicago, NYC, Orlando, Las Vegas, and LA, as well as in other regional theatres around the country. Cruise ships and touring productions have also usually been a fertile ground for work (but are now canceled/on hold).
John Benitz
Chair and ProfessorChapman University
Department of Theatre
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Actresses?
John Benitz: I think there will be some lasting impacts as far as technology (see below), but the need for and love of live performance will not change. Live performance has endured wars, pandemics, censorship, and all other obstacles since people began telling stories to each other thousands upon thousands of years ago. That said, a severe pruning has taken place, and it has been devasting. Yet, I'm optimistic that industry and art will rebound more vital than ever.
Even during the pandemic, people have relied on the arts for guidance and comfort. We have to remain adaptive, sensitive to our world, smart, creative, and strong...all qualities artists have an abundance of!
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Actresses to find work opportunities?
John Benitz: The reality is still that if you want to be on or Off-Broadway, evident as it sounds, New York is it. To be sure, great theater happens all over the country in many cities. But... Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, Boston, San Francisco, San Diego, Atlanta, and Philadelphia still have a record of vital regional work that finds its way to Broadway, Off-Broadway, and touring productions.
If you want to work in movies, the amount of work being generated in Los Angeles still dominates by a long shot. Yet (and this is not a new or post-COVID thing), a great job can happen and be generated anywhere and find an avenue of distribution if it creates interest by the people who make those decisions. It is the perennial question: "New York or Los Angeles?"
Eventually, if you want to be in the game, you have to have a relationship with these cities. That said, some sage advice was once given to me when I left graduate school, which was "stay where you have connections [then it was Boston] and wait for LA or New York to call you." I confess that I didn't follow that advice, but I have friends who did and made terrific careers for themselves in smaller cities.
George Yé
Professor of Dramatic ArtsSan Diego Mesa College
Department of Dramatic Arts
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Actresses to find work opportunities?
George Yé: Those seeking work in the film industry most likely will gravitate towards Southern California. Traditionally, those who are serious about a career on the stage will gravitate towards New York. However, there are several cities where young actors, theatre technicians, and designers can develop their careers before competing professionally.