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Best states for a Performer
Quoted Expert
George Yé
- Rank 1 - 10
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- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to performer jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. We wanted to look at the best states for performers -- where there are plenty of performer jobs to go around and performers get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for performers.We found that the West is best for performers, and the Northeast is the worst. Agawam Town, MA is the best city in the country for performer jobs, where as Pennsylvania is the best state in the country.
If you're looking for a Performer job, here are five companies hiring now:
10 best states for performers in 2025
1. Pennsylvania
Total Performer Jobs: 8 Average Annual Salary: $60,936 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $29,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 1.562. Rhode Island
Total Performer Jobs: 0 Average Annual Salary: $69,115 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $33,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $142,000 Location Quotient: 03. Delaware
Total Performer Jobs: 0 Average Annual Salary: $68,485 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $33,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 04. Nevada
Total Performer Jobs: 3 Average Annual Salary: $58,466 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $27,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 3.255. Connecticut
Total Performer Jobs: 0 Average Annual Salary: $69,863 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $33,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 06. Alaska
Total Performer Jobs: 0 Average Annual Salary: $68,445 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $34,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 07. Massachusetts
Total Performer Jobs: 2 Average Annual Salary: $67,560 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $32,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 0.498. New Hampshire
Total Performer Jobs: 0 Average Annual Salary: $65,328 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $31,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $134,000 Location Quotient: 09. New Jersey
Total Performer Jobs: 4 Average Annual Salary: $60,779 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $28,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 1.1410. California
Total Performer Jobs: 6 Average Annual Salary: $63,342 Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $30,000 Highest 10 Percent Earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 0.47
How Zippia determines the best states to be a performer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a performer
Rank  | State | Average Salary | Lowest 10% Earn | Population | Job Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania | $60,936 | $29,000 | 12,805,537 | 8 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $69,115 | $33,000 | 1,059,639 | 0 |
| 3 | Delaware | $68,485 | $33,000 | 961,939 | 0 |
| 4 | Nevada | $58,466 | $27,000 | 2,998,039 | 3 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $69,863 | $33,000 | 3,588,184 | 0 |
| 6 | Alaska | $68,445 | $34,000 | 739,795 | 0 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $67,560 | $32,000 | 6,859,819 | 2 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $65,328 | $31,000 | 1,342,795 | 0 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $60,779 | $28,000 | 9,005,644 | 4 |
| 10 | California | $63,342 | $30,000 | 39,536,653 | 6 |
| 11 | Vermont | $61,724 | $30,000 | 623,657 | 0 |
| 12 | Virginia | $55,293 | $26,000 | 8,470,020 | 6 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $65,563 | $32,000 | 693,972 | 0 |
| 14 | Arizona | $52,123 | $25,000 | 7,016,270 | 3 |
| 15 | New York | $57,194 | $27,000 | 19,849,399 | 6 |
| 16 | Maine | $53,204 | $26,000 | 1,335,907 | 0 |
| 17 | Indiana | $47,576 | $24,000 | 6,666,818 | 4 |
| 18 | West Virginia | $50,855 | $25,000 | 1,815,857 | 0 |
| 19 | Ohio | $44,672 | $22,000 | 11,658,609 | 18 |
| 20 | Michigan | $46,368 | $23,000 | 9,962,311 | 5 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $47,516 | $23,000 | 10,273,419 | 6 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $49,293 | $26,000 | 5,795,483 | 0 |
| 23 | Maryland | $50,531 | $24,000 | 6,052,177 | 2 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $46,140 | $25,000 | 5,576,606 | 0 |
| 25 | Illinois | $46,696 | $24,000 | 12,802,023 | 2 |
| 26 | Kentucky | $44,039 | $22,000 | 4,454,189 | 0 |
| 27 | Tennessee | $39,791 | $20,000 | 6,715,984 | 4 |
| 28 | Texas | $40,624 | $20,000 | 28,304,596 | 12 |
| 29 | Alabama | $41,917 | $21,000 | 4,874,747 | 0 |
| 30 | Iowa | $41,880 | $22,000 | 3,145,711 | 0 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $42,239 | $24,000 | 755,393 | 0 |
| 32 | Mississippi | $41,472 | $21,000 | 2,984,100 | 0 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $39,067 | $19,000 | 4,684,333 | 2 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $40,832 | $20,000 | 2,088,070 | 0 |
| 35 | Missouri | $40,199 | $21,000 | 6,113,532 | 2 |
| 36 | Oregon | $40,861 | $19,000 | 4,142,776 | 2 |
| 37 | Washington | $39,488 | $19,000 | 7,405,743 | 4 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $38,904 | $21,000 | 1,920,076 | 0 |
| 39 | Kansas | $39,175 | $20,000 | 2,913,123 | 0 |
| 40 | Colorado | $37,696 | $19,000 | 5,607,154 | 4 |
| 41 | Utah | $38,344 | $19,000 | 3,101,833 | 1 |
| 42 | Florida | $36,127 | $18,000 | 20,984,400 | 14 |
| 43 | Idaho | $38,083 | $19,000 | 1,716,943 | 0 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $37,201 | $18,000 | 5,024,369 | 2 |
| 45 | Wyoming | $37,317 | $19,000 | 579,315 | 0 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $38,925 | $22,000 | 1,427,538 | 0 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $34,715 | $19,000 | 869,666 | 0 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $35,036 | $18,000 | 3,004,279 | 0 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $34,212 | $17,000 | 3,930,864 | 1 |
| 50 | Georgia | $35,052 | $17,000 | 10,429,379 | 3 |
| 51 | Montana | $32,496 | $17,000 | 1,050,493 | 0 |
Highest paying states for performers
| Rank | State | Avg. Performer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania | $60,936 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $69,115 |
| 3 | Delaware | $68,485 |
| 4 | Nevada | $58,466 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $69,863 |
| 6 | Alaska | $68,445 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $67,560 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $65,328 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $60,779 |
| 10 | California | $63,342 |
| 11 | Vermont | $61,724 |
| 12 | Virginia | $55,293 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $65,563 |
| 14 | Arizona | $52,123 |
| 15 | New York | $57,194 |
| 16 | Maine | $53,204 |
| 17 | Indiana | $47,576 |
| 18 | West Virginia | $50,855 |
| 19 | Ohio | $44,672 |
| 20 | Michigan | $46,368 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $47,516 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $49,293 |
| 23 | Maryland | $50,531 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $46,140 |
| 25 | Illinois | $46,696 |
| 26 | Kentucky | $44,039 |
| 27 | Tennessee | $39,791 |
| 28 | Texas | $40,624 |
| 29 | Alabama | $41,917 |
| 30 | Iowa | $41,880 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $42,239 |
| 32 | Mississippi | $41,472 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $39,067 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $40,832 |
| 35 | Missouri | $40,199 |
| 36 | Oregon | $40,861 |
| 37 | Washington | $39,488 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $38,904 |
| 39 | Kansas | $39,175 |
| 40 | Colorado | $37,696 |
| 41 | Utah | $38,344 |
| 42 | Florida | $36,127 |
| 43 | Idaho | $38,083 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $37,201 |
| 45 | Wyoming | $37,317 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $38,925 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $34,715 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $35,036 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $34,212 |
| 50 | Georgia | $35,052 |
| 51 | Montana | $32,496 |
Expert opinions on the best states for performers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Performers to find work opportunities?
GGeorge Yé
Professor of Dramatic Arts, San Diego Mesa College
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.
Performer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025