Actors
SOC 27-2011 · 2024-2034
Play parts in stage, television, radio, video, or film productions, or other settings for entertainment, information, or instruction. Interpret serious or comic role by speech, gesture, and body movement to entertain or inform audience. May dance and sing.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- Not reported
- Projected openings
- 39,840
- Projected change
- +4.4%
- Usually needs
- Some college, no degree
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Active Listening
- Time Management
- Critical Thinking
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | Not reported | 220 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | Not reported | 5,300 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | Not reported | 130 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | Not reported | 160 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | Not reported | 140 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | Not reported | 230 |
What the pay actually ranges across
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Musicians and Singers | Not reported | 19,460 | +4.3% |
| Producers and Directors | $133,423 | 31,850 | +12.2% |
| Music Directors and Composers | $95,696 | 4,320 | +4.5% |
| Writers and Authors | $88,901 | 23,670 | +7% |
| Dancers | Not reported | 3,600 | +4% |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | $102,193 | 8,060 | +0.9% |
Programs that train for this job — 1
Acting Certificate
City College of San Francisco · San Francisco · $794